Saturday, October 17, 2009
Study Suggests Link Between Psychosis And Creativity

Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear. Sylvia Plath stuck her head in the oven. History teems with examples of great artists acting in very peculiar ways. Were these artists simply mad or brilliant? According to new research reported in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, maybe both.

In order to examine the link between psychosis and creativity, psychiatrist Szabolcs Kéri of Semmelweis University in Hungary focused his research on neuregulin 1, a gene that normally plays a role in a variety of brain processes, including development and strengthening communication between neurons. However, a variant of this gene (or genotype) is associated with a greater risk of developing mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
In this study, the researchers recruited volunteers who considered themselves to be very creative and accomplished. They underwent a battery of tests, including assessments for intelligence and creativity. To measure creativity, the volunteers were asked to respond to a series of unusual questions (for example, "Just suppose clouds had strings attached to them which hang down to earth. What would happen?") and were scored based on the originality and flexibility of their answers. They also completed a questionnaire regarding their lifetime creative achievements before the researchers took blood samples.

The results show a clear link between neuregulin 1 and creativity: Volunteers with the specific variant of this gene were more likely to have higher scores on the creativity assessment and also greater lifetime creative achievements than volunteers with a different form of the gene. Kéri notes that this is the first study to show that a genetic variant associated with psychosis may have some beneficial functions. He observes that "molecular factors that are loosely associated with severe mental disorders but are present in many healthy people may have an advantage enabling us to think more creatively." In addition, these findings suggest that certain genetic variations, even though associated with adverse health problems, may survive evolutionary selection and remain in a population's gene pool if they also have beneficial effects. [Source]



[by silver-sehkmet]

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posted by Josy at 3:51 PM | 0 comments
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Can Be Abated, Even After Decades of Suffering


August 07, 2009 CHICAGO - By age 7, Anthony Barone was already descending into a confusing world of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that would dominate his life.

As a boy, he recalled, he felt driven to do things over and over. He would obsessively run his hands across his school desk. He would constantly move his pencils and pens in and out of his desk. He would complete his schoolwork and then erase it, repeating the ritual endlessly. He could not stop tapping, touching and counting things.
Even the promise of sleep did not offer relief. Unable to resist the urge, Barone said, he would repeatedly crawl out of bed to stroke a crucifix hanging on a dining room wall or handle other objects in the darkened room.

In part because of doctors who failed to diagnose his condition, it wasn't until Barone was 50 that he realized that he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. It was 13 more years before he received effective treatment that allowed him to lead a more normal life.

Barone's experience may be extreme, but it is not entirely uncommon. People with OCD frequently struggle for years with the disorder because they do not get an accurate diagnosis or appropriate treatment.
Now 72, Barone said he is content with his life, savoring experiences he once avoided and cherishing old friendships while cultivating new ones.

But he also feels a profound sense of loss for the life that could have been. He dropped out of high school and never married. The product of a large Italian-American family, he thinks about the children and grandchildren he never had.

"OCD affected every part of my life - emotionally, sexually, professionally, mentally," said Barone, who wears silver-rimmed glasses that match the remaining wisps of his silver hair.
"I missed so much."

Now that he is doing well, Barone has made it his mission to educate teachers, doctors and mental health professionals about the disorder.

"I don't want young people to go through what I went through," he said, his booming voice quieting.

During Barone's youth in the late 1930s and 1940s, OCD was rarely talked about and little understood. Now it is getting regular airtime on TV shows such as "Monk" and, more recently, on A&E's documentary-style program "Obsessed," which focuses on the lives of people being treated for OCD.

Yet experts in OCD say that despite greater awareness of the disorder, too few therapists have received specialized training to treat it. Research conducted in conjunction with the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation found a 14- to 17-year gap between the onset of symptoms and effective treatment.

"I call that a crime," said Daniel M. Potter, Barone's therapist. "That's years of needless suffering. What's even worse is that much of the delay is a consequence of clinicians not making the diagnosis and/or using the wrong treatment for it."

Scientists believe obsessive-compulsive disorder is caused by abnormalities in the structure or functioning of the brain. An estimated 4 million people in the U.S. have the disorder, said clinical psychologist Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, and up to 3 million more have some symptoms but don't fit the psychiatric diagnosis.

