HOWARD MOLTZ
Email address: hmolt@ccp.uchicago.edu
A recently developed technique in nuclear medicine, called Positron Emission
Tomography (PET), provides an ongoing picture of brain activity under highly
controlled conditions making it possible to study the role of selective
cortical and subcortical areas in mediating a variety of psychological and
physiological functions. The University of Chicago is one of the few
universities in the Western Hemisphere to have a PET scanner available for
research and I, together with several members of the PET Center, have been
investigating the role of the brain in sexual arousal. Specifically, we are
concerned with the neural processing of sexual stimuli in both homosexual and
heterosexual men and women. During arousal, we think different brain areas are
activated in these different groups and through our research we hope to provide
an explanation not only of how sexual excitement is mediated but how sexual
preferences develop and come to be expressed. Using the same brain-imaging
methodology, we intend to study other aspects of human sexuality as well. Here
we have in mind problems relating to the uptake of sex steroids in the brain
and the role played by neurotransmitters in both the excitatory and
consummatory phases of sexual behavior. (Biopsychology)
1. Blumberg, M.S., Mennella, J.A. and Moltz, H. (1987) Hypothalamic temperature
and deep body temperature during copulation in the male rat. Physiology and
Behavior, 39, pp.367-370.
2. Blumberg, M.S. and Moltz, H. (1988) How the nose cools the brain during
ejaculation in the male rat, Physiology and Behavior, 43, pp.
367-370.
3. Moltz, H. (1993) Fever: causes and consequences. Neuroscience and
Biobehavioral Reviews.