PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the cerebral regions associated with sexual arousal between premenopausal and menopausal women by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (f MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten premenopausal and 10 menopausal women underwent fMRI on a 1.5T MR scanner using the blood oxygen level dependent technique. To identify the activated brain regions associated with sexual response, brain activation was assessed during 1 minute of a nonerotic film, followed by 4 minutes of an erotic film. RESULTS: The overall activation ratios of the premenopausal women were greater than those of the menopausal women by approximately 8% on average. The limbic, temporal association areas, and parietal lobe showed greater enhancement of signal intensities in premenopausal women. However, signal enhancement in the genu of the corpus callosum and superior frontal gyrus was dominant in menopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: The activated brain center associated with visually evoked sexual arousal showed qualitative and quantitative differences between premenopausal and menopausal women.
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the cerebral regions associated with sexual arousal between premenopausal and menopausal women by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (f MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten premenopausal and 10 menopausal women underwent fMRI on a 1.5T MR scanner using the blood oxygen level dependent technique. To identify the activated brain regions associated with sexual response, brain activation was assessed during 1 minute of a nonerotic film, followed by 4 minutes of an erotic film. RESULTS: The overall activation ratios of the premenopausal women were greater than those of the menopausal women by approximately 8% on average. The limbic, temporal association areas, and parietal lobe showed greater enhancement of signal intensities in premenopausal women. However, signal enhancement in the genu of the corpus callosum and superior frontal gyrus was dominant in menopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: The activated brain center associated with visually evoked sexual arousal showed qualitative and quantitative differences between premenopausal and menopausal women.