Biol Psychol. 2015 Jul;109:192-9. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.06.005. Epub 2015 Jun 18.

Modulation of late positive potentials by sexual images in problem users and controls inconsistent with "porn addiction".

Prause N¹, Steele VR², Staley C³, Sabatinelli D⁴, Hajcak G⁵.

Author information

¹University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: nprause@mednet.ucla.edu.
²The Mind Research Network, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
³Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA.
⁴University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
⁵Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.

Abstract

"Excessive" viewing of visual sexual stimuli (VSS) is the most commonly reported hypersexual behavior problem and is especially amenable to laboratory study. A pattern of enhanced sexual cue responsiveness is expected in this sample if hypersexuality shares features of other addiction models. Participants (N=122) who either reported or denied problematic VSS use were presented with emotional, including explicit sexual, images while their evoked response potentials were recorded. An interaction of hypersexual problem group and the level of desire for sex with a partner predicted LPP amplitude. Specifically, those reporting problems regulating their VSS use who also reported higher sexual desire had lower LPP in response to VSS. This pattern appears different from substance addiction models. These are the first functional physiological data of persons reporting VSS regulation problems.