Arousal Responses Research Articles

Pupillometry reveals hyper-arousal in response to auditory stimuli in autistic children.

Atypical sensory responsivity is widely reported in autistic individuals and is related to elevated functional difficulties. Dynamically, altered initial responses and/or habituation rates could underlie their atypical averaged responses to repeated sensory stimuli. In this study we aimed to measure the arousal level in response to different types of auditory stimuli and the dynamic change of atypical arousal level using pupillometry in autistic children. In Experiment 1, 43 autistic children and 49 neurotypical (NT) children were asked to passively listen to a mild sound and an aversive sound repeatedly. In Experiment 2, 39 autistic children and 44 NT children who went through Experiment 1 listened to a gradually emerging non-startling sound and a suddenly emerging startling sound in a random order. We found that the autistic group showed hyper-arousal in response to the aversive sound and the startling sound as reflected by their larger change in pupil area. In comparison, these autistic children demonstrated normal arousal in response to the mild sound and the non-startling sound. Dynamically, the autistic group had a larger peak pupil area change than the NT group in the first trial and a normal habituation rate to the aversive sound. In summary, our results suggest hyper-arousal to aversive and startling stimuli and the role of larger initial responses in hyper-arousal in autism. Minimizing aversive and startling sensory stimuli or gradually increasing the volume of aversive auditory stimuli to allow autistic children to adapt using the principle of habituation is recommended to reduce the arousal level and problematic behaviors of autistic children.

Characterization of implicit and explicit mind-reading in children with autism based on eye movements.

This study aimed to investigate differences in mind-reading abilities between children with autism and typically developing children across various tasks. Sixteen children with autism (aged 5-8 years) were compared to 16 typically developing children matched in language ability. The unexpected location task and unexpected content task were used to assess implicit and explicit mind-reading abilities using an eye tracker and illustrated storybooks. For implicit mind, using differential looking scores shows a no significant difference between the scores of children with autism and typically developing children in the implicit tasks (P=0.399). However, the pupil size show some significant difference between two groups. Second, for the explicit, a significant difference between the scores of children with autism and typically developing children in the explicit tasks (P=0.006). Additionally, only a significant correlation between implicit and explicit mind-reading abilities in children with autism in the unexpected location task was found. The mechanism of implicit mind-reading still not very clear. Pupil-Linked arousal response can be consider as a further tool. Further research on implicit and explicit mind-reading abilities is warranted.

Distortion of overlapping memories relates to arousal and anxiety.

Everyday experiences often overlap, challenging our ability to maintain distinct episodic memories. One way to resolve such interference is by exaggerating subtle differences between remembered events, a phenomenon known as memory repulsion. Here, we tested whether repulsion is influenced by emotional arousal, when resolving memory interference is perhaps most needed. We adapted an existing paradigm in which participants repeatedly studied object-face associations. Participants studied two different-colored versions of each object: a to-be-tested "target" and its not-to-be-tested "competitor" pair mate. The level of interference between target and competitor pair mates was manipulated by making the object colors either highly similar or less similar, depending on the participant group. To manipulate arousal, the competitor object-face associations were preceded by either a neutral tone or an aversive and arousing burst of white noise. Memory distortion for the color of the target objects was tested after each study round to examine whether memory distortions emerge after learning. We found that participants with greater sound-induced pupil dilations, an index of physiological arousal, showed greater memory attraction of target colors towards highly similar competitor colors. Greater memory attraction was also correlated with greater memory interference in the last round of learning. Additionally, individuals who self-reported higher trait anxiety showed greater memory attraction when one of the overlapping memories was associated with something aversive. Our findings suggest that memories of similar neutral and arousing events may blur together after repeated exposures, especially in individuals who show higher arousal responses and symptoms of anxiety.

