Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Scientists of the Institute of Science, Department of Biology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi have made a unique discovery regarding man's immemorial worry about his sexual prowess. Male sexual potency is a complex neuroendocrine process and is also an important component of masculinity.
However, many unknown factors are responsible for almost 50 per cent of cases of male impotence. Various scientific studies have suggested that in recent years, a change in lifestyle, psychological stress, nutrition/diet and metabolic disorders are important contributors to the development of impotence. The relationship between psychological stress and impotence has been debated for years. Many studies are being conducted around the world regarding this subject.
Dr Raghav Kumar Mishra, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Institute of Science, and Anupam Yadav, a PhD candidate, have studied sub-chronic psychological stress and its effects on male sexual potency and the physiology of penile erection. Studies in rats found that adult rats exposed to psychological stress developed symptoms that could adversely affect the male sexual ability and erectile dysfunction.
The research team exposed rats to sub-chronic psychological stress for 1.5 to 3 hours every day for 30 days and measured neuromodulators, hormones and markers of sexual ability and penile erection. Psychological stress lowers circulating levels of gonadotropins, while increasing levels of stress hormones (corticosterone), which has adverse effects on male hormones (testosterone).
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Psychological stress alters the histomorphology of the penis by reducing the smooth muscle/collagen ratio in penile tissue and increasing oxidative stress (imbalance between harmful molecules and anti-oxidant enzymes). This can also lead to penile fibrosis. In addition, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and other erection-facilitating markers such as p-Akt, nNOS, eNOS, and cGMP were decreased by psychological stress, while the inhibitory marker PDE-5 was increased in the penis. This results in a reduction in the amount of NO responsible for penile erection.
Psychological stress decreases the frequencies of mount, intromission and ejaculation whereas it prolongs the duration of sexual exhaustion by increasing the latency of mount, intromission and ejaculation. This is one of the few detailed works studying the relationship between sub-chronic psychological stress and its effects on male sexual potency and penile erection. Dr Raghav Kumar Mishra pointed out that the study could pave the way for new areas of analysis regarding psychological stress and male sexual power and potency. The findings of the study have been published in the globally reputed journal - Neuroendocrinology.
