Nocturnal penile tumescence recordings were performed in 10 men with
major depression and 10 age-matched healthy control subjects to evaluate
the possibility that clinical disturbances in sexual interest and activity
often reported by depressed persons are associated with objective changes
in sexual neurophysiology. Depressed men had significantly reduced minutes
of tumescence time, a finding that was not attributable to alterations in
sleep efficiency or REM sleep time. Three depressed men had baseline
tumescence profiles suggestive of "organogenic" impotence, which improved
after recovery. The authors discuss the implications of such findings for
clinical practice and future research.Abstract Teaser