Closing the Gender Gap? A Cohort Comparison of Adolescent Responses to and Attitudes Toward Pornography, 2004 vs. 2021

ABSTRACT Pornography has become increasingly prevalent and normalized within society, raising questions about how today’s adolescents might differ in their responses to and attitudes toward pornography compared to earlier generations. This study begins to fill this gap by comparing cross-sectional data from two cohorts of high school students in Sweden in 2004 (n = 4,266, mean age = 18.15, SD = 0.74, 53.9% girls) and 2020–21 (n = 3,256, mean age = 18.20, SD = 0.61, 55.4% girls). Gender-stratified bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were performed to examine the impact of survey year on outcomes. Results reveal an increase in frequent pornography use among both genders and a narrowing of the gender gap in responses and attitudes by 2020–21. Boys reported decreased arousal responses, fewer positive emotional responses, and were less inclined to imitate the behaviors seen in pornography. Girls were less averse to and upset by the pornography they encountered. Both genders became more tolerant of pornography, yet more critical of its purported benefits. Notable gender differences remain, especially with girls being more likely to recognize pornography as degrading and exploitative. These findings underscore the need for educational strategies that foster critical understandings of pornography and its societal impact.

Cortical development in the structural model and free energy minimization.

A model of neocortical development invoking Friston's Free Energy Principle is applied within the Structural Model of Barbas etal. and the associated functional interpretation advanced by Tucker and Luu. Evolution of a neural field with Hebbian and anti-Hebbian plasticity, maximizing synchrony and minimizing axonal length by apoptotic selection, leads to paired connection systems with mirror symmetry, interacting via Markov blankets along their line of reflection. Applied to development along the radial lines of development in the Structural Model, a primary Markov blanket emerges between the centrifugal synaptic flux in layers 2,3 and 5,6, versus the centripetal flow in layer 4, and axonal orientations in layer 4 give rise to the differing shape and movement sensitivities characteristic of neurons of dorsal and ventral neocortex. Prediction error minimization along the primary blanket integrates limbic and subcortical networks with the neocortex. Synaptic flux bypassing the blanket triggers the arousal response to surprising stimuli, enabling subsequent adaptation. As development progresses ubiquitous mirror systems separated by Markov blankets and enclosed blankets-within-blankets arise throughout neocortex, creating the typical order and response characteristics of columnar and noncolumnar cortex.

What’s God got to do with it? The relationship between religion, sadism, and masochism

Although “BDSM” (i.e., bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism) has become increasingly present in popular media in recent years, much remains unknown about the etiology and correlates of BDSM. Research has demonstrated a relationship between religion and sexual behaviours/attitudes; therefore, religion could also be associated with sadism and masochism. To address gaps in existing knowledge, we conducted an online survey of 515 participants who answered a questionnaire on sexual life and behaviour, including questions on arousal in response to sadism and masochism scenarios, associated negative impacts, and religion. We found a higher prevalence of arousal in response to sadism scenarios amongst non-religious participants (64.6%; n = 228/353) than religious participants (54.7%; n = 88/161) with a small, but potentially meaningful effect size (Φ = -.095, p = .032). Increased impact of religious beliefs on sex life was associated with slightly lower sadism arousal, r(499) = -.080, p = .075. This association was strong enough to be considered a potentially meaningful factor but was not statistically significant. There was also a small negative correlation between masochism arousal and impact of religious beliefs on sex life and behaviour, r(500) = -.129, p = .004. Based on these findings, we conclude that there could be a limited but meaningful relationship between religion and sadism/masochism arousal. Further research should explore specific religious affiliations and beliefs as potentially associated with sadism and masochism arousal.

