scholarly journals μ-opioid receptor availability is associated with sex drive in human males

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauri Nummenmaa ◽  
Patrick Jern ◽  
Tuulia Malén ◽  
Tatu Kantonen ◽  
Laura Pekkarinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Opioid Receptor ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Sex Drive ◽  
Cortical Density ◽  
Morphometry Analysis

AbstractThe endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) system modulates a multitude of social and reward-related functions, and exogenous opiates also influence sex drive in humans and animals. Sex drive shows substantial variation across humans, and it is possible that individual differences in MOR availability underlie interindividual of variation in human sex drive. We measured healthy male subjects’ (n = 52) brain’s MOR availability with positron emission tomography (PET) using an agonist radioligand, [11C]carfentanil, that has high affinity for MORs. Sex drive was measured using self-reports of engaging in sexual behaviour (sex with partner and masturbating). Bayesian hierarchical regression analysis revealed that sex drive was positively associated with MOR availability in cortical and subcortical areas, notably in caudate nucleus, hippocampus, and cingulate cortices. These results were replicated in full-volume GLM analysis. These widespread effects are in line with high spatial autocorrelation in MOR expression in human brain. Complementary voxel-based morphometry analysis (n = 108) of anatomical MR images provided limited evidence for positive association between sex drive and cortical density in the midcingulate cortex. We conclude that endogenous MOR tone is associated with individual differences in sex drive in human males.

scholarly journals Endogenous μ-opioid receptor system modulates sex drive in human males

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauri Nummenmaa ◽  
Patrick Jern ◽  
Tuulia Malén ◽  
Tatu Kantonen ◽  
Laura Pekkarinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Opioid Receptor ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Receptor System ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Sex Drive ◽  
Cortical Density ◽  
Morphometry Analysis

AbstractThe endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) system modulates a multitude of social and reward-related functions, and exogenous opiates also influence sex drive in humans and animals. However, there is no in vivo evidence for the contribution of MOR system on human sex drive. Here we measured healthy male subjects’ (n=52) brain’s MOR availability with positron emission tomography (PET) using an agonist radioligand, [11C]carfentanil, that has high affinity for MORs. Sex drive was measured using self-reports of engaging in sexual behaviour (sex with partner and masturbating). Bayesian hierarchical regression analysis revealed that sex drive was positively associated with MOR availability in cortical and subcortical areas, notably in caudate nucleus, hippocampus, and cingulate cortices. These results were replicated in full-volume GLM analysis. Complementary voxel-based morphometry analysis (n=108) provided limited evidence for association between sex drive and cortical density in the midcingulate cortex. We conclude that MOR system modulates individual differences in sex drive in human males.

scholarly journals Variation of the human mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene predicts vulnerability to frustration

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan M. Daniel ◽  
Brenda G. Rushing ◽  
Karla Y. Tapia Menchaca
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Opioid Receptor ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Mu Opioid Receptor ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
Mu Opioid ◽  
Allelic Differences

AbstractUnderstanding the emotional reaction to loss, or frustration, is a critical problem for the field of mental health. Animal models of loss have pointed to the opioid system as a nexus of frustration, physical pain, and substance abuse. However, few attempts have been made to connect the results of animal models of loss to human behavior. Allelic differences in the human mu opioid receptor gene, notably the A118G single nucleotide polymorphism, have been linked to individual differences in pain sensitivity, depressive symptoms, and reward processing. The present study explored the relationship between A118G and behavior in two frustrating tasks in humans. Results showed that carriers of the mutant G-allele were slower to recover behavior following a reward downshift and abandoned a frustrating task earlier than those without the mutation. Additionally, G-carriers were more sensitive to physical pain. These results highlight the overlap between frustration and pain, and suggest that genetic variation in opioid tone may contribute to individual differences in vulnerability and resilience following emotional disturbances.

