The nervous system, and the brain as a central part of it, is an essential part of our body, without it we could not live. In addition, it has a leading role throughout the sexual act, in that sense, what exactly happens in our brain during orgasm ?, why are there differences in the intensity of pleasure between men and women?
In the stage of sexual and physical stimulation and at the peak, several areas and brain structures are activated which, when bombarded by nerve stimuli of the genital area, stimulate the reward system of the brain and are responsible for orgasms and all their effects on the body.
According to Masters and Johnson models, people’s sexual response is divided into four well-defined stages.
Despite all these physiological reactions described above, the organ that has absolute control over the presence or absence of orgasms is the brain, and its right arm is the rest of the nervous system. Without sending nerve impulses to the spinal cord and brain, orgasms would be non-existence Let’s see how the brain works during orgasm.
In the genital area there are many nerves, which send information to the brain about the sensations felt by the person, each of these endings has different effects on the individual, in the clitoris there are more than 8,000 nerve endings. , imagine how many sensations a woman can feel and how many processes occur in her brain during orgasm!
These genital nerves communicate with longer nerves that, in turn, transmit information and transport it to the spine, then pass through the spinal cord and ascend to the brain, the nerves play a greater role in this transfer of information that leads to orgasm. Are:
When arousal begins, the brain begins to send blood to the genitals, reflecting sexual, physical and psychological stimulation, which is mediated by the parasympathetic nervous system, so it is necessary for the person to be relaxed.
Gradually, cardiac and respiratory levels will increase in both sexes, in this case, already in the plateau phase, simpatic activity predominates, which produces important and similar physiological changes in women and men.
In turn, as we have seen, nerve endings in the genital areas and other parts of the body send signals to the pleasure circuit of the brain, also known as the reward system, this mechanism is responsible for identifying pleasant or motivating behaviors. If there is continuous stimulation, several brain structures are activated in this circuit.
These include the amygdala (regulation of emotions), the nucleus accumbens (dopamine release), the cerebellum (control of muscle functions) or the pituitary gland (release of endorphins or oxytocin).
In addition to the reward system, scientists have observed how certain areas of the brain work during orgasm. Through these researches, which lasted more than 30 years, brain activity has been shown to be very similar in both sexes and that there is no difference in sexual response.
This inhibits the cortex of the lateral frontal orbit, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and control processes, meaning that the brain, during orgasm, completely disables this area.
However, in women there are more brain areas in pause and in men they remain active, which could explain the difference in maximum pleasure time between the sexes, in which the central gray substance that activates the combat or flight response is also activated. The cortex is also stimulated, which involves pain, which might suggest a link between this feeling and pleasure.
On the other hand, a study conducted by Holstege found the exact area of the brain that controls orgasm, the dorsolateral pontoon in the brainstem. Research has concluded that it is responsible for ejaculation and orgasm, with no difference between the sexes. Don’t you think?