The effects of emotional arousal on pupil size depend on luminance

Pupillometry is widely used to measure arousal states. The primary functional role of the pupil, however, is to respond to the luminance of visual inputs. We previously demonstrated that cognitive effort-related arousal interacted multiplicatively with luminance, with the strongest pupillary effects of arousal occurring at low-to-mid luminances (< 37 cd/m2), implying a narrow range of conditions ideal for assessing cognitive arousal-driven pupillary differences. Does this generalize to other forms of arousal? To answer this, we assessed luminance-driven pupillary response functions while manipulating emotional arousal, using well-established visual and auditory stimulus sets. At the group level, emotional arousal interacted with the pupillary light response differently from cognitive arousal: the effects occurred primarily at much lower luminances (< 20 cd/m2). Analyses at the individual-participant level revealed qualitatively distinct patterns of modulation, with a sizable number of individuals displaying no arousal response to the visual or auditory stimuli, regardless of luminance. Together, our results suggest that effects of arousal on pupil size are not monolithic: different forms of arousal exert different patterns of effects. More practically, our findings suggest that lower luminances create better conditions for measuring pupil-linked arousal, and when selecting ambient luminance levels, consideration of the arousal manipulation and individual differences is critical.

Влияние травматических переживаний на психологическую безопасность личности обучающихся в контексте террористической угрозы

&lt;p&gt;The article presents the results of a study of the impact of traumatic experiences on the psychological safety of the personality of students. The subjects were 70 students (21 boys and 49 girls) of the college of the Belgorod region. The study revealed that students who have experienced traumatic events are most often associated with the experience of being in a war zone and the death of a loved one. Criteria C (avoidance of stimuli), D (increasing arousal), and B (repetitive reproduction of a traumatic event) were among the most pronounced criteria for traumatic experiences among students. Girls are more susceptible to the negative effects of stress than boys. The results of the correlation analysis confirmed the hypothesis that traumatic experiences violate the psychological security of a person, including all its structural components: moral and volitional regulation (normativity), strategies for coping with stressful situations, value-semantic factor and post-traumatic growth. The psychological safety of girls is most strongly influenced by the symptom of impaired functioning of important areas of life (criterion F), and boys are influenced by recurring memories of trauma (criterion B), constant increasing arousal (criterion D) and immediate response to a traumatic event (criterion A).&lt;/p&gt;

Locus coeruleus activation 'resets' hippocampal event representations and separates adjacent memories.

Memories reflect the ebb and flow of experiences, capturing unique and meaningful events from our lives. Using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neuromelanin imaging, and pupillometry, we show that arousal and locus coeruleus (LC) activation transform otherwise continuous experiences into distinct episodic memories. As sequences unfold, encountering a context shift, or event boundary, triggers arousal and LC processes that predict later memory separation. Boundaries furthermore promote temporal pattern separation within left hippocampal dentate gyrus, which correlates with heightened LC responses to those same transition points. We also find that a neurochemical index of prolonged LC activation correlates with diminished arousal responses at boundaries, suggesting a connection between elevated LC output and impaired event processing. These findings align with the idea that arousal processes initiate a neural and memory 'reset' in response to significant changes, constructing the very episodes that define everyday memory.

Effect of Sound Genre on Emotional Responses for Adults With and Without Hearing Loss.

Adults with permanent hearing loss exhibit a reduced range of valence ratings in response to nonspeech sounds; however, the degree to which sound genre might affect such ratings is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine if ratings of valence covary with sound genre (e.g., social communication, technology, music), or only expected valence (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant). As part of larger study protocols, participants rated valence and arousal in response to nonspeech sounds. For this study, data were reanalyzed by assigning sounds to unidimensional genres and evaluating relationships between hearing loss, age, and gender and ratings of valence. In total, results from 120 adults with normal hearing (M = 46.3 years, SD = 17.7, 33 males and 87 females) and 74 adults with hearing loss (M = 66.1 years, SD = 6.1, 46 males and 28 females) were included. Principal component analysis confirmed valence ratings loaded onto eight unidimensional factors: positive and negative social communication, positive and negative technology, music, animal, activities, and human body noises. Regression analysis revealed listeners with hearing loss rated some genres as less extreme (less pleasant/less unpleasant) than peers with better hearing, with the relationship between hearing loss and valence ratings being similar across genres within an expected valence category. In terms of demographic factors, female gender was associated with less pleasant ratings of negative social communication, positive and negative technology, activities, and human body noises, while increasing age was related to a subtle rise in valence ratings across all genres. Taken together, these results confirm and extend previous findings that hearing loss is related to a reduced range of valence ratings and suggest that this effect is mediated by expected sound valence, rather than sound genre.

