揭秘：女性性高潮时大脑如何运转

　　美国研究人员使用核磁共振摄影，首度拍摄到女性性高潮时脑部活动影像，发现脑部高达30个部位会在高潮时陆续进入强烈活动状态，让神经系统因愉悦而麻木，甚至暂时丧失痛觉。

　　 新泽西州罗格斯大学研究人员发现，性高潮会影响女性大脑30个不同部位，分别职司情绪、触觉、喜悦、满足与记忆。他们希望能够绘出女性这种时刻的大脑状态，进而瞭解部分女性面临性功能障碍或性冷感的原因。

　　研究人员也希望绘出男性的大脑状态图，以比较性高潮影响男女大脑状态的差异。研究显示，女性性高潮持续的时间不但比男性长，而且可连续快速出现多次。女性性高潮平均持续10到15秒，男性6秒。

　　研究人员要求16名女性志愿者盖著毯子躺在核磁共振摄影机上，以自我刺激方式达到高潮。实验显示，虽然在这种环境下，多数女性进入性高潮所需时间不到5分钟，部分女性则需要20分钟。

　　高潮前2分钟，大脑的酬偿中枢开始活跃。此外，高潮即将出现时，大脑的其他部位也会受到影响，包括负责接收身体各部位及丘脑触觉讯息的知觉脑皮层。高潮开始後，大脑的其他部位随之启动，包括职司情绪的扣带脑皮层及脑岛。最後启动的大脑部位是管理温度、饥饿、口渴及疲倦感的下丘脑。在此同时，分别职司愉悦、记忆的阿肯伯氏核与尾状核也会相继启动。

　　The first scan revealing what happens inside a woman's brain when she has an orgasm has been developed by scientists. They have discovered that sexual arousal numbs the female nervous system to such an extent that she doesn't feel as much pain - only pleasure。

　　近日，科学家通过扫描检测到，女性在性高潮时大脑内部有所变化。他们发现，性刺激可以麻痹女性神经系统，使她们感受到的快乐更多，痛苦更少。

　　Researchers from Rutgers University asked eight women to stimulate themselves while lying under a blanket inside a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, a tunnel-like machine often used to detect brain tumors. Most women took less than five minutes to reach an orgasm. During that time, the MRI scanner took images of their brain to show which parts became active。

　　新泽西罗格斯大学的研究人员要求八位女性躺在装有磁共振扫描仪的毯子下进行自我刺激，大部分女性在五分钟内达到高潮。而在这五分钟内，磁共振扫描仪对其大脑进行拍照，以检查其大脑内部活跃部位。

　　The scientists found that two minutes before the orgasm, the brain's reward centers become active, the areas usually activated when eating food and drink. Immediately before they reached the peak, other areas of the brain became affected such as the sensory cortex, which receives “touch” messages。

　　科学家们发现，在高潮前两分钟，大脑的奖励中枢开始活跃(奖励中枢通常只会经由“食”和“饮”来激活)。而在高潮的前一刻，诸如感觉皮层(负责接收“触觉”信息)这样的其他部位也开始受到影响。

　　Once the orgasm has started other parts of the brain are activated such as those responsible for emotion - the cingulated cortex and the insula. The final part of the brain to be activated is the hypothalamus, the “control” part of the brain which regulates temperature, hunger, thirst and tiredness. At the same time another area responsible for pleasure is activated - the nucleus accumbens - as well as the caudate nucleus, which is responsible for memory。

　　高潮开始，负责情感的扣带回皮层、脑岛等大脑其他部位被激活。而最后一个活跃起来的是控制人体的温度、饥渴感觉以及困倦感的下丘脑。同时，另外一处负责“愉悦”感的伏隔核，以及负责记忆的尾状核也开始活跃起来。

　　Now the scientists also want to build up a similar picture for men so they can compare how the sensation affects the male and female brains。

　　如今科学家们正努力绘制出男性的高潮脑部变化图，以便比较高潮对两性脑部的影响究竟有何不同。