Posts: Links / Is Serotonin the Key to Sexual Preference?

isn't that why serotonin uptake inhibitors decrease sex drive? I thought that link had already been made between increased serotonin, at least, and loss of sexual desire. Seems intuitive to think that less sertonin would have an opposite effect.

You're absolutely right that the link has already been made, which is what SciCurious used as the basis of her argument against the claims made by the authors of the paper at hand. The Nature paper was arguing that a lack of serotonin caused male mice to become indifferent to sex when choosing a mate, whereas SciCurious argued that sexual preference might have still been present but confounded by the ceiling effect of hypersexuality in serotonin deprived mice.

Though personally I don't think this means the Nature paper isn't worthwhile, it's still an extremely interesting study. However, knocking out serotonin neurons full stop will obviously have a much more global effect on the brain than just sexuality. For example, the serotonin deficient mice exhibited attenuation of some basic behaviours such as sniffing frequency.

i spent many years on SSRIs and never wanted to bang a guy.

obviously brad pitt doesnt count.

Yeah cutting off serotonin in the brain does cause a global deficit nevertheless the mice are still able to survive meaning serotonin is not essential for survival but is essential for normal functioning. I know from my research that having a lack of serotonin messes with maternal behaviors and has even been linked with human postpartum depression. In mice whose serotonin receptors have been knocked out so that they are born having no serotonin develop much slower then regular mice and sleep much more frequently and although able to reproduce and produce milk failed to provide maternal care.

I think its safe to say that ever since I've been put on ssri's the last thing I think about is sex with males or females for that matter. animals on the otherhand... well thats a different story altogether. ;)