Pupil contagion variation with gaze, arousal, and autistic traits

Pupillary contagion occurs when one’s pupil size unconsciously adapts to the pupil size of an observed individual and is presumed to reflect the transfer of arousal. Importantly, when estimating pupil contagion, low level stimuli properties need to be controlled for, to ensure that observations of pupillary changes are due to internal change in arousal rather than the external differences between stimuli. Here, naturalistic images of children’s faces depicting either small or large pupils were presented to a group of children and adolescents with a wide range of autistic traits, a third of whom had been diagnosed with autism. We examined the extent to which pupillary contagion reflects autonomic nervous system reaction through pupil size change, heart rate and skin conductance response. Our second aim was to determine the association between arousal reaction to stimuli and degree of autistic traits. Results show that pupil contagion and concomitant heart rate change, but not skin conductance change, was evident when gaze was restricted to the eye region of face stimuli. A positive association was also observed between pupillary contagion and autistic traits when participants’ gaze was constrained to the eye region. Findings add to a broader understanding of the mechanisms underlying pupillary contagion and its association with autism.

Widespread Autonomic Physiological Coupling Across the Brain-Body Axis.

The brain is closely attuned to visceral signals from the body's internal environment, as evidenced by the numerous associations between neural, hemodynamic, and peripheral physiological signals. We show that these brain-body co-fluctuations can be captured by a single spatiotemporal pattern. Across several independent samples, as well as single-echo and multi-echo fMRI data acquisition sequences, we identify widespread co-fluctuations in the low-frequency range (0.01 - 0.1 Hz) between resting-state global fMRI signals, neural activity, and a host of autonomic signals spanning cardiovascular, pulmonary, exocrine and smooth muscle systems. The same brain-body co-fluctuations observed at rest are elicited by arousal induced by cued deep breathing and intermittent sensory stimuli, as well as spontaneous phasic EEG events during sleep. Further, we show that the spatial structure of global fMRI signals is maintained under experimental suppression of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) variations, suggesting that respiratory-driven fluctuations in arterial CO2 accompanying arousal cannot explain the origin of these signals in the brain. These findings establish the global fMRI signal as a significant component of the arousal response governed by the autonomic nervous system.

(047) ORGASM ABILITY AND MAPPED EROGENOUS SENSATION DURING RECEPTIVE VAGINAL AND ANAL INTERCOURSE

Abstract Introduction Erogenous sensation zones (ESZs) elicit feelings of sexual arousal in response to touch. Prior research has generated whole-body erogenous sensation maps, but they do not differentiate between individual anatomical structures or assess for erogenous sensation of internal surfaces of the body, such as the vagina and anal canal. There is an even greater paucity of literature on the ability to orgasm from vaginal and anal receptive intercourse. Objective To describe detailed maps of erogenous sensation of the vagina and anal canal amongst cisgender women, and assess for ability to orgasm from receptive intercourse. Methods Respondents were recruited via Qualtrics and completed an anonymous, online questionnaire. They were instructed to indicate ESZs by selecting from predefined areas that bring them pleasure when touched during sex with a partner from anatomic illustrations of the vagina and anal canal. Respondents were also queried on their ability to orgasm from receptive vaginal and anal intercourse. All statistical analyses were completed using Qualtrics Stats iQ software, with p&amp;lt;0.05 indicating statistical significance. ESZ maps were generated based on the proportion of respondents selecting each anatomical structure as erogenous. Results A sample of 441 sexually active cisgender women completed the study survey (mean age 48.9±15.6y). Of the five ESZs of the vagina (Figure 1), the superficial anterior (selected by 48% respondents) and superficial posterior (33%) regions were the most frequently selected areas. The four ESZs of the anal canal further revealed greater erogeneity at the superficial anterior (18%) and superficial posterior (11%) walls (Figure 2). With respect to ability to orgasm from receptive intercourse, 35% of cisgender women reported being able to orgasm from vaginal penetration alone while 45% required simultaneous costimulation of another body part and 10% reported an inability to orgasm during receptive vaginal intercourse, regardless of costimulation (Figure 3a). Additionally, 19% of cisgender women reported an ability to orgasm from receptive anal intercourse alone, while 50% required costimulation and 31% reported an inability to orgasm during receptive anal intercourse, regardless of costimulation (Figure 3b). Conclusions Erogenous sensation of the vagina and anal canal is primarily localized to the superficial walls of both structures, with a greater preference for the superficial anterior zones. These findings support the proposed location of the “G-spot” existing proximal to Skene’s glands in the anterior portion of the vaginal canal. Results from this study further highlight the importance of costimulation in achieving orgasm during receptive vaginal and anal intercourse, with only a minority of respondents reporting an ability to orgasm from vaginal or anal penetration alone. Disclosure No.

