ArticlePsychopharmacology2017
Individual prolactin reactivity modulates response of nucleus accumbens to erotic stimuli during acute cannabis intoxication: an fMRI pilot study.
Article in Psychopharmacology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Causal relationship between cannabis use and cancer: a genetically informed perspective.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Cannabis and Male Fertility: A Systematic Review.The Journal of urology · 2019Pooled it
- Sexual Dysregulation After Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke: A Critical Narrative Review of Neurobiology, Clinical Phenotypes, and Management.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Multimodal examination of the acute effects of cannabis on subjective and physiological stress-related outcomes: a randomized placebo-controlled laboratory study.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Geospatiotemporal and causal inference study of cannabis and other drugs as risk factors for female breast cancer USA 2003-2017.Environmental epigenetics · 2022Article
- A review of the effects of acute and chronic cannabinoid exposure on the stress response.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2021Review
- A Survey Exploring the Relationship Between Cannabis Use Characteristics and Sexual Function in Men.Sexual medicine · 2020Article
- Marijuana Use and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Functioning in Humans.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleSelf-report studies indicate that cannabis could increase sexual desire in some users. We hypothesized that intoxication increases activation of brain areas responsive to visual erotica, which could be useful in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder, a condition marked by a lack of sexual desire.
objectivesThe aim of this study is to assess the aphrodisiacal properties of cannabis.
methodsWe conducted an open-randomized study with 21 heterosexual casual cannabis users. A 3T MRI was used to measure brain activation in response to erotic pictures. Blood samples were collected to determine the serum levels of cannabinoids, cortisol and prolactin. Participants were grouped according to whether they had ever experienced any aphrodisiacal effects during intoxication (Group A) or not (Group non-A).
resultsIntoxication was found to significantly increase activation in the right nucleus accumbens in the Group A while significantly decreasing activation in the Group non-A. There was also a significant interaction between the group and intoxication, with elevated prolactin in the Group non-A during intoxication. No intoxication-related differences in subjective picture evaluations were found.
conclusionCannabis intoxication increases activation of the right nucleus accumbens to erotic stimuli. This effect is limited to users whose prolactin is not elevated in response to intoxication. This effect may be useful in the treatment of low sexual desire.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.