Brain control of penile erection

Abstract

The spinal cord contains a network that controls erection. This network can be activated by information from the periphery and by supraspinal nuclei. Besides anatomical studies that have detailed central pathways putatively involved in the central process of proerectile information, functional approaches have focused on pharmacological manipulations of specific systems, e.g. central dopaminergic pathways, leading to clinical perspectives in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The present review focuses on some aspects of the recent research in the field.