{"id":17385,"date":"2017-02-18T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-02-18T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=17385"},"modified":"2018-11-22T11:13:30","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T11:13:30","slug":"what-is-mental-viagra-and-how-can-it-help-with-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/what-is-mental-viagra-and-how-can-it-help-with-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is ‘Mental Viagra’ and How Can It Help with ED?"},"content":{"rendered":"

R<\/span>esearchers have found that a reproductive hormone known as kisspeptin appears to fire up the libido in those whose interest in sex has flagged. This could emerge as a novel therapy for treating erectile dysfunction that is psychological in origin.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No easy fix is currently available for the 10 to 20 percent of impotent men whose erectile dysfunction is psychological in origin and not linked to problems of blood flow. Help could be on its way, however, in the form of a recently identified reproductive hormone that early studies indicate could reinvigorate sexual desire in men whose libidos have essentially turned off.<\/p>\n

Viagra, Cialis, and the other PDE5 inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of erectile dysfunction caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis, the single largest cause of ED. But these drugs do little, if anything, to help men whose impotence is caused by psychological factors.<\/p>\n

‘Mental Viagra’<\/h3>\n

Now, research scientists at Imperial College London<\/a> in the United Kingdom have found that a hormone called kisspeptin works on the brain in much the same way that Viagra does on the vascular system, thus earning it the nickname of “mental Viagra.”<\/p>\n

Kisspeptin is a naturally occurring hormone that is believed to trigger the sexual urges associated with the onset of puberty. However, it is now believed that it could rekindle sexual desire in older men who’ve somehow lost their interest in sex. And without that underlying desire, sexual arousal becomes difficult, if not impossible.<\/p>\n

In an interview for an article posted at the website of The Telegraph<\/a>, Waljit Dhillo, lead author of the ICL study, said that kisspeptin triggers the release of reproductive hormones in the body. Until recently, studies involving kisspeptin “have focused primarily on the biological factors that may make it difficult for a couple to conceive naturally.”<\/p>\n

Brain’s Role Not Fully Understood<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Brain’s role in sexual function not yet fully understood.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While biological factors obviously play a major role in reproduction, said Dhillo, “the role that the brain and emotional processing play in this process is also very important and only partially understood.” This led researchers to take a closer look at kisspeptin, which stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones and essentially kick-starts puberty, which is accompanied by a sharp increase in sexual interest and desire.<\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about kisspeptin’s potential as a treatment for male sexual dysfunction of psychological origin, Dhillo and his colleagues recruited a study group of 29 healthy young men, all of whom identified as heterosexual. The men were injected either with kisspeptin or a placebo and then shown a variety of images, including both sexual and nonsexual images.<\/p>\n

Evaluating Brain Activity<\/h3>\n

To evaluate the impact of kisspeptin vs. placebo on brain activity in response to the images, researchers used MRI neuroimaging, as well as hormonal and psychometric analyses. The results of the ICL study were published in a January 2017 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

Researchers found that study participants injected with kisspeptin exhibited an increased activity in the portions of the brain that are typically activated by sexual arousal and romance when shown images of a sexual nature. These areas of the brain showing increased activity are known collectively as the limbic system, which is associated with emotional and sexual responses and behaviors.<\/p>\n

Antidepressant Properties<\/h3>\n

No significant change was noted in emotional brain activity when test subjects injected with kisspeptin were shown nonsexual images, which included images characterized as neutral, as well as images of happy and fearful faces. However, researchers noted enhanced activity in brain structures associated with the regulation of negative moods. Based on this finding, they urged additional studies to evaluate kisspeptin’s potential as a treatment for depression.<\/p>\n

Of the study’s overall findings, senior author Alexander Comninos said that they demonstrate that kisspeptin not only increases sexual and romantic brain activity but also helps to decrease negative mood. “This raises the interesting possibility that kisspeptin may have uses in treating psychosexual disorders and depression” — major health problems that often occur together.<\/p>\n

Findings ‘Novel and Exciting’<\/h3>\n

Describing the study’s findings as “novel and exciting,” lead author Dhillo suggested that the next step in the exploration of kisspeptin’s potential might be a larger-scale study that included not just men but women as well. The most common form of female sexual dysfunction is hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. The only FDA-approved treatment for HSDD is a medication called Addyi, which has a number of adverse side effects and cannot be taken by women who consume alcohol.<\/p>\n

If this article has piqued your interest and you would like to read more about sexual health and function, as well as other topics of interest to health consumers, check out our blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Researchers have found that a reproductive hormone known as kisspeptin appears to fire up the libido in those whose interest in sex has flagged. This could emerge as a novel therapy for treating erectile dysfunction that is psychological in origin. No easy fix is currently available for the 10 to 20 percent of impotent men […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-17385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erectile-dysfunction","tag-erectile-dysfunction-2"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t