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Enhanced conditioning and disrupted extinction processes in men struggling with compulsive sexual behaviors.

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Title: Enhanced conditioning and disrupted extinction processes in men struggling with compulsive sexual behaviors.
Authors: Wojciechowski J; 1Bioimaging Research Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland.; 2Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland., Draps M; 3Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland., Kublik E; 2Neurobiology of Emotions Laboratory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland., Dubiejko P; 1Bioimaging Research Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland., Wolak T; 1Bioimaging Research Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland., Gola M; 3Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.; 4Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computations, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Source: Journal of behavioral addictions [J Behav Addict] 2025 Feb 27; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 191-203. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Feb 27 (Print Publication: 2025).
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Akadémiai Kiado Country of Publication: Hungary NLM ID: 101602037 Publication Model: Electronic-Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2063-5303 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20625871 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Behav Addict Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Budapest, Hungary : Akadémiai Kiadó
MeSH Terms: Extinction, Psychological*/physiology , Compulsive Behavior*/physiopathology , Compulsive Behavior*/diagnostic imaging , Sexual Behavior*/physiology , Prefrontal Cortex*/physiopathology , Prefrontal Cortex*/diagnostic imaging , Gyrus Cinguli*/physiopathology , Gyrus Cinguli*/diagnostic imaging , Ventral Striatum*/physiopathology , Ventral Striatum*/diagnostic imaging , Conditioning, Classical*/physiology, Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Young Adult ; Cues ; Reward ; Erotica ; Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder
Abstract: Background and Aims: Despite a previously reported connection between compulsive sexual behaviors (CSB), such as problematic pornography use, and heightened cue-reactivity, empirical evidence of the alteration of processes responsible for increased salience attribution to erotic cues remains sparse. Drawing on similarities with addiction models, this study explores the neuronal mechanisms of CSB through the use of appetitive conditioning and extinction with erotic and monetary rewards.
Methods: Thirty-two heterosexual males struggling with CSB (age: 28.9 ± 7.1), and 31 healthy matched participants (age: 27.8 ± 5.6) underwent active appetitive conditioning and extinction tasks in fMRI. The effects of conditioning and extinction towards cues of erotic and monetary rewards were measured via self-assessment (valence and arousal rating towards cues), behavior (reaction times), and brain reactivity.
Results: In conditioning, subjective ratings increased, and reaction times were faster for both erotic and monetary cues among participants with CSB, along with altered activity in ventral striatum (vStr), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and anterior orbitofrontal cortex (aOFC). In extinction, self-assessment ratings remained elevated in the CSB group for both cues in a non-reward-specific fashion, accompanied by altered activity of dACC and vStr.
Discussion and Conclusions: These findings suggest enhanced incentive salience attribution to conditioned cues, highlighting a generalized motivational and value-related transfer from rewards to the cues in participants with CSB. Additionally, despite the absence of rewards, the persistence of arousal and valence towards cues underscored the maladaptive extinction process. These insights advance the understanding of CSB's neurobiological underpinnings and its relation to addiction frameworks.
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Contributed Indexing: Keywords: associative learning; compulsive sexual behaviors; conditioning; extinction; fMRI; reward system
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20250227 Date Completed: 20250510 Latest Revision: 20250510
Update Code: 20250510
PubMed Central ID: PMC11974435
DOI: 10.1556/2006.2025.00012
PMID: 40014056
Database: MEDLINE
Description
Abstract:Background and Aims: Despite a previously reported connection between compulsive sexual behaviors (CSB), such as problematic pornography use, and heightened cue-reactivity, empirical evidence of the alteration of processes responsible for increased salience attribution to erotic cues remains sparse. Drawing on similarities with addiction models, this study explores the neuronal mechanisms of CSB through the use of appetitive conditioning and extinction with erotic and monetary rewards.<br />Methods: Thirty-two heterosexual males struggling with CSB (age: 28.9 ± 7.1), and 31 healthy matched participants (age: 27.8 ± 5.6) underwent active appetitive conditioning and extinction tasks in fMRI. The effects of conditioning and extinction towards cues of erotic and monetary rewards were measured via self-assessment (valence and arousal rating towards cues), behavior (reaction times), and brain reactivity.<br />Results: In conditioning, subjective ratings increased, and reaction times were faster for both erotic and monetary cues among participants with CSB, along with altered activity in ventral striatum (vStr), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and anterior orbitofrontal cortex (aOFC). In extinction, self-assessment ratings remained elevated in the CSB group for both cues in a non-reward-specific fashion, accompanied by altered activity of dACC and vStr.<br />Discussion and Conclusions: These findings suggest enhanced incentive salience attribution to conditioned cues, highlighting a generalized motivational and value-related transfer from rewards to the cues in participants with CSB. Additionally, despite the absence of rewards, the persistence of arousal and valence towards cues underscored the maladaptive extinction process. These insights advance the understanding of CSB's neurobiological underpinnings and its relation to addiction frameworks.
ISSN:2063-5303
DOI:10.1556/2006.2025.00012