Shana Doronn, a Barrington, Ill.-based therapist who is featured on "Obsessed," describes obsessions as unwanted thoughts, images, impulses, urges and fears. "Compulsions are what the person does to reduce the anxiety caused by these thoughts," she said.
Barone said that when he turned 12 his worried mother carted him to the family doctor. The doctor diagnosed his unusual behavior as a normal sign of puberty - even though Barone had failed 4th grade and was about to repeat 6th grade for the second time because of it.
Eventually, Barone recognized his symptoms while watching a TV program about OCD and sought help. Later, when his condition was finally diagnosed, he was treated by a psychoanalyst untrained in his disorder.

By the time Barone met Potter, Barone's illness had ballooned to encompass nearly every aspect of his life. He washed excessively. He avoided using the phone during certain hours, traveling down certain streets, entering certain buildings. He also obsessively checked door locks and stove burners.

"Imagine 60 years of this stuff," Potter said. "This guy had his life robbed from him. And at this point, that's what he's dealing with."
According to the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, a standard psychological instrument that measures OCD, Barone used to fall somewhere between the severe and extreme range, leaning toward extreme.

But with the help of medication and talk therapy, Barone was able to stop behaviors he had been exhibiting for decades, Potter said. Like many people with a diagnosis of severe OCD, Barone was prescribed antidepressants, which he continues to take.

Now he falls in the low to moderate range for the disorder, "a huge, huge change," said Potter, executive director of the Midwest Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Center, which operates three area offices.
Bert DeLegge, Barone's friend since age 9, said he had no idea of the agony Barone was going through. Like many people with OCD, Barone hid his symptoms.

"I was really shocked because it was a long time before I found out," said DeLegge, who has known about his friend's OCD for only a few years. "It never dawned on me that he was so sick. I never saw that side."
Barone works as an information clerk at the Illinois College of Optometry, where on a recent day he wore a whimsical black tie with large white letters that mimic an eye chart, a gift from some of the college's students.

Dr. Daisy Chan, a Chicago optometrist, sought him out during a break from her continuing medical education class.

"He's my grandpa; he's everybody's favorite," Chan told a visitor as she embraced a jovial Barone. When she pulled out a photo of her chubby-cheeked baby son, Barone beamed like a proud grandfather.
The college's students and former students have become like an extended family to Barone. Their photos are carefully arranged on his desk along with those of his relatives. He has been invited to students' weddings, birthday parties, graduation banquets.

Barone, who is known for his charm and warmth, credits personal relationships throughout his life with saving him from isolation, loneliness and despair.

"I'm so thankful for the last 10 years of my life," said Barone, who volunteers with the Chicago affiliate of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. "I have good friends. A good job for me. For me, I've been accepted - even more than accepted, respected."

Potter marvels at the turnaround in Barone's life.
"This is him living life in the best way he can in the time that he has, and there is a richness in that," Potter said. "He's certainly somebody who makes sure at this point in his life to enjoy the richness when it's available."


OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: COMMON FEARS AND COMPULSIONS

Common obsessions and compulsions:

Obsessions are unwanted, recurrent and disturbing thoughts that cause overwhelming anxiety. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that a person feels he must perform to alleviate that anxiety. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder know their thoughts and actions are irrational yet are often unable to stop.

Common obsessions:

Fear of contamination or germs
Fear of causing harm to others
Fear of loss
Fear of violating religious rules
Need for symmetry or exactness
Need for perfection
Common compulsions
Washing/cleaning
Checking door locks or stove burners
Hoarding
Preoccupation with religious observances
Arranging/organizing
Counting/repeating
Seeking reassurance


FACTS ABOUT THE DISORDER

What is OCD?

A chronic anxiety disorder that scientists believe is rooted in abnormalities in the brain.

What causes it?

Brain scans called positron emission tomography have uncovered differences in functioning in some areas of patients' brains. The disorder may involve errors in communication between the orbitofrontal cortex (front part of the brain) and the basal ganglia and thalamus (deeper parts of the brain).
Abnormalities in serotonin and other neurotransmitter systems - chemicals that send messages between brain cells - may be at the root of the disorder. Genetics may be a factor, and in genetically vulnerable individuals OCD may be triggered by strep infection.
Though stress does not cause OCD, an event like the death of a loved one, birth of a child, difficulties in school, divorce or other trauma can trigger it.

