Waking up the brain: Mechanisms of Central Nervous System (CNS) arousal
There are mechanisms in the brain that regulate mammalian behaviour for reproduction. Widespread among mammals and different between the male and female brain, these mechanisms could also have an impact on the physiology of the human libido. Professor Donald Pfaff suggests that these brain mechanisms for reproductive behaviours offer the organisational principles which supports all prosocial behaviours. Underlying sexual arousal and other specific forms of brain arousal, such as hunger or fear, links to a deeper biological force called the “Generalised CNS Arousal” (GA).
In this public lecture, Professor Pfaff discussed about the recent discoveries on how GA works in the brains of laboratory animals and how abnormalities in GA mechanisms in the human brain may lead to a variety of medical problems.
