Observing Erotic Videos With Heterosexual Content Induces Different Cerebral Responses in Homosexual and Heterosexual Men

ABSTRACT

To determine the cerebral functionality associated with the perception and processing of erotic stimuli in men with different sexual orientation, this work evaluated the electroencephalographic activity (EEG) from several cortical areas, as well as subjective arousal in homosexual and heterosexual men during observation of an erotic film with heterosexual content. The heterosexual men rated the erotic video with higher general and sexual arousal than the homosexual participants. During observation of the neutral and erotic videos, both groups showed a decreased amplitude of the alpha band in prefrontal and parietal cortices, indicating increased attention. When watching the erotic video, the homosexual men showed an increased amplitude of the theta and fast bands only in the prefrontal cortex, which could be related to the cognitive processing of the erotic stimulus. These EEG results should broaden our knowledge of the cortical mechanisms related to the different perception and processing of erotic stimuli in men with different sexual orientations.

KEYWORDS:

• Homosexuality
• sexual orientation
• EEG
• sexual arousal
• prefrontal cortex
• parietal cortex
• visual sexual stimuli

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethical approval

All procedures involving subjects in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Ethics Committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its amendments, or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.