How is OCD treated?

There is no cure, but OCD is treatable. Standard treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, sometimes accompanied by medication. Many experts believe a combination is most effective.
A special form of therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention exposes people to their obsessions while teaching them to reduce their anxiety without performing rituals. Drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are thought to help normalize the brain's serotonin level.
Improving treatment will require "better understanding of genetics, biology and what's going on in the brain," said Dr. Michael Jenike, chairman of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board.


(c) 2009, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.



 
posted by Josy at 5:41 PM | 0 comments
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A Genetic Clue to Why Autism Affects Boys More

Among the many mysteries that befuddle autism researchers: why the disorder affects boys four times more often than girls. But in new findings reported online today by the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers say they have found a genetic clue that may help explain the disparity.

The newly discovered autism-risk gene, identified by authors as CACNA1G, is more common in boys than in girls (why that's so is still not clear), and the authors suggest it plays a role in boys' increased risk of the developmental disorder. CACNA1G, which sits on chromosome 17, amid other genes that have been previously linked to autism, is responsible for regulating the flow of calcium into and out of cells. Nerve cells in the brain rely on calcium to become activated, and research suggests that imbalances in the mineral can result in the overstimulation of neural connections and create developmental problems, such as autism and even epilepsy, which is also a common feature of autism.[full article]



 [by razzam]

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posted by Josy at 10:17 PM | 0 comments
Friday, April 17, 2009
Phobies sociales à expression atypique

Pelissolo A. Phobies sociales à expression atypique. Rev Prat 2009;59(4):sous presse.

La phobie sociale est un des troubles psychiatriques les plus répandus, avec une prévalence d´environ 3 à 5%. Les formes typiques sont simples à identifier avec un interrogatoire précis, quand le contexte ou les plaintes du patient orientent vers cette pathologie. Il existe cependant des cas où la présentation n´est pas typique ou dans lesquels un autre diagnostic s´impose en premier lieu. Il s´agit notamment des dépressions et des addictions, complications fréquentes des phobies sociales mais qui les « masquent » souvent du fait de leur gravité. Par ailleurs, la plainte initiale voire unique du patient peut concerner un symptôme physique qu´il considérera comme le plus gênant, sans forcément le rattacher à son anxiété sociale. C´est le cas notamment des sujets craignant de rougir, trembler, transpirer ou produire des bruits digestifs en public. Enfin, certaines formes trompeuses sont dominées par l´agressivité ou la froideur relationnelle, cachant une réelle anxiété sociale sous-jacente. Dans tous ces cas de figure, le dépistage et le traitement de la phobie sociale est essentiel et permet souvent d´obtenir des améliorations globales très satisfaisantes et durables.[source]


[by havanoid]
 
posted by Josy at 9:26 PM | 0 comments
Friday, March 27, 2009
Masturbation et auto-érotisme

Pendant plus de deux siècles, la masturbation, sous le nom d’onanisme, a été persécutée en Occident par des pasteurs, prêtres et médecins dans un mouvement hygiéniste qui n’était certainement destiné, inconsciemment, qu’à inhiber les pulsions sexuelles naissantes des adolescents.
La plupart d’entre nous pensent que cet interdit est très ancien, qu’il s’agit d’une règle biblique. Il n’en est rien, la Bible n’interdit nulle part la masturbation, les textes sacrés non plus. L’onanisme, crime d’Onan, n’est en réalité qu’un coït interrompu !* Les interdits sont plus récents, avec des attitudes morales très différentes, selon les siècles. Mais ce n’est vraiment qu’au début du 18e siècle, en Europe, que se développera cet interdit jusqu’au milieu du 20e siècle. Il est d’ailleurs encore suffisamment dans les mémoires pour qu’une part importante de nos patientes et de nos patients en conçoivent toujours de la culpabilité.


Pourquoi cet interdit ?

