What neurochemicals and brain areas are involved in regulating libido (sex drive)?

From the Guidelines

Libido is primarily regulated by neurochemicals such as testosterone, dopamine, and serotonin, and involves brain areas like the hypothalamus and limbic system.

Key Neurochemicals and Brain Areas

• Testosterone: plays a crucial role in regulating libido, with low levels of testosterone often associated with decreased sex drive 1
• Dopamine: involved in the reward and pleasure aspects of sexual activity, with dopamine agonists like cabergoline showing improvement in orgasm 1
• Serotonin: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be used to treat problems with ejaculation, suggesting a role for serotonin in regulating libido 1

Brain Areas

• Hypothalamus: regulates hormone production, including testosterone, which is essential for libido 1
• Limbic system: involved in emotional and motivational aspects of sexual behavior, including the desire for sex 1

Treatment Options

• Testosterone therapy: may relieve symptoms of low libido, erectile dysfunction, and problems with ejaculation or orgasm in individuals with hypogonadism 1
• PDE5 inhibitors: can improve erectile dysfunction and are often used in conjunction with testosterone therapy or lifestyle modifications 1
• Lifestyle modifications: smoking cessation, weight loss, increasing physical activity, and avoiding excess alcohol consumption can improve sexual function 1

From the Research

Neurochemicals Involved in Regulating Libido

• Gonadal hormones, such as androgens, play a major role in activating and maintaining libido in both men and women 2
• Other hormones, including prolactin, also interact with gonadal hormones to influence sexuality 2
• Brain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, melanocortins, oxytocin, and norepinephrine, are involved in the stimulation of sexual desire (excitatory system) 3
• Brain opioid, endocannabinoid, and serotonin systems are activated during periods of sexual inhibition, and blunt the ability of excitatory systems to be activated 3

Brain Areas Involved in Regulating Libido

• The amygdala, hypothalamus, dorsal and ventral striatum, anterior cingulate, insula, and prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex are commonly associated with sexual desire and arousal 4
• The hypothalamus and limbic system are linked by brain dopamine systems, which appear to form the core of the excitatory system 3
• The brain networks involved in sexual wanting or motivation/anticipation, as well as sexual liking or arousal/consummation, have been uncovered through brain imaging studies 5

Interaction between Neurochemicals and Brain Areas

• The functional neuroanatomy of sexual behavior is comparable to that involved in processing other rewarding stimuli, and follows the established principles and phases for wanting, liking, and satiety involved in the pleasure cycle of other rewards 5
• Human sexual behavior interacts with other pleasures, most notably social interaction and high arousal states, and is influenced by changes in the underlying brain networks supporting sexual behavior over the individual's lifetime 5
• Hormonal aspects of sexual arousability and sexual excitement are mainly related to androgens, and changes in circulating sex hormone binding globulin and free testosterone can result in sexual problems 6