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The Amygdala and Human Evolution. A connection????

James Michael Howard jmhoward at arkansas.net
Sun Jan 25 18:36:32 EST 2004


The Amygdala and Human Evolution
. A connection????

In 1985, I copyrighted "A Theory of the Control of the Ontogeny and Phylogeny of
Homo sapiens by the Interaction of Dehydroepiandrosterone and the Amygdala."  I
had difficulty researching my ideas regarding DHEA and the amygdala, so I
focused on DHEA.  Anyway I was pleased to find the following, new article which
shows that I may have been on the right path in my selection of the amygdala.

Annals of Neurology 2004 Jan; 55(1): 87-96. 	
The amygdala and sexual drive: Insights from temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

Baird AD, Wilson SJ, Bladin PF, Saling MM, Reutens DC.

School of Behavioural Science, Department of Psychology, University of
Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the amygdala and
human sex drive. We compared amygdalar volume in groups of patients with or
without sexual changes after temporal lobe resection and in age-matched
neurologically normal subjects. Forty-five patients with intractable temporal
lobe epilepsy who underwent surgical resection in the Comprehensive Epilepsy
Program at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre completed a semistructured
interview and questionnaire relating to sexual outcome after surgery. Volumetric
analyses of both amygdalae were conducted on the patients' preoperative
T(1)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and those of 46 neurologically
normal controls. Patients who reported a postoperative sexual increase had a
significantly larger amygdalar volume contralateral to the site of their
resective surgery than patients with a sexual decrease or no change than control
subjects. There was a significant positive relationship between contralateral
amygdalar volume and the maximum degree of sexual change. We have demonstrated a
relationship between contralateral amygdalar volume and sexual outcome in
patients undergoing temporal lobe resection. This finding provides evidence for
an important role of the amygdala in regulating human sexual behavior. A larger
contralateral amygdala may contribute to the expression of increased or improved
sexuality after temporal lobe resection

James Michael Howard
www.anthropogeny.com 



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