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Contrôle neurologique de l’éjaculation

Neural control of ejaculation

Andrologie volume 14, pages 428–437 (2004)Cite this article

Resume

Le contrôle des fonctions génito-sexuelles et du comportement sexuel par le système nerveux central demeure peu connu. Les résultats cliniques et expérimentaux indiquent que trois niveaux d’organisation participent au contrôle de l’éjaculation par le système nerveux.

Le premier niveau est représenté par les nerfs autonomes et somatiques. Quittant la moelle épinière, ils contrôlent respectivement la motricité, la vascularisation et les sécrétions du tractus génital, et les contractions des muscles striés périnéaux. Leur parcours dans les cavités abdominale et pelvienne est connu, ainsi que les effets pharmacologiques périphériques de leurs neuromédiateurs sur les tissus cibles. Ils apportent en retour des informations sensitives vers la moelle épinière.

Le second niveau est représenté par les segments spinaux (thoracolombaires sympathiques et sacrés parasympathiques et honteux) à l’origine de ces nerfs autonomes et somatiques. Leur rôle est déduit de l’observation des effets délétères des lésions spinales (niveau, étendue) sur l’éjaculation. Cependant leur mise en jeu par, et leur capacité d’intégration, des informations d’origine périphérique (stimulations génitales) et supra-spinale ne sont pas bien connues. Des travaux récents menés chez l’animal de laboratoire ont mis en évidence la participation d’une population de neurones spinaux aux mécanismes de l’éjaculation. Ces neurones sont localisés dans les segments lombaires, ils sont galaninergiques, projettent vers l’hypothalamus et sont sensibles à la substance P. Leur destruction sélective abolit l’éjaculation durant l’accouplement, mais elle épargne l’érection [93].

Enfin le dernier niveau est constitué par les structures nerveuses supraspinales. La moelle épinière reçoit des informations excitatrices et inhibitrices du bulbe rachidien, du pont et de l’hypothalamus. Ces mêmes structures reçoivent des informations sensitives des organes génitaux. Leur participation au contrôle de l’éjaculation demeure inexplorée. Elle est déduite de l’influence de certains traitements pharmacologiques sur la neurotrans-mission centrale. Chez l’Homme, la visualisation des aires cérébrales actives durant l’éjaculation a été rendue possible très récemment par l’utilisation de la tomographie par émission de positrons [37]. Les auteurs démasquent une activité importante de plusieurs aires du seul cortex droit, ainsi que du cervelet.

Il reste à comprendre la coordination intraspinale entre les noyaux moteurs autonomes et somatiques expliquant une bonne synchronisation des voies nerveuses efférentes; le rôle des informations sensitives dans le recrutement et la coordination des différents étages du système nerveux central (moelle épinière, tronc cérébral, hypothalamus, cortex); enfin la coordination entre influences excitatrices et inhibitrices partant des étages supraspinaux et s’exerçant sur la moelle épinière. D’autre part, tant la mise en place de ces réseaux neuronaux durant le développement que leur activité à partir de la puberté sont androgéno-dépendants. La recherche à venir devrait permettre de comprendre quels sont les facteurs de régulation qui permettent aux neurones, sous l’influence des androgènes, d’acquérir leur maturité et d’orienter la synthèse de leurs récepteurs et de leurs neuromédiateurs.

Abstract

The brain control of the genital tract and sexual behaviour remains poorly understood. Clinical results and basic research indicate that the neural control of ejaculation depends on three levels of organization.

The first level consists of peripheral autonomic and somatic nerves. Leaving the spinal cord, these nerves control the motility, secretions and blood supply of the genital tract, and contractions of perineal striated muscles. Their path in the abdominal cavity and the effects of their neuro-transmitters on peripheral tissues have been established. These nerves also convey sensory information from the genital tract to the spinal cord.

The second level is represented by the spinal cord. The thoracolumbar (sympathetic), and sacral (parasympathetic and pudendal) segments of the cord contain the somata of autonomic and somatic motoneurons, whose axons run in the above nerves. These motoneurons are part of a spinal network that likely organizes the activity of the whole genital tract in a given context such as copulation. The role of the different spinal cord segments in the control of ejaculation is mainly inferred from observations of the deleterious effects of spinal cord injury in human patients. A small population of galaninergic positive neurons has recently been identified in the lumbar segments of the rat spinal cord that plays a major role in ejaculation (Truitt and Coolen, 2003). Selective lesion of this population abolishes in copula ejaculations, but spares erection.

Finally, the third level of organization is represented by supraspinal nervous structures.

The spinal cord receives direct excitatory and inhibitory information from the brainstem, pons and hypothalamus. In turn, these structures receive sensory information from the genital tract. However, their role in the control of ejaculation remains poorly investigated. Again, it is mainly inferred from the observation of the deleterious effects of pharmacological treatments on brain neurotransmission. Positron emission tomography has recently been used to observe brain areas whose activity is enhanced during ejaculation in humans (Holstege et al., 2003). In this study, several areas of the right side of the cortex and the cerebellum were activated.

The targets of future clinical and basic research include: the neural basis of the required coordination between spinal autonomic and somatic nuclei that innervate the genital tract, the role of sensory information from the genital tract in the recruitment and coordination of spinal and supraspinal nuclei, and finally the integration of descending excitatory and inhibitory influences onto the spinal cord.

Both the organization during development and the activation at puberty of the spinal neural network that controls the genital tract are dependent on androgens. Future research should identify the regulatory factors that, in response to the action of androgens, provide neurons with the possibility of building their connexions and selecting their neurotransmitters and receptors.

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  1. Analyse et Modélisation en Imagerie Biologique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UR1197-NOPA-bât 325, 78352, Jouy-en-Josas, France

    Olivier Rampin

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Correspondence to Olivier Rampin.

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Communication au XXo Congrès de la Société d’Andrologie de Langue Française, Orléans, 11–13 Décembre 2003.

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Rampin, O. Contrôle neurologique de l’éjaculation. Androl. 14, 428–437 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03035176

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Basic and Clinical Andrology

ISSN: 2051-4190