Certainement par le savoir inconscient que les pratiques sexuelles avec soi-même sont des facteurs d’épanouissement sexuel et donc de liberté individuelle, ce qui était alors une menace pour les familles désirant contrôler les alliances pour mieux transmettre les valeurs. L’histoire moderne en a décidé tout autrement puisque, aujourd’hui, l’individu existe à part entière – et notamment la femme – avec ses choix, ses désirs et la nécessité d’un épanouissement personnel. « La masturbation et l’autoérotisme sont au centre de la sexualité, permettant la maturation sexuelle comme la pérennité de la sexualité ».
C’est une phrase que je prononce presque systématiquement lors du premier entretien avec mes patients ou patientes en difficulté sexuelle. Notre culture occidentale qui, dès l’origine, a banni le corps et le désir (Saint Augustin), ne pouvait pas accepter cet épanouissement du corps. Mais toutes les cultures traditionnelles, qui avaient compris l’importance de l’apprentissage des sensations et de la désensibilisation des émotions, ont en général développé des rituels pour permettre l’épanouissement. C’est ainsi qu’en Océanie, les mères font, dans les premiers jours de la vie, couler un liquide sacré fait d’eau, de lait et d’herbes sur la vulve entrouverte de la petite fille ou le pénis du petit garçon pour déjà sensibiliser cette région aux sensations intimes.
Il en va de même pour la masturbation qui va ensuite permettre une progressive désensibilisation de la région génitale pour apprivoiser les réactions sexuelles afin de se les approprier. Ce terme « apprivoiser » me semble particulièrement juste chez la jeune fille qui doit lever les craintes liées au sexe pour « s’approprier » cette région intime, seule condition de l’épanouissement.


Ontogenèse

Les premières masturbations ont été observées chez le bébé, garçon ou fille, dès l’âge de deux mois et les premiers orgasmes par auto-stimulation à l’âge de cinq mois (Kinsey). Dans les années qui suivent, cette activité auto-érotique est progressivement plus importante avec une phase de « clandestinisation » des pratiques jusqu’à l’adolescence où la masturbation est découverte, ou redécouverte par certains.
La masturbation est un comportement auto-érotique qui trouve également sa place dans la relation à l’autre. Elle participe surtout à la maturation sexuelle en permettant de désensibiliser les réactions sexuelles avec soi-même, dans ce temps où le corps de l’autre sexe est encore trop inquiétant. Dans le rapport Spira, en 1993, sur 20 000 sujets adultes en France, 84 % des hommes avaient pratiqué au moins une fois la masturbation au cours de leur vie contre 42 % des femmes, toutes classes d’âges confondues. Si la proportion des hommes pratiquant la masturbation est sensiblement stable tout au long de la vie, celle des femmes évolue en fonction des classes d’âges et des générations.
On a pu penser à une sous-déclaration féminine, on sait aujourd’hui que les femmes osent réellement parler de leurs pratiques lorsque le praticien le leur demande. Enfin, s’il n’y a pas de relation directe entre l’auto-érotisme, la pratique de la masturbation et la disponibilité sexuelle à l’âge adulte, on peut cependant remarquer que, parmi les femmes sexuellement épanouies à l’âge adulte, une majorité connaît l’auto-érotisme et la masturbation et que, parmi celles qui ont des difficultés à vivre leur sexualité à l’âge adulte, une majorité ne l’a jamais pratiquée. En cela, la masturbation est un facteur important de maturation sexuelle dans le sens où elle permet l’appropriation et l’apprivoisement des réactions sexuelles avant de les vivre avec un partenaire. L’auto-érotisme est une conduite érotique à part entière ; c’est à la fois une étape du développement, mais également un facteur d’accompagnement qui manque souvent aux individus et aux couples en difficulté sexuelle. [par P. BRENOT, Université Paris 5]

* Pour les aspects historiques de cette persécution, voir P. Brenot, Eloge de la masturbation, Zulma, 1996

[by nico37]

 
posted by Josy at 5:16 PM | 0 comments
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Schizophrénie : une hypothèse hallucinante