A Bayesian adjusted plus-minus analysis for the esport Dota 2

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-341
Author(s):  
Nicholas Clark ◽  
Brian Macdonald ◽  
Ian Kloo
Keyword(s):  
Professional Sports ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Sports Analytics ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical ◽  
The Past ◽  
Score Statistics ◽  
Level Statistics ◽  
Traditional Sports ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Individual Player

AbstractAnalytics and professional sports have become linked over the past several years, but little attention has been paid to the growing field of esports within the sports analytics community. We seek to apply an Adjusted Plus Minus (APM) model, an accepted analytic approach used in traditional sports like hockey and basketball, to one particular esports game: Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2). As with traditional sports, we show how APM metrics developed with Bayesian hierarchical regression can be used to quantify individual player contributions to their teams and, ultimately, use this player-level information to predict game outcomes. In particular, we first provide evidence that gold can be used as a continuous proxy for wins to evaluate a team’s performance, and then use a Bayesian APM model to estimate how players contribute to their team’s gold differential. We demonstrate that this APM model outperforms models based on common team-level statistics (often referred to as “box score statistics”). Beyond the specifics of our modeling approach, this paper serves as an example of the potential utility of applying analytical methodologies from traditional sports analytics to esports.

scholarly journals Moral Values Are Associated with Individual Differences in Regional Brain Volume

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1657-1663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary J. Lewis ◽  
Ryota Kanai ◽  
Timothy C. Bates ◽  
Geraint Rees
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Moral Sentiment ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Group Loyalty ◽  
Regional Brain Volume

Moral sentiment has been hypothesized to reflect evolved adaptations to social living. If so, individual differences in moral values may relate to regional variation in brain structure. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of 70 young, healthy adults examining whether differences on two major dimensions of moral values were significantly associated with regional gray matter volume. The two clusters of moral values assessed were “individualizing” (values of harm/care and fairness) and “binding” (deference to authority, in-group loyalty, and purity/sanctity). Individualizing was positively associated with left dorsomedial pFC volume and negatively associated with bilateral precuneus volume. For binding, a significant positive association was found for bilateral subcallosal gyrus and a trend to significance for the left anterior insula volume. These findings demonstrate that variation in moral sentiment reflects individual differences in brain structure and suggest a biological basis for moral sentiment, distributed across multiple brain regions.

scholarly journals The neural correlates of temperamental inhibitory control in toddlers

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1744) ◽  
pp. 20170160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline P. Hoyniak ◽  
Isaac T. Petersen ◽  
John E. Bates ◽  
Dennis L. Molfese
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Effortful Control ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Control Dimension

The current study examined the association between effortful control and a well-studied neural index of self-regulation, the N2 event-related potential (ERP) component, in toddlers. Participants included 107 toddlers (44 girls) assessed at 30, 36 and 42 months of age. Participants completed a Go/NoGo task while electroencephalography data were recorded. The study focused on the N2 ERP component. Parent-reported effortful control was examined in association with the NoGo N2 ERP component. Findings suggest a positive association between the NoGo N2 component and the inhibitory control subscale of the wider effortful control dimension, suggesting that the N2 component may index processes associated with temperamental effortful control. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Diverse perspectives on diversity: multi-disciplinary approaches to taxonomies of individual differences’.

scholarly journals Different preprocessing strategies lead to different conclusions: A [11C]DASB-PET reproducibility study

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1902-1911
Author(s):  
Martin Nørgaard ◽  
Melanie Ganz ◽  
Claus Svarer ◽  
Vibe G Frokjaer ◽  
Douglas N Greve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motion Correction ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Sequential Data ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Reproducibility Study ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Data Analytic

Positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging provides unique possibilities to study biological processes in vivo under basal and interventional conditions. For quantification of PET data, researchers commonly apply different arrays of sequential data analytic methods (“preprocessing pipeline”), but it is often unknown how the choice of preprocessing affects the final outcome. Here, we use an available data set from a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled [11C]DASB-PET study as a case to evaluate how the choice of preprocessing affects the outcome of the study. We tested the impact of 384 commonly used preprocessing strategies on a previously reported positive association between the change from baseline in neocortical serotonin transporter binding determined with [11C]DASB-PET, and change in depressive symptoms, following a pharmacological sex hormone manipulation intervention in 30 women. The two preprocessing steps that were most critical for the outcome were motion correction and kinetic modeling of the dynamic PET data. We found that 36% of the applied preprocessing strategies replicated the originally reported finding ( p < 0.05). For preprocessing strategies with motion correction, the replication percentage was 72%, whereas it was 0% for strategies without motion correction. In conclusion, the choice of preprocessing strategy can have a major impact on a study outcome.

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