A Combined Psycho-pharmacological and Brain Imaging Study of Human Sexuality

NCT ID: NCT00569413

Last Updated: 2010-06-10

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: SUSPENDED
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-04-30
• Study Completion Date: 2011-10-31

Brief Summary

The current study combines a molecular genetic perspective, self report and brain imaging to the study of human sexuality in control subjects and individuals from a sexual disorder clinic. The investigators hypothesize that the variability in components of the brain dopaminergic system expressed in the mesolimbic reward system can explain variability in human sexuality, especially in desire and pleasure associated with sex.

Detailed Description

We intend to combine molecular genetics of the dopamine receptors (D2, D3 D4 and D5) and brain imaging using 11 C Raclopride in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). 11 C Raclopride is a ligand which binds to the dopamine receptor D2 and can measure dopamine release during pleasure or anticipatory reward associated with sex. The current proposal will measure changes in DRD2 receptor occupancy using 11 C Raclopride following explicit visual sexual desire cues in healthy control subjects and individuals who suffer from sexual dysfunction. This is in order to determine how individual genotypes modulate dopamine release in vivo in the human brain.

Conditions

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder; Erectile Dysfunction

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

1

Healthy control subjects (n=20) age 21-65 who do not suffer from a psychiatric diagnosis or neurological damage, are under age, or are pregnant women

No interventions assigned to this group

2

20 patients who suffer from sexual disorder (reduced sexual desire or sexual function) from a sexual disorder clinic, age 21-65, without any other psychiatric disorder, neurological damage, are not under age or pregnant women.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy volunteers and patients
• Age 21-65
• Male or female

Exclusion Criteria

• Psychiatric diagnosis/psychosis
• Neurological damage associated with loss of consciousness
• Infectious disease HIV
• Herpes
• Syphilis
• Hyperactivity treated with ritalin
• Pregnant women
• Under age

• Minimum Eligible Age: 21 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Hadassah Medical Organization

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Hadassah Medical Organization

Principal Investigators

Aviv M Weinstein, Ph.D

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Hadasah Medical Organization, Jerusalem Israel

Other Identifiers

First 978[1].07

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

281207HMO-CTIL

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id