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Amygdala May Increase Psychophysiological and Subjective Negative Emotional Reactivity in Healthy Older Adults

BackgroundThe amygdala is highly implicated in an array of psychiatric disorders but is not accessible using currently available noninvasive neuromodulatory techniques. Low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (TFUS) is a neuromodulatory technique that has the capability of reaching subcortical regions noninvasively. MethodsWe studied healthy older adult participants (N = 21, ages 48–79 years) who received TFUS targeting the right amygdala and left entorhinal cortex (active control region) using a 2-visit within-participant crossover design. Before and after TFUS, behavioral measures were collected via the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and an emotional reactivity and regulation task utilizing neutral and negatively valenced images from the International Affective Picture System. Heart rate and self-reported emotional valence and arousal were measured during the emotional reactivity and regulation task to investigate subjective and physiological responses to the task. ResultsSignificant increases in both self-reported arousal in response to negative images and heart rate during emotional reactivity and regulation task intertrial intervals were observed when TFUS targeted the amygdala; these changes were not evident when the entorhinal cortex was targeted. No significant changes were found for state anxiety, self-reported valence to the negative images, cardiac response to the negative images, or emotion regulation. ConclusionsThe results of this study provide preliminary evidence that a single session of TFUS targeting the amygdala may alter psychophysiological and subjective emotional responses, indicating some potential for future neuropsychiatric applications. However, more work on TFUS parameters and targeting optimization is necessary to determine how to elicit changes in a more clinically advantageous way.

Overcoming resistance to belief revision and correction of misinformation beliefs: psychophysiological and behavioral effects of a counterfactual mindset

In a series of experiments involving beliefs and misinformation beliefs, we find that individuals who are prompted with a counterfactual mindset are significantly more likely to change their existing beliefs when presented with evidence that contradicts their beliefs. While research finds that beliefs that are considered part of one’s identity are highly resistant to change in the face of evidence that challenges these beliefs, four experiments provide evidence that counterfactual generation causes individuals to adjust beliefs and correct misinformation beliefs in response to contradicting evidence. Indeed, we find that a counterfactual mindset was effective in promoting incorporation of accurate facts and causing individuals to revise misinformation beliefs about COVID vaccination safety for a large sample of individuals who have rejected COVID vaccinations. Finally, the results of the psychophysiological experiment reveal that counterfactual generation alters decision makers’ search strategies, increases their cognitive arousal in response to evidence that challenges their beliefs, and increases their desire to seek out disconfirming evidence. Overall, the four experiments indicate that counterfactual generation can effectively activate mindsets that increase individuals’ willingness to evaluate evidence that contradicts their beliefs and adjust their beliefs in response to evidence.

Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury impairs norepinephrine system function and psychostimulant responsivity

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex pathophysiological process that results in a variety of neurotransmitter, behavioral, and cognitive deficits. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system is a critical regulator of arousal levels and higher executive processes affected by TBI including attention, working memory, and decision making. LC-NE axon injury and impaired signaling within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a potential contributor to the neuropsychiatric symptoms after single, moderate to severe TBI. The majority of TBIs are mild, yet long-term cognitive deficits and increased susceptibility for further injury can accumulate after each repetitive mild TBI. As a potential treatment for restoring cognitive function and daytime sleepiness after injury psychostimulants, including methylphenidate (MPH) that increase levels of NE within the PFC, are being prescribed “off-label”. The impact of mild and repetitive mild TBI on the LC-NE system remains limited. Therefore, we determined the extent of LC-NE and arousal dysfunction and response to therapeutic doses of MPH in rats following experimentally induced single and repetitive mild TBI. Microdialysis measures of basal NE efflux from the medial PFC and arousal measures were significantly lower after repetitive mild TBI. Females showed higher baseline PFC-NE efflux than males following single and repetitive mild TBI. In response to MPH challenge, males exhibited a blunted PFC-NE response and persistent arousal levels following repetitive mild TBI. These results provide critical insight into the role of catecholamine system dysfunction associated with cognitive deficits following repeated injury, outcome differences between sex/gender, and lack of success of MPH as an adjunctive therapy to improve cognitive function following injury.

Anhedonia reflects an encoding deficit for pleasant stimuli in schizophrenia: Evidence from the emotion-induced memory trade-off eye-tracking paradigm.

The present study explored the hypothesis that anhedonia reflects an emotional memory impairment for pleasant stimuli, rather than diminished hedonic capacity in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). Participants included 30 SZ and 30 healthy controls (HCs) subjects who completed an eye-tracking emotion-induced memory trade-off task where contextually relevant pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral items were inserted into the foreground of neutral background scenes. Passive viewing and poststimulus elaboration blocks were administered to assess differential encoding mechanisms, and immediate and 1-week recognition testing phases were completed to assess the effects of delay interval. Participants also made self-reports of positive emotion, negative emotion, and arousal in response to the stimuli. Results indicated that SZ experienced stimuli similarly to HC. Both groups demonstrated the typical emotion-induced memory trade-off during the passive viewing and poststimulus elaboration encoding blocks, as indicated by more hits for emotional than neutral items and fewer hits for backgrounds paired with emotional than neutral items. Eye-tracking data also indicated that both groups were more likely to fixate earlier and have longer dwell time on emotional than neutral items. At the 1-week delay, the emotion-induced memory trade-off was eliminated in both groups, and SZ showed fewer overall hits across valence conditions. Greater severity of anhedonia was specifically associated with impaired recognition for pleasant stimuli at the immediate recognition phase. Findings suggest that anhedonia in SZ is associated with emotional memory impairment, particularly a deficit in encoding positive stimuli. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Genital arousal and responsive desire among women with and without sexual interest/arousal disorder symptoms.

Models depicting sexual desire as responsive to sexual arousal may be particularly apt for women experiencing arousal or desire difficulties, and the degree to which arousal triggers desire may depend on the relationship context and desire target and timing-yet, these associations have not been directly tested among women with and without sexual interest/arousal disorder (SIAD). To assess the role of SIAD status and relationship satisfaction in the associations between genital arousal and 4 types of responsive desire. One hundred women (n = 27 meeting diagnostic criteria for SIAD) in romantic relationships with men viewed a sexual film (pleasurable intimate depiction of oral sex and penile-vaginal intercourse) while their genital arousal was recorded via vaginal photoplethysmography (n = 63) or thermal imaging of the labia (n = 37). Partner and solitary desire was assessed immediately before and after the film (immediate desire) and 3days later (delayed desire). Outcomes consisted of genital response (z scored by method) and associations between genital response and responsive sexual desire. The key difference between women with and without SIAD was not in their ability to experience genital arousal but in how their genital responses translated to responsive sexual desire. Women with SIAD actually exhibited greater genital arousal than unaffected women. Associations between genital arousal and desire were significant only for women with SIAD and depended on relationship satisfaction and desire type. For women with SIAD with low relationship satisfaction, higher arousal predicted lower immediate desire for a partner; for those with high relationship satisfaction, arousal was either positively related (vaginal photoplethysmography) or unrelated (thermal imaging of the labia) to immediate desire for a partner. Associations with other desire types were not significant. Patterns of genital arousal and partner-specific responsive desire among women affected with SIAD were indicative of an avoidance model in response to heightened genital arousal, unless relationship satisfaction was high; attending to genital arousal sensations could be a means of triggering sexual desire for women with SIAD who are satisfied in their relationships. This is one of the first sexual psychophysiologic studies to connect relationship factors to patterns of sexual response. The differing arousal assessment procedures and lack of official diagnosis may have attenuated results. The homogeneous sample and in-person session requirement limit generalizability. When compared with unaffected women, women affected by SIAD may exhibit stronger arousal responses with sufficiently incentivized sexual stimuli, and the connection between their genital arousal and responsive desire for their partners may be stronger and more dependent on relationship context.