Une nouvelle surprenante :
Saisonnalité (pics de naissance hivernale), rôle d’une « mère pathogène » pour tel psychanalyste, ou de « la forclusion du nom /non du père » pour son collègue lacanien, part des gènes ou des hallucinogènes pour d’autres (versant dans l’allitération), communication paradoxale pour l’École de Palo Alto et son « double lien »… Les théories sur l’étiologie de la schizophrénie sont multiples. Et parfois cycliques. Comme le prouve une étude anglaise, publiée dans le British Journal of Psychiatry, où l’auteur défend une thèse ancienne sur la responsabilité de certaines affections ORL en psychiatrie.Dès 1890, des aliénistes pensaient que certaines maladies mentales pouvaient résulter d’une pathologie infectieuse de l’oreille moyenne, source d’irritation possible du cerveau (vu leur proximité anatomique), en particulier du lobe temporal, impliqué dans les conceptions actuelles sur la schizophrénie. Peter Mason a réexaminé cette hypothèse séculaire après avoir observé un cas de schizophrénie survenu à la suite d’une intervention chirurgicale pour mastoïdite. Il a vérifié que les antécédents affectant l’oreille moyenne (middle-ear disease) sont effectivement plus fréquents chez les schizophrènes que dans la population générale. Cela vaut encore davantage pour l’oreille gauche, fait qu’il est tentant de rapprocher de l’asymétrie fonctionnelle des hémisphères cérébraux.L’étude de P Mason et coll. montre aussi que les hallucinations auditives sont associées à ces antécédents ORL, mais pas à une perte de l’audition. Cette découverte est très intéressante, car elle écarte une autre interprétation possible du lien entre oreille et psychose, la carence de stimulations sonores qui entraînerait un isolement préjudiciable à la socialisation : si ce déterminisme prévalait, la surdité constituerait en elle-même un facteur de risque pour la psychose, contrairement au constat des auteurs éliminant une corrélation entre hallucinations auditives et surdité. Après leur indication contre l’ulcère de l’estomac, maladie réputée « typiquement psychosomatique » jusqu’à la découverte d’Helicobacter pylori, les antibiotiques auront-ils un jour leur place dans la prévention de la schizophrénie ?

Peter Mason : Middle-ear disease and schizophrenia : case-control study. Br J of Psychiatry 2008 ; 193 : 192-196.

En restant sur le même thème, mais selon le site Derrière la nouvelle :
Des chercheurs montréalais percent l’un des mystères de la schizophrénie.

La schizophrénie est associée à des désordres inflammatoires, affirment des chercheurs montréalais, confirmant du coup une hypothèse répandue dans le milieu médical. Après avoir compilé et analysé les données de 62 recherches sur le sujet, l’équipe du pharmacologue Édouard Kouassi, de l’hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, a pu étudier les caractéristiques de près de 3000 schizophrènes.
Des études à suivre!

[by circushead]

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posted by Josy at 8:04 PM | 0 comments
Saturday, March 08, 2008
International Women's Day
International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. [1]
International Women's Day is a day to celebrate the gains women have made over the years and to bring our attention to the issues that still face us. Most of all, it's a day to recognise that we, as women, have made and continue to make a difference (..) [2]
This year's International Women's Day focuses on investing in women and girls. Abundant evidence shows that when women are given an opportunity to express their potential, health indicators rapidly improve for themselves, for households and for communities. Investment in women and girls not only contributes to socioeconomic progress, but is also an investment in health development. [3]
Around the world, International Women’s Day (IWD) marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements of women.

Throughout history we have witnessed the struggle of ordinary women seeking to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for 'liberty, equality, fraternity' marched in Versailles to demand women's suffrage. Today in the 'modern' world we still find that women are paid less than their male counterparts, experience daily violence at the hands of abusers and go unrecognized as essential providers in thriving economies. [4]

Last year, on 'International Women's Day', seminars were organized by Lebanese NGOs (such as KAFA and Helem), to shed some lights on 'domestic violence against women' (which is still very 'en vogue' in Arabic societies), on Lebanese laws which still consider a woman's status as inferior to a man's status; and 'Road Tables' tackling subjects such as : Women's Rights in the Arab/Muslim World, Women in Lebanon amidst patriarchal society, Lesbian Identity in Lebanon, etc. (just to mention a few). I am mentioning this yearly event, because - in Lebanon and most the Arab world - such important events are not really adverted in mainstream medias, and to salute the courage of millions of women who are trying to break the walls surrounding them, trying to claim their full and proper rights - which are strangled by out-dated religious beliefs and repressed societies - in this side of the world.


[by shesbiketuff]

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posted by Josy at 6:51 PM | 1 comments
Friday, January 12, 2007
The Science of Orgasm..

