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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effects of sexual arousal on vibrotactile detection thresholds in aged men with and without erectile dysfunction

Chuanshu Jiao A , Peter K. Knight A E , Patricia Weerakoon B , Brett D. McCann C and A. Bulent Turman D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Discipline of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia.

B Graduate Program in Sexual Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia.

C Impotence Australia, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia.

D Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Qld 4229, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: p.knight@usyd.edu.au

Sexual Health 5(4) 347-352 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH07096
Submitted: 10 December 2007  Accepted: 11 September 2008   Published: 18 November 2008

Abstract

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem in ageing men. Abnormalities in sexual arousal may contribute to its development, and to the failure of pharmacological therapies. However, there are few objective ways of assessing arousal. Sexual arousal has been shown to affect vibrotactile detection thresholds (VDT) in young, healthy men. The present study assessed the effects of sexual arousal on VDT in middle-aged men with and without ED in order to determine whether differences exist between the groups and if such differences may be useful in the evaluation of ED. Methods: VDT in the right index finger of 15 heterosexual men (mean age 74.3 ± 6.0 years) who had been formally diagnosed with ED (ED group) and 16 men (mean age 68.0 ± 6.6 years) who reported no sexual dysfunction in the past 6 months (erectile function (EF) group) were measured before and after watching erotic and control videos using a forced-choice, staircase method at frequencies of 30, 60 and 100 Hz. A mechanical stimulator was used to produce the vibratory stimulus. Results were analysed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: There was no significant effect of watching the erotic video on VDT in subjects in the ED group. In the EF group, VDT was significantly lower at 60 and 100 Hz after watching the erotic video. There was no change in VDT after watching the control video in either group. Conclusion: In response to sexual arousal, VDT in ageing men with normal erectile function decrease, whereas VDT in ageing men with ED remain unchanged.

Additional keywords: impotence, physiological effects.


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