Short-Term Dorsal Genital Nerve Stimulation Increases Subjective Arousal in Women With and Without Spinal Cord Injury: A Preliminary Investigation

ObjectivesFemale sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects an estimated 40% of women. Unfortunately, FSD is understudied, leading to limited treatment options for FSD. Neuromodulation has shown some success in alleviating FSD symptoms. We developed a pilot study to investigate the short-term effect of electrical stimulation of the dorsal genital nerve and tibial nerve on sexual arousal in healthy women, women with FSD, and women with spinal cord injury (SCI) and FSD. Materials and MethodsThis study comprises a randomized crossover design in three groups: women with SCI, women with non-neurogenic FSD, and women without FSD or SCI. The primary outcome measure was change in vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA) from baseline. Secondary outcome measures were changes in subjective arousal, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure from baseline. Participants attended one or two study sessions where they received either transcutaneous dorsal genital nerve stimulation (DGNS) or tibial nerve stimulation (TNS). At each session, a vaginal photoplethysmography sensor was used to measure VPA. Participants also rated their level of subjective arousal and were asked to report any pelvic sensations. ResultsWe found that subjective arousal increased significantly from before to after stimulation in DGNS study sessions across all women. TNS had no effect on subjective arousal. There were significant differences in VPA between baseline and stimulation, baseline and recovery, and stimulation and recovery periods among participants, but there were no trends across groups or stimulation type. Two participants with complete SCIs experienced genital sensations. ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study to measure sexual arousal in response to short-term neuromodulation in women. This study indicates that short-term DGNS but not TNS can increase subjective arousal, but the effect of stimulation on genital arousal is inconclusive. This study provides further support for DGNS as a treatment for FSD.

Evaluation of the Impact of VR Rural Streetscape Enhancement on Relaxation–Arousal Responses Based on EEG

As the quality of life and the spiritual and cultural well-being of the inhabitants progress, the current rural infrastructure has challenges in adequately addressing the physical and psychological requirements of individuals. This work presents a method for evaluating rural habitats by utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) signals and virtual reality (VR) technology to address the existing gap in physiological data evaluation in rural areas. We choose as experimental images the current situation (C1–C5) scenes of five rural main street nodes as well as the comparative transformation scenes (T1–T5). It then assesses the subjects’ subjective cognition and level of relaxation–arousal responses using the α/β value in the EEG data and the three subjective scale indexes of “Interest”, “Comfort”, and “Vitality”. The study’s findings demonstrated the following: 1. All three scores increased in the transformation scenarios, and subjects’ subjective assessments varied significantly across all five sets of scenes. 2. In all α/β values where significant differences existed, every electrode demonstrated a relaxation response in the transformation scenes (T1–T5) compared to the current scenes (C1–C5), whereas the T8 electrode demonstrated the only arousal response. 3. The Pz electrode in the parietal lobe area was found to be the most sensitive to the visual response to the green landscape and the form of the building façade along the street, and the T8 electrode in the right temporal lobe area was the most sensitive to the response to the overall perception of the surrounding environment, according to a comparison of the longitudinal α/β value. More options for rural streetscape design as well as fresh insights and methodologies for assessing the rural human environment in the future are anticipated from this study.