Armed with MRI scanners and willing volunteers, a hardy band of sex researchers is exploring the long-misunderstood organ that's at the center of human sexuality -- the brain.

Three of the leading lights in sex research have compiled several decades' worth of knowledge into a new book called The Science of Orgasm.

The authors are Rutgers University professor emeritus Beverly Whipple (who helped popularize the "G-spot" in the '70s), Rutgers psychology professor Barry Komisaruk, and Carlos Beyer-Flores, head of the Laboratorio Tlaxcala in Mexico.

In a Q&A with Wired News, Whipple and Komisaruk discussed what we're learning about the eternal mystery of the Big O.

Wired News: What have we learned about orgasms in the past five to 10 years?

Beverly Whipple: With new technology and women being more open, we're able to document that women can experience orgasms from many different forms of stimulation. There's more than one nerve pathway involved: Orgasm is not just a reflex.

Barry Komisaruk: We recognize four different nerve pathways that carry sensory signals from the vagina, cervix, clitoris and uterus, and they all can contribute to orgasms. That's a new recognition.

WN: You've discovered that women can have orgasms when a variety of parts of their bodies are stimulated, right?

Komisaruk: Orgasms have been described as being elicitable from any part of the body -- the mouth, the nipples, the anus, the hand. It leads us to think that there is a general orgasmic principle of building up excitation from different parts of the body leading to a climax and a resolution -- not necessarily ending in ejaculation, but a feeling of an orgasmic experience.

Whipple: We have documented in our laboratory that women can have orgasms from imagery alone without touching their body. The point is that women can experience orgasms and sexual pleasure from many forms of stimuli. It does have not have to be through genital stimulation.

WN: What are we learning about these non-genital orgasms?

Whipple: That they're real. We may have to reconsider what people define as orgasms, and not just have it defined in the genitals. We find that certain of the same brain areas are activated during orgasms experienced by imagery only (as during genital orgasms).

Komisaruk: It broadens our perspective on the potentialities of the body and brain. If we understand better how we can generate such pleasure from all different parts of our bodies, that increases our potential for sensory experience.

WN: Do you think there might come a time when orgasms really get detached from the genitals?

Komisaruk: It's happening right now. People have described orgasms through imagery, nose orgasms, knee orgasms. Although it sounds strange, the reports are believable. Now, people can show our book to someone who doubts it, and it can serve as a validation. Time will tell how prevalent non-genital orgasms are.

WN: You've found that even women with no feeling below the waist can have genital orgasms through genital stimulation.

Whipple: We've documented through our research that women who have complete transection -- interruption of the spinal cord -- can experience orgasms.

Komisaruk: The nerve pathway for that is via the vagus nerve, which can go directly from the cervix and uterus to the brain, passing outside the spinal cord. Women with spinal cord injuries told us that their doctors told them it was impossible to experience genital sensation, it was impossible to experience genital pleasure. They thought something was wrong with them when they experienced it, and they were troubled by it.

WN: What is the vagus nerve?

Whipple: "Vagus" means wanderer -- the nerve wanders through the body. Previously, it wasn't thought that it goes as far as the pelvic region. But our research and that of other laboratories is showing that it does in fact go to the cervix and uterus and probably the vagina. It carries the impulses from those regions, travels up through the abdomen, goes through the diaphragm, through the thorax (chest cavity), up the neck outside the spinal cord, and into the brain.

Komisaruk: Men and women have described an orgasmic experience from stimulation of the skin region around the level of the spinal cord injury. The injury creates an area of heightened sensitivity. They've told us if the right person stimulates that skin in the right way, it can produce very pleasurable sensation, including what they describe as orgasms.

We studied one such woman who had a spinal cord injury near her shoulders. She stimulated her neck with a vibrator, and she said that elicited an orgasm for her. We observed her blood pressure and heart rate, and they became elevated just as if it were a genital orgasm.

WN: Professor Whipple, you had a very emotional moment with one subject who had a spinal-cord injury.

Whipple: That particular woman had not tried any sexual stimulation, either with herself or a partner, in the two years since she had an injury. When she was in the laboratory, this woman experienced six orgasms through self-simulation. It was extremely emotional. She was crying, I was crying. She didn't think this was possible, and she was so pleased that she had volunteered to be a research subject. This had helped open up her essential pleasure again.

