Abstract
Lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is associated with abnormal brain function, as evidenced by functional MRI (fMRI) studies. This study investigates the stability of brain network architectures in resting-state conditions following perturbation by erotic tasks in individuals with LPE. We assessed the resting state fMRI in the task free and task modulated dataset in the 28 right-hand LPE and 17 age-matched normal controls (NCs). The dynamic functional connectome based on the phase-locking algorithm and ROI-wise gradient mapping was compared. The stability of dynamic functional gradient mapping was measure by linear mixed effects across the two datasets in the LPE and NCs. In both groups, the brain functional gradient exhibited a clear transition from unimodal to transmodal in the principal gradient. Additionally, there was a segregation of primary networks observed in the secondary gradient, either before or after the task. In LPE patients, we observed increased stability in the bilateral dorsal prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected) and right temporo-occipital-parietal cortex (p < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected) between the pre- and post-task fMRI datasets. The changes of the gradient stability were significantly correlated with the sexual behavior. Our findings suggest that dysfunction in the salience and default mode networks may contribute to delayed recovery from erotic task stimulation in LPE patients.
Significance statement This study provides novel insights into the neural mechanisms underlying lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) by examining the task-induced modulation of resting-state functional gradient stability using fMRI. Our findings highlight the critical role of the salience and default mode networks in the impaired recovery of LPE patients following erotic stimulation. By leveraging dynamic functional gradient mapping, we demonstrate that LPE patients exhibit increased stability in the bilateral dorsal prefrontal cortex and right temporo-occipital-parietal cortex, suggesting difficulties in returning to baseline neural states. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the neural dynamics of sexual dysfunction and may pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions aimed at improving cognitive flexibility and recovery in affected individuals.
Footnotes
This work was supported by the General Project Supported by Medical Science and technology development Foundation, Nanjing Department of Health (YKK22083); National Science and Technology Innovation 2030 -- Major program of "Brain Science and Brain-Like Research" (2022ZD0211800); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82330059, 82271965, 82302172); the Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent (2022ZB694); and fundings for Clinical Trials from the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University (2022-YXZX-YX-06, 2022-LCYJ-PY-15, 2022-LCYJ-MS-03, 2021-LCYJ-PY-36, 2022-LCYJ-MS-25, 2021-LCYJ - PY -20). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Author Contributors: J.M.L., Q.H. and Y.L. contributed equally to this work. J.M.L., Y.T.D., X.Z.Z. X.Z. and B.Z. conceived the research idea. H.Q., C.W., Y.L. and Q.M.D. designed the experiments. C.W., Y.L., B.B.Y., Z.Y.Z., Q.Q.G and N.W. contributed to data collecting. J.M.L. and C.W. contributed to data analysis. J.M.L., C.W. and Y.L. wrote the paper with contributions from all authors. X.Z.Z. and X.Z. supervised the work.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
↵†These authors contributed equally to this work
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