Abstract
This study compared diabetics with sexual dysfunction, nondiabetics with sexual dysfunction, and a group of controls on nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) during three nights in a sleep laboratory, and penile response to erotic stimulation in the waking state on one of the nights. Both diabetic and nondiabetic dysfunctionals showed less erectile response to erotic films and tape than controls but did not differ from each other. In contrast, the diabetic dysfunctionals showed significantly weaker NPT response than both the nondiabetic dysfunctionals and the controls, and 58% of them (contrasted with 23% of nondiabetic dysfunctionals and 0% of controls) would be classified as organic using minimal NPT (less than 11.5 mm maximal increase in penile circumference during any nocturnal erection) as the sole criterion. There was a significant relationship between NPT and waking erections in response to erotic stimuli, especially in the diabetic dysfunctionals and the controls.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abelson, D. (1975). Diagnostic value of the penile pulse and blood pressure: A Doppler study of impotence in diabetics.J. Urol. 113: 636–639.
Agnew, J. W., Webb, W. B., and Williams, R. L. (1966). The first night effect: An EEG study of sleep.Psychophysiology 2: 263–266.
Aserinsky, E., and Kleitman, N. (1955). Two types of ocular motility occurring in sleep.J. Appl. Psychol. 8: 1–10.
Derogatis, L. R. (1975).Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory: Preliminary Scoring Manual. Clinical Psychometrics, Baltimore.
Faerman, I., Glocer, L., Fox, D., Jadzinsky, M. N., and Rapaport, M. (1974). Impotence and diabetes: Histological studies of the autonomic nervous fibres of the corpora cavernosa in impotent diabetic males.Diabetes 23: 971–976.
Fisher, C., Gross, J., and Zuch, L. (1965). Cycles of penile erection synchronous with daydreaming (REM) sleep.Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 12: 29–45.
Fisher, C., Schiavi, R., Lear, H., Edwards, A., Davis, D. M., and Witken, A. P. (1975). The assessment of nocturnal REM erection in the differential diagnosis of sexual impotence.J. Sex Marital Ther. 1: 277–289.
Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. (1974).Assessment of Sexual Function: A Guide to Interviewing. Jason Aronson, New York.
Heiman, J. R. (1977). A psychophysiological exploration of sexual arousal patterns in females and males.Psychophysiology 14: 266–274.
Jensen, S. B. (1981). Diabetic sexual dysfunction: A comparative study of 160 insulin treated diabetic men and women and an age-matched control group.Arch. Sex. Behav. 10: 493–504.
Kaplan, H. S. (1974).The New Sex Therapy. Bruner/Mazel, New York.
Karacan, I. (1970). Clinical value of nocturnal REM erection in the differential diagnosis of sexual impotence.Med. Aspects Human Sex. 4: 27–34.
Karacan, I. (1980). Diagnosis of erectile impotence in diabetes mellitus.Ann. Intern. Med. 92: 334–337.
Karacan, I., Goodenough, D. R., Shapiro, A., and Starker, S. (1966). Erection cycle during sleep in relation to dream anxiety.Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 15: 183–189.
Karacan, I., Williams, R. L., Thornby, J. I., and Salis, P. J. (1975). Sleep related penile tumescence as a function of age.Amer. J. Psychiat. 132: 932–937.
Karacan, I., Scott, F. B., Salis, P. J., Attia, S. L., Ware, J. C., Altinel, A., and Williams, R. (1977). Nocturnal erections, differential diagnosis of impotence, and diabetes.Biol. Psychiat. 12: 373–380.
Karacan, I., Salis, P. J., Ware, J. C., Dervert, B., Williams, R. L., Scott, F. B., Attia, S. L., and Beutler, L. E. (1978). Nocturnal penile tumescence and diagnosis in diabetic impotence.Amer. J. Psychiat. 135: 191–197.
Kockett, G., Feil, W., Ferstl, R., Aldenhoff, J., and Besinger, A. (1980). Psychophysiological aspects of male sexual inadequacy: Results of an experimental study.Arch. Sex. Behav. 9: 477–493.
Marshall, P., Surrridge, D., and Delva, N. (1981). The role of nocturnal penile tumescence in differentiating between organic and psychogenic impotence: The first stage of validation.Arch. Sex. Behav. 10: 1–10.
Rechtschaffen, A., and Kales, A. (1968).A Manual of Standardized Terminology, Techniques and Scoring System for Sleep Stages in Human Subjects. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.
Renshaw, D. (1976). Impotence in diabetes mellitus.Comp. Ther. 2: 47–50.
Rosen, R. C., and Keefe, F. J. (1978). The measurement of human penile tumescence.Psychophysiology 15: 366–376.
Shapiro, A., and Cohen, H. D. (1965). The use of mercury capillary length gauges for the measurement of the volume of thoracic and diaphragmatic components of human respiraton.Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 26: 634–649.
Shostrom, E. L. (1975).Caring Relationship Inventory Manual. Educational and Industrial Testing Service, San Diego.
Sparks, R. F., White, R. A., and Connolly, M. S. (1980). Impotence is not always psychogenic.J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 243: 750–755.
Wagner, G., and Green, R. (1981).Impotence: Physiological, Psychological, Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment. Plenum, New York.
Wein, A. J., Fishkin, R., Carpiniello, V. L., and Malloy, T. R. (1981). Expansion without significant rigidity during nocturnal penile tumescence testing: A potential source of misinterpretation.J. Urology 26: 343–344.
Zuckerman, M. (1976). Research on pornography. In Oaks, W. W., Melchiode, G. A., & Ficher, I. (Eds.),Sex and the Life Cycle. Grune & Stratton, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zuckerman, M., Neeb, M., Ficher, M. et al. Nocturnal penile tumescence and penile responses in the waking state in diabetic and nondiabetic sexual dysfunctionals. Arch Sex Behav 14, 109–129 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541657
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541657