Krause’s corpuscles of the penis and clitoris have neurons that are involved in sexual desire and respond to vibrations.
- Researchers have, for the first time, described more precisely the role of the sensory neurons of Krause’s corpuscles located in the clitoris and the penis.
- These are involved in sexual desire.
- They would be particularly sensitive to microvibrations.
This is the first time that scientists have discovered the role of sensory neurons in Krause’s corpuscles located in the clitoris and penis. Their work is published on the website bioRxiv. In their study, the researchers point out that theKrause’s corpuscles are small sensory structures found in the oral mucosa. They would play a role in the perception of cold and pressure, but also in the genitals, for which their role is less documented.
Krauseau corpuscles: uhigh density in the clitoris, glans and inner foreskin
In this work, the scientists therefore wanted to know more about Krause’s corpuscles at the genital level. For this, they conducted experiments on mice. The first step was to see where they were present. In the females, they observed that there were none in the vaginal tissue but that the density of Krause’s corpuscles was very high in the clitoris. For the males, it was at the level of the glans and the internal foreskin. For both sexes, the quantity was almost the same, but the density was fifteen times higher in the clitoris, given its smaller size.
Neurons in Krause’s corpuscles influence sexual desire
Krause corpuscles have neurons. The researchers therefore wanted to stimulate them with vibrations and they discovered that they were very sensitive to them. According to them, the neurons of Krause’s corpuscles would have a link with sexual desire. To prove this, they used a stimulation technique called “optogenic” in male mice. This one”consists in introducing into a cell a gene which codes for a photosensitive protein, which will be activated when it is illuminated with a specific light“, according I’Inserm. In other words, the neurons of Krause’s corpuscles have been genetically modified to no longer react to sexual stimuli but to light. Result: in the light, the male mice all had an erection.
The females not having a visible sign of sexual desire, the scientists decided to carry out a genetic ablation of the corpuscles of Krause. If they had less sexual desire, it meant that these structures were the source of sexual stimulation. And that’s what the researchers observed: when the males solicited them, the females were less receptive and reduced the time of intercourse. In males, those who had had a genetic ablation of Krause corpuscles took longer to have an erection, to ejaculate and also reduced the duration of sexual intercourse.
Finally, last observation: the neurons of the corpuscles of Krause would be particularly stimulated by the microvibrations which explains, according to the researchers, that the vibrators are effective and appreciated. In 2019, according to a Ifop pollnearly one in two French women (43%) had already used a vibrator.
