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Encyclopedia of Neuroscience pp 2820–2823Cite as

Neurophysiology of sexual spinal reflexes

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Synonyms

Sexual neurophysiology

Definition

The sexual spinal reflexes are spinal cord reflexes (consisting of afferent and efferent components) which instigate the genital vasocongestion and neuromuscular tension responsible for sexual arousal (erection in men and vaginal lubrication and elongation in women), the triggering of ejaculation in men, and possibly orgasm in both sexes.

Characteristics

Sexual Arousal in Men and Women

Both men and women have erectile tissue in their genitalia. Nerve mediated vasocongestion to the pelvis allows for genital tissue engorgement. In men, penile erection occurs when the sinusoidal spaces (the trabeculae) of the corpora cavernosal bodies fill with blood, expanding them to their anatomical limit set by a surrounding, stocking-like, elastic tunica albuginea. Arterial penile filling, or “tumescence,” is further assisted by the cessation of venous outflow from compression of the emissary veins which pierce the tunica. This veno-occlusive mechanism, in...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Urological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Stacy L. Elliott

  2. International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Stacy L. Elliott

  3. BC Center for Sexual Medicine, Vancouver Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Stacy L. Elliott

Authors
  1. Stacy L. Elliott
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Marc D. Binder

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine University of Tokyo Hongo, Bunkyo‐ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Nobutaka Hirokawa

  3. Göttingen, Germany

    Uwe Windhorst

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg

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Elliott, S.L. (2009). Neurophysiology of sexual spinal reflexes. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_3936

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