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Physiology of Ejaculation

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Men's Sexual Health and Fertility

Abstract

Interest and research into the physiology of ejaculation began in the mid-1700s with the essays of the British surgeon John Hunter who wrote about the different compositions of semen at distinct points of ejaculation. He further reported on the anatomical organs that contributed to this process based upon his own human and animal dissections (Hendry, Ann R Coll Surg Engl 81(5):352–358, 1999). Over 200 years later, despite the prevalence of male sexual dysfunction and modern technological advancements, the intricacies of human ejaculation are still poorly understood. Neuroscientific studies on animals as well as brain imaging provide the bulk of what is understood today. This chapter provides the accepted gross anatomical and temporal progression models of ejaculation. The most current neuroanatomical and neurophysiological discoveries are also provided. An understanding of these processes will provide the foundation for approaching and understanding the disorders of ejaculation discussed later in this book.

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Abbreviations

BNST:

Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

CCK:

Cholecystokinin

cGMP:

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate

DCN:

Dorsal central autonomic nucleus

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

IML:

Intermediolateral cell column

LCTF:

Lateral central tegmental field

LSt cells:

Lumbar spinothalamic cells

MEA:

Medial amygdala

MPOA:

Medial preoptic area

NO:

Nitric oxide

nPGi:

Nucleus paragigantocellularis

NPY:

Neuropeptide Y

PDE5-I:

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor

PET:

Positron emission tomography

PVN:

Paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus

SPFp:

Parvocellular subparafascicular thalamic nucleus

VIP:

Vasoactive intestinal peptide

VTA:

Ventral tegmental area

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Geraldine Sheu & Louis M. Revenig

  2. Department of Urology, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Center, 3600 Broadway, Oakland, CA, 94611, USA

    Wayland Hsiao

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  1. Geraldine Sheu
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  2. Louis M. Revenig
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  3. Wayland Hsiao
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Correspondence to Wayland Hsiao .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA

    John P. Mulhall

  2. Department of Urology, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, California, USA

    Wayland Hsiao

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Sheu, G., Revenig, L.M., Hsiao, W. (2014). Physiology of Ejaculation. In: Mulhall, J., Hsiao, W. (eds) Men's Sexual Health and Fertility. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0425-9_2

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