Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1985 Dec;14(6):491-503.
doi: 10.1007/BF01541750.

EEG during masturbation and ejaculation

B Graber, J W Rohrbaugh, D B Newlin, J L Varner, R J Ellingson

EEG during masturbation and ejaculation

B Graber et al. Arch Sex Behav. 1985 Dec.

Abstract

The occurrence of a distinctive EEG pattern specifically related to sexual arousal and orgasm would provide a reliable and convenient means of identifying such events in the laboratory and would also provide clues to cerebral structures involved in the processes. EEG-polygraph recordings were obtained under rigorously controlled conditions in four normal male subjects during masturbation and ejaculation. The EEG data were subjected to both impressionistic and quantitative analyses. They showed no remarkable changes during the sequence of relevant physiological responses. The sole effect was a slight depression of alpha activity, a well-known nonspecific effect associated with changes in attention and arousal. Examination of the literature shows little agreement among reported results of studies of EEG changes during orgasm. It is likely that at least some reported changes were artifactual. It is concluded that the case for the existence of EEG changes specifically related to sexual arousal and orgasm remains unproven.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1976 Oct-Dec;20(4):226-30 - PubMed
    1. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1972 Jan;154(1):3-18 - PubMed
    1. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 1983 Jun;30(6):309-19 - PubMed
    1. Arch Sex Behav. 1977 Jul;6(4):341-8 - PubMed
    1. Arch Sex Behav. 1976 May;5(3):189-99 - PubMed