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Journal of Nuclear Medicine

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Research ArticleBrief Communication
Open Access

Endogenous Opioid Release After Orgasm in Man: A Combined PET/Functional MRI Study

Patrick Jern, Jinglu Chen, Jouni Tuisku, Tiina Saanijoki, Jussi Hirvonen, Lasse Lukkarinen, Sandra Manninen, Semi Helin, Vesa Putkinen and Lauri Nummenmaa
Journal of Nuclear Medicine July 2023, jnumed.123.265512; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.123.265512
Patrick Jern
1Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland;
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Jinglu Chen
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Jouni Tuisku
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Tiina Saanijoki
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
7Turku BioImaging, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
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Jussi Hirvonen
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
4Department of Radiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Lasse Lukkarinen
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Sandra Manninen
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Semi Helin
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Vesa Putkinen
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
5Turku Institute for Advanced Study, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
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Lauri Nummenmaa
2Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
3Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland;
6Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; and
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  • FIGURE 1.
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    FIGURE 1.

    Depiction of study design. fMRI = functional MRI.

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    FIGURE 2.

    Mean MOR availability during baseline and orgasm scans.

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    FIGURE 3.

    Mean participantwise nondisplaceable binding potential in hippocampus for baseline and orgasm scans. Difference is statistically significant at P < 0.05 (paired t test). BPND = nondisplaceable binding potential.

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    FIGURE 4.

    (Top) Brain regions showing amplified responses during manual penile stimulation minus rest. (Bottom) Brain regions whose activity increased linearly as function of sexual arousal during scans. Data are thresholded at P < 0.05, false-discovery-rate–corrected at cluster level. Color bar indicates t statistic range. ACC = anterior cingulate cortex; Hipp = hippocampus; Ins = insula; Fp = frontal pole; Put = putamen; M1 = primary motor cortex; nACC = nucleus accumbens; PCC = posterior cingulate cortex; Prec = precuneus; S1 = primary somatosensory cortex; Tha = thalamus.

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Journal of Nuclear Medicine: 66 (5)
Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Vol. 66, Issue 5
May 1, 2025
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Endogenous Opioid Release After Orgasm in Man: A Combined PET/Functional MRI Study
Patrick Jern, Jinglu Chen, Jouni Tuisku, Tiina Saanijoki, Jussi Hirvonen, Lasse Lukkarinen, Sandra Manninen, Semi Helin, Vesa Putkinen, Lauri Nummenmaa
Journal of Nuclear Medicine Jul 2023, jnumed.123.265512; DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.123.265512

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Endogenous Opioid Release After Orgasm in Man: A Combined PET/Functional MRI Study
Patrick Jern, Jinglu Chen, Jouni Tuisku, Tiina Saanijoki, Jussi Hirvonen, Lasse Lukkarinen, Sandra Manninen, Semi Helin, Vesa Putkinen, Lauri Nummenmaa
Journal of Nuclear Medicine Jul 2023, jnumed.123.265512; DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.123.265512
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Keywords

  • orgasm
  • manual penile stimulation
  • arousal
  • opioids
  • fMRI
  • PET
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