WN: You've both used fMRI and PET scans to monitor people while they're experiencing sexual pleasure. What have you learned from that?

Whipple: That some of the same brain areas are activated during orgasm in women with and without complete spinal cord injury, and also during orgasm from imagery alone, with no one touching their body, including the women themselves.

Komisaruk: Certain of the brain components -- the insula and cingulate cortex -- that are activated during orgasms in women are classically known to be activated during response to pain. We've seen that there is a strong inhibition of the response to pain during orgasm. What that leads us to think is there is some kind of very important interaction between the orgasmic experience and the pain experience.

Another brain component – the nucleus accumbens -- which we see activated during orgasm in women has been shown by others to be activated by pleasure-producing drugs.

A third orgasm-activated brain component we see in women -- the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus -- produces oxytocin, which is secreted in peak amounts during orgasm in women and stimulates uterine contractions.

WN: What do you want to find out next?

Komisaruk: We've set up a mechanism by which the person in the scanner, the person in the fMRI, can see her own brain activity in near real-time. We project the person's own brain image to her while she's in the scanner.

We want to study chronic pain and relative insensitivity to genital stimulation. For those with pain, the question is whether they can voluntarily cool down the hot spots by looking at their own brain activity. Will that attenuate the pain?

For a person who has a relatively weak response to sexual stimulation, can they learn to intensify the activation of the responsive part of the brain, does that intensify the genital sensation? And there are some women who have undesirable high genital sensitivity. They wish to cool it down. Can they cool it down by voluntarily reducing their brain activity?

WN: Is there a holy grail of sex research?

Komisaruk: In terms of sexuality, the holy grail is: Why does an orgasm feel so damned good? I think we're getting there.

[source]

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posted by Josy at 2:28 AM | 0 comments
Sunday, October 08, 2006

Theories of Love..

Rubin’s theory
Psychologist Zick Rubin, proposed that romantic love is made up of three elements :
Attachment, caring, and intimacy.

Attachment : is the need to receive care, approval, and physical contact with the other person.
Caring : involves valuing the other persons needs and happiness as much as your own.
Intimacy : refers to the sharing of thoughts, desires, and feelings with the other person.

Compassionate love and Passionate love theory
According to psychologist Elaine Hatfield and her colleagues, there are two basic types of love: compassionate love and passionate love.

Compassionate love : is characterized by mutual respect, attachment, affection, and trust. Compassionate love usually develops out of feelings of mutual understanding and shared respect for each other.

Passionate love : is characterized by intense emotions, sexual attraction, anxiety, and affection. When these intense emotions are reciprocated, people feel elated and fulfilled. Unreciprocated love leads to feelings of despondence and despair. Hatfield suggests that passionate love is transitory, usually lasting between 6 and 30 months.

According to Hatfield, passionate love arises when cultural expectations encourage falling in love, when the person meets your preconceived ideas of an ideal lover, and when you experience heightened physiological arousal in the presence of the other person.

Ideally passionate love then leads to compassionate love, which is far more enduring. While most people desire relationships that combine the security and stability of compassionate with the intensity of passionate love, Hatfield suggests that this is rare.

Lee’s Six Styles of Loving theory
According to this theory, in love, there are three primary styles:

1. Eros – Loving an ideal person
2. Ludos – Love as a game
3. Storge – Love as friendship

And, three secondary styles:
1. Mania (Eros + Ludos) – Obsessive love
2. Pragma (Ludos + Storge) – Realistic and practical love
3. Agape (Eros + Storge) – Selfless love

Triangular Theory of Love
Psychologist Robert Sternberg proposed a triangular theory of love that suggests that there are three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment.

Different combinations of these three components result in different types of love. For example :

a combination of intimacy and commitment results in compassionate love,
while a combination of passion and intimacy leads to passionate love.

According to Sternberg, relationships built on two or more elements are more enduring that those based upon a single component. Sternberg uses the term consummate love to describe a combination of intimacy, passion, and commitment. While this type of love is the strongest and most enduring, Sternberg suggests that this type of love is rare.

… it’s nice to be in love, isn’t it? But, with the correct combination! :-)



 
posted by Josy at 7:44 PM | 6 comments