This is the question that neuroscientist Barry Komisaruk of Rutgers University (USA) has been asking for some years. According to the account in the latest issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine , in his latest study to find out, he placed 11 women of different ages in a nuclear magnetic resonance scan and invited them to self-stimulate the cervix, clitoris, vagina and nipples , separately. Brain imaging revealed that during orgasm there was an increase in different areas of the sensory cortex in the first three cases . And that by stimulating the nipples, in addition to the chest areas, brain regions corresponding to the genitals were activated, confirming that stimulating the nipples can also lead to a female orgasm.
In an orgasm, the cerebral sensory cortex is the first to react. But then the activity spreads to the limbic system and eventually reaches the hypothalamus , which releases oxytocin , the hormone linked to pleasure.
According to Komisaruk, understanding and controlling the areas of the brain that produce pleasurable sensations can help treat depression, addictions, and even obesity.
