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The Neurosciences of Health Communication: An fNIRS Analysis of Prefrontal Cortex and Porn Consumption in Young Women for the Development of Prevention Health Programs.

Full Article Name: The Neurosciences of Health Communication: An fNIRS Analysis of Prefrontal Cortex and Porn Consumption in Young Women for the Development of Prevention Health Programs

Open Access: Yes

Abstract

This work explores the use of fNIRS neuroimaging technique using young female college students with different levels of consumption of pornography, and the activation of the prefrontal cortex (cue reactivity) when viewing a pornographic clip (cue exposure) versus a control clip. The results indicate that the viewing of the pornographic clip (vs. control clip) causes an activation of Brodmann’s area 45 of the right hemisphere (BA 45, pars triangularis) (p < 0.01). An effect also appears between the level of self-reported consumption and the activation of right BA 45: the higher the level of self-reported consumption, the greater the activation (p < 0.01). On the other hand, those participants who have never consumed pornographic material do not show activity of the right BA 45 compared to the control clip (p < 0.01) indicating a qualitative difference between non-consumers and consumers. These results are consistent with other research made in the field of addictions. It is hypothesized that the mirror neuron system may be involved, through the mechanism of empathy, which could provoke vicarious eroticism. Finally, we suggest the applications that these results may have for primary and secondary prevention programs in the field of problematic consumption of pornography.

Relevance

“Thanks to neuroscience, it has been possible to investigate the reasons why adolescents are more likely to develop substance use disorders than adults….[because] during adolescence the reward/motivation mechanisms and the limbicemotional circuits exhibit a state of hyperactivity that fosters greater emotional reactivity and drives the search for behaviors that generate immediate reward. Furthermore, the prefrontal cortex cannot fully self-regulate, leading to increased impulsivity and risk taking.”

“It has been proposed that the addiction cycle is articulated in three stages and involves three fundamental brain regions: (1) the anticipatory response, mainly caused by stimuli (internal or external) involving the prefrontal cortex and which is responsible of craving, the irrepressible impulse that starts the behavior, (2) the execution of the behavior (with or without substance intake) that involves the base ganglia and the reward circuit, and (3) the extended circuit of the amygdala responsible for withdrawal and restoring balance to the stress response.”

This study found that when young women who consume pornography are exposed to porn, there was “greater cortical activity in Brodmann’s area 45 (right BA45, pars triangularis) of the right hemisphere.” This did not occur with non-consuming women.

Citation

Cuesta, U., Niño JI, Martinez, L., & Paredes, B. (2020). The neurosciences of health communication: An fnirs analysis of prefrontal cortex and porn consumption in young women for the development of prevention health programs. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2132–2132. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02132