[Wild Fragaria]

Very interesting article, and I think most of you guys will appreciate it 


Nature News Published online: 21 February 2006; | doi:10.1038/news060220-9


Biologists have proof that men do, in fact, have sex on the brain. A crucial sex-determining gene on the male Y chromosome, called Sry, is known to be expressed in the male brain as well as in the testes.

But now researchers have come up with a surprise: Sry's effects on the brain seem to be involved in motor coordination rather than more sex-related traits. And loss of the gene leads to symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease.

"It was a big surprise. I was expecting Sry to have more to do with a region involved in sexual behaviour, like the hypothalamus, than a region involved in motor control," says Eric Vilain of the University of California, Los Angeles. "We repeated it many times to be sure," he adds.

Vilain and his colleagues studied Sry proteins in rat brains and found that they occur in the substantia nigra in males; this is a region of the brain involved in motor function and is affected in Parkinson's.

By using injections to block the expression of the Sry gene in this region of the male rat brain, the researchers showed that the mice developed motor problems reminiscent of Parkinson's. When they stopped the injections, the rats recovered.

"We have this prejudice with sex chromosomes. We think they should be expressed in parts of the brain involved in reproductive behaviour. And clearly that's not necessarily the case - this paper really opens our eyes," says Emilie Rissman, a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia.

So what is Sry doing in this part of the brain? All the clues so far suggest that it switches on the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), an enzyme involved in making a neurotransmitter called dopamine. TH-expressing neurons are sexually dimorphic - there are 20% fewer in females than males, as reported in this study. Sry seems to maintain TH levels in the male: when Sry is turned off, the expression of TH falls. When the gene is turned back on, the neurons recover.

Sry could explain why men are about 1.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson's than women, says Vilain. It could also potentially explain why other dopamine-linked diseases are more common in males, such as schizophrenia and addiction, adds Vincent Harley of Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, who is a co-author on the paper.

Harley is now investigating Sry levels in the brains of human cadavers, comparing levels in men with Parkinson's and those without the disease.

Meanwhile, the team plans to pursue the gene's link to sexual behaviour. Harley notes that their team has also spotted Sry expression in the medial mammillary bodies of the brain. Earlier studies have reported that destroying this region in rodents alters their sexual behaviour, and Harley says there are anecdotal medical case studies showing that damage to this region in people can lead to changes in sexual appetite.

[an0n]

Pfff. It's a mechanism designed to give the appearance of relaxtion and general coolness. People just lack discipline.

[Grug]

What's next?
Libido killing drugs issued by religous institutions or governments?

[Roanoke]

Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.

[an0n]

State benefits should cover one accident, no more.

You get **** for your first kid till it's 16, and get that benefit cut off if you have any more kids before it's 16.

I (if I paid my taxes) should not have to pay to raise the very same scum who will probably end up mugging me for drug money in 15-20 years.

[vyper]

Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.

No that's what benefit-culling is for.

[Janos]

Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.

just guess who is going to be almost infinetly more represented in our gene pool in just a couple dozen generations

 

[Black Wolf]

What's next?
Libido killing drugs issued by religous institutions or governments?

Nope - the Pope reckons Sex is alright - God's gift to mankind - 'twas in the paper the other day.  Though how exactly he'd know I don't understand.

[Cobra]

Given that woman in the news who has 15 kids and is demanding the council provide a 6 bedroom house so she can have more, and who spends her cash on cigs, drink, Nike, Lacoste and other such stuff, and lives off state handouts, that's probably a good idea.

HOLY ****!

[an0n]

This is why you can't go out at night with cash on you.

Beating the **** outta one Scum is easy. But then they go get their 20 Scum brothers and kick your door in.

They should chemically sterilize people at birth, then charge people £50k to get it undone. That way only the rich and successful will be able to breed.

Yeah, the birth-rate is falling and it needs to be shored up. But not by council-estate scum.

[Grug]

What's next?
Libido killing drugs issued by religous institutions or governments?

Nope - the Pope reckons Sex is alright - God's gift to mankind - 'twas in the paper the other day. Though how exactly he'd know I don't understand.

Maybe he just watches?

[Wild Fragaria]

Very weird replies to the article.  I fail to see the connection between the comments and the article.  Anyhow, they are still fun to read 

[Ulala]

Interesting article. I guess it's always nice to have another excuse for girls complaining that all guys think about is sex: "If we didn't, we'd develop parkinson's!" 

[aldo_14]

Very weird replies to the article.  I fail to see the connection between the comments and the article.  Anyhow, they are still fun to read 

That's because everyone's too busy thinking about sex to come up with a coherent..er....what do you call it?  Comes after a question?  Begins with A, I think.....um........coherent....er......Answer!

[TrashMan]

I'd consider this articale good news

This might help in the prevention of many desases (such as parkinsons) and may allso help people with sexual disorders.

[aldo_14]

"20ccs of sex, nurse, stat!"

[IceFire]

This is why you can't go out at night with cash on you.

Beating the **** outta one Scum is easy. But then they go get their 20 Scum brothers and kick your door in.

They should chemically sterilize people at birth, then charge people £50k to get it undone. That way only the rich and successful will be able to breed.

Yeah, the birth-rate is falling and it needs to be shored up. But not by council-estate scum.

So basically the second stupidest component of the human race gets to breed!

Lovely!

At least they will probably be beautiful children

[Ford Prefect]

I'd consider this articale good news

This might help in the prevention of many desases (such as parkinsons) and may allso help people with sexual disorders.

An end to premature ejactulation-- that will rival the impact of the polio vaccine.

[Wild Fragaria]

That's because everyone's too busy thinking about sex to come up with a coherent..er....what do you call it? Comes after a question? Begins with A, I think.....um........coherent....er......Answer!

That's funny, but very well said    It's true that men think a lot more about sex than women.

[aldo_14]

That's because everyone's too busy thinking about sex to come up with a coherent..er....what do you call it? Comes after a question? Begins with A, I think.....um........coherent....er......Answer!

That's funny, but very well said    It's true that men think a lot more about sex than women.

To be fair, we are essentially knocking-up machines.  No need to wait 9 months for our part of the reproductive cycle to 'complete'; 10 sweaty minutes and, biologically, the male part is complete and the next impregnation can begin.  So I'd suspect, combined with other differences due to the evolutionary hunter-gatherer nature of the male gender, we're wired up to be always on the lookout for a potential mate - even if the requirements of raising a child (helpless compared to other animals' offspring at birth) require and entail monogamy.