Previous research has indicated that exposure to pornography, or sexually explicit media (SEM), can lead married men to express a stronger desire for sexual intimacy (Staley & Prause, 2013). However, SEM exposure has also resulted in decreased physical attractiveness ratings among men evaluating their spouses (Kenrick, et al., 1989). Only a small amount of research has investigated the effects of SEM on attraction among unmarried males. The current study examined the effects of SEM in a sample of 108 heterosexual, undergraduate males. Participants evaluated pictures of 15 unknown women’s faces for physical attractiveness. They were then exposed to five minutes of SEM, after which they re-evaluated the same 15 faces for attractiveness. This study also examined the association between Big Five personality traits and self-reported sexual attitudes. The relations between sexual attitudes and the effects of SEM exposure were also explored. Counter to the expected hypothesis, results indicated an increase in attractiveness ratings after SEM exposure, demonstrating a sensitization rather than a desensitization effect on attraction. The Big Five Extraversion trait significantly predicted increases in attractiveness ratings after SEM exposure. Personality was also a significant predictor of sexual attitudes in relation to the socio-sexual orientation facets of behavior and attitude, which constitute the number of casual and changing sex partners and attitudes towards uncommitted sex, respectively. Additional research is necessary to replicate and confirm novel findings in this study.

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<p>Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are neurodegenerative conditions that involve similar neurobiological pathways and affect motivation and reward dysregulations. This project aims to explore whether PD-related insults affect alcohol-related motivation and reward. We utilized paraquat (PQ) exposure as a neurotoxicant-induced model for PD and mice selectively bred for a differential in alcohol preference as a model for genetic and neurobiological susceptibility for high/low alcohol consumption. In Experiment 1, binge-like alcohol drinking after three weeks of PQ exposure (10 mg/kg, i.p. once per week) or saline was assessed in HAP male and female mice. The four-day Drinking in the Dark (DID) procedure was used to induce binge-like alcohol drinking. Dorsal (DS) and ventral (VS) striatal catecholamines were analyzed after DID. Overall, PQ-treated HAP males had significantly lower alcohol intake than saline-treated males. This effect was absent in female HAP mice. Catecholamine quantification showed lower DOPAC levels in VS of PQ-treated vs. saline-treated HAP male mice. Experiment 2 assessed alcohol-induced locomotor sensitization in adult male and female high (HAP) and low-alcohol-preferring (LAP) mice after PQ exposure. Following the same 3 weeks of PQ or saline exposure, mice received 6 sensitization induction days with either 3 g/kg i.p. EtOH or saline. On test day, an alcohol challenge dose of 2 g/kg in all mice was used to determine the expression of locomotor sensitization. PQ exposure had no significant effect on locomotor activity and sensitization. However, PQ-treated mice showed great variability in their alcohol-induced locomotor activity compared to other groups. These data suggest a sex difference in PQ’s effect on alcohol binge-like drinking. However, PQ’s effect on alcohol-induced locomotor sensitization is not conclusive. This project will elucidate potential mechanisms behind PD-related neuropsychiatric comorbid conditions like AUD. Such findings may assist in early diagnosis and treatment refinement, as these comorbidities precede the motor manifestation of PD by decades and significantly impact the quality of life.</p>

Syfte. Studiens syfte var att retrospektivt undersöka vilka kliniska variabler, bedömda under specialistundersökning av orofacial smärta, som kan förutsäga närvaro av en störd central smärtmodulering (DCPM). Material och metod. DC/TMD-data hämtades ur patientjournaler från 86 patienter som undersökts på Orofaciala smärtenheten på Malmö Universitet under perioden september 2012 till och med december 2013. Undersökta variabler omfattade smärtintensitet, smärtutbredning, smärtrelaterad nedsatthet, psykosociala variabler, refererad smärta samt kliniska fynd under somatosensoriska undersökningar. Baserat på denna data delades patienterna upp i en DCPM-grupp och en grupp utan DCPM. Allodyni, hyperalgesi, dysestesi, wind-up, regional/generell smärtutbredning samt eftersensation ansågs vara markörer för DCPM. Icke-parametriska statistiska analyser användes och en sannolikhetsnivå på P<0,05 ansågs vara signifikant. Resultat. Graden av ospecifika fysiska symptom och antalet refererande smärtor var signifikant högre i DCPM-gruppen. Den multivariata logistiska regressionen visade att ospecifika fysiska symptom, stress, smärtduration, smärtintensitet, smärtrelaterad nedsatthet, antalet refererande smärtpunkter, maximal gapning med och utan smärta, ångest samt antalet smärtinducerande käkrörelser var signifikanta marörer för DCPM (LR Chi2 = 26.89, p = 0.003, Pseudo R2 = 0.29). Slutsats. Denna studie indikerar att stress, ångest, smärtduration, smärtintensitet, smärtrelaterad nedsatthet, antalet refererande smärtpunkter, maximal gapning med och utan smärta samt antalet smärtinducerande käkrörelser är associerat med DCPM hos patienter med orofacial smärta. / Objective. To retrospectively investigate clinical variables that can predict the presence of disturbed central pain modulation (DCPM). Material and methods Medical records of 86 patients examined at the Orofacial Pain Unit at Malmö University from September 2012 to December 2013 were examined regarding pain intensity, pain distribution, pain-related disability, psychosocial variables, referred pain as well as somatosensory changes. Based on these variables, the patients were divided into a disturbed central pain modulation (DCPM) group and a non-DCPM group. Allodynia, hyperalgesia, dysesthesia, increased wind-up, regional/general pain distribution and aftersensation were considered as markers for DCPM. Non-parametric statistics were used and a probability level of P<0.05 was considered as significant. Results. The degree of unspecific physical symptoms and the number of sites eliciting pain referral were significantly higher in the DCPM group. In the multivariate regression model, the independent variables physical symptoms, stress, pain duration, characteristic pain intensity, pain-related disability, number of sites with referred pain, maximum mouth opening with and without pain, anxiety, and number of pain eliciting jaw movements significantly predicted DCPM (LR Chi2 = 26.89, p = 0.003, Pseudo R2 = 0.29). Conclusion. This study indicates that stress, anxiety, orofacial pain and its consequences, unspecific physical symptoms and jaw dysfunction are clinical signs of DCPM in patients with orofacial pain. Also, high number of palpations sites with referred pain over the masseter and temporal muscles and the TMJ indicate presence of DCPM.