A hormone found in chocolate could be the “mental Viagra” that helps to get couples in the mood for sex. Kisspeptin, which is found in chocolate, is the hormone in the brain which kickstarts puberty. It may explain something about the behavior of teenage boys, after scientists found it makes men much more interested in sex and relationships. Young men injected with the hormone and then given brain scans showed a flurry of activity in the parts of the brain activated by sexual arousal and romance. It means similar injections could be used to help men to start a family. Professor Waljit Dhillo, the lead author of the research from Imperial College London, said, “Our initial findings are novel and exciting as they indicate that kisspeptin plays a role in stimulating some of the emotions and responses that lead to sex and reproduction. “Ultimately, we are keen to look into whether kisspeptin could be an effective treatment for psychosexual disorders, and potentially help countless couples who struggle to conceive.” One in 10 men in the United Kingdom are believed to have sexual problems, many suffering a lack of libido caused by relationship issues, stress and anxiety. This can cause problems for couples trying for a child and advised to have regular sex throughout the month. But kisspeptin is hoped to hold the answer, following a trial involving 29 healthy young men. Those injected with kisspeptin, discovered in the mid-1990s in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and named after sweets from the city called Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, reacted differently to sexual and non-sexual romantic pictures of couples. In an MRI scanner, where their brains were monitored, there was greater activity in the parts of the brain typically activated by sexual arousal and romance than the men given a placebo. The effect is likely to come from kisspeptin’s role in starting puberty, by stimulating the release of reproductive hormones. 在巧克力中发现一种堪称“精神伟 哥”的激素，可以让爱侣们性欲大增。 巧克力中发现的这种激素名为kisspeptin，也是大脑中催动青春期的激素。 科学家们发现，这种激素让男人更热衷性生活和男女关系，也在一定程度上解释了青春期男孩的行为。 被注射了这种激素的年轻男子大脑经过扫描发现，在被性唤起和浪漫事物激活的大脑部位有波动。 这意味着注射同样的激素可以用来帮助男性繁衍后代。 该研究的首席作者、伦敦帝国学院的沃尔吉特•迪洛教授说：“初期研究结果显示，kisspeptin能激起导致性行为和生育的情感和反应，这一发现新奇又令人振奋。 “最终，我们将研究kisspeptin能否成为治疗性心理障碍的有效方法，从而可能帮助无数生育困难的夫妇脱离苦海。” 据认为，十分之一的英国男人有性问 题；感情问题、压力和焦虑等因素导致许多男性缺乏性欲。 医生建议那些想要小孩的夫妇定期进行性生活，而缺乏性欲则是个困扰。 在29个健康年轻男子身上进行试验后发现，kisspeptin有望解决这一难题。 那些注射了kisspeptin的男子对自己看到的夫妇色情图片和非色情图片的反应是不同的。Kisspeptin于20世纪90年代中期在宾夕法尼亚州的好时镇被发现，并以该市出产的好时之吻巧克力的名字命名。 核磁共振扫描发现，被注射kisspeptin的男性大脑中会被性唤起和浪漫事物激活的部位比那些服用安慰剂的男性有更大幅度的活动。 产生这一效果很可能是因为kisspeptin能够刺激生殖激素的释放，正如kisspeptin催动青春期的作用一样。 (Chinadaily.com.cn) Words to Learn 相关词汇 【青春期】qīngchūnqī puberty the condition of being or the period of becoming first capable of reproducing sexually that is brought on by the production of sex hormones and the maturing of the reproductive organs 【安慰剂】ānwèijì placebo a substance having no pharmacological effect but administered as a control in testing experimentally or clinically the efficacy of a biologically active preparation | 