AGING AND SEXUAL FUNCTION IN MEN

Sexual function, and in particular erectile capacity, declines with ag e in men. The present study attempted to identify possible sensory/neu ral and autonomic factors related to this decline. Data on self-report ed sexual activity and functioning, as well as erectile response to vi sual erotic stimulation, were gathered from 39 healthy, sexually funct ional men ranging in age from 21 to 82. In addition, four parameters o f putative significance to sexual functioning were measure& penile ele ctrical and vibrotactile thresholds, pudendal somatosensory evoked pot entials, penile autonomic response to ischemia, and blood testosterone . Results indicated significant age-related decreases in self-reported frequency of sexual activity and in erectile response to erotica. Fur thermore, penile sensitivity, response to penile ischemia, and somatos ensory evoked potentials showed age-related changes. In contrast, self -reported erectile capacity, ratings of overall sex life, and levels o f testosterone did not change over age groups. These findings suggest that decreasing erectile capacity in aging men may be related to decre asing sensory/neural and autonomic functioning, but they also indicate that factors other than the frequency of and potency for sexual respo nse are important to the overall rating of sex life.