What happens when you ejaculate too much?

[link to yourbrainonporn.com]

What happens when you ejaculate too much?

Scientists are discovering a neurochemical "hangover" after sexual satiety, which if overridden by more ejaculation, adversely affects mood and the ability to cope with stimulants. First we'll look at the science; then we'll consider what it might mean for those masturbating more frequently than they would have without Internet porn.

Scientists do a lot of experiments on male rats in their quest to understand more about human-male sexuality. One of the most prolific research teams is in Mexico City. Last year they published an intriguing study revealing that after a rat satiates himself sexually (which is how rats normally mate, and requires an average of 2.5 hours and up to 7 ejaculations), he exhibits an initial cycle of measurable effects.

This natural cycle, which is apparently the first part of an even longer cycle, lasts 96 hours. During this time the rat's sexual motivation (libido) is nil-to-sluggish, and he is hyper-reactive to a variety of drugs. After these four days, he's able to copulate more than once, but it will take him 15 days to return to maximum studliness. According to the scientists:

The long lasting character of both [sluggish libido and hypersensitivity] can only be explained by the occurrence of brain plastic changes that, interestingly, disappear gradually in time.

Plastic changes are more than changes in levels of neurochemicals. They are changes in synapse strength between nerve cells. The former are fleeting; the latter linger. The researchers surmise that this "hangover" of plastic changes may be a protective measure against overstimulation of the brain's reward circuit:

It could be thought that the long lasting sexual inhibition resulting from copulation to satiation constitutes a protective mechanism against over stimulation of the brain circuits involved in its processing.

They point out that the effects of repeated ejaculation can mimic the effects of drugs of abuse:

The mesolimbic system [reward circuit] plays a role in the processing of natural rewards including sexual behaviour. Constant stimulation of this circuit by repeated administration of drugs of abuse produces behavioural sensitisation that resembles the drug hypersensitivity exhibited by sexually exhausted rats after repeated ejaculation in a short period, which would continually stimulate the mesolimbic system.