Medical Bulletin 29/October/2022

According to the ''International Classification of Sleep Disorders'', established by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, nightmares become pathological when they are recurrent and have an impact during the day causing, for example, fatigue, anxiety, dysphoria or intrusive nightmare imagery. This is known as ''nightmare disorder'' and is an increasingly common reason for medical consultation.

Nightmares are dreams with strong negative emotions that occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Clinicians distinguish them from simple ''bad dreams''. In contrast to nightmares, the latter seem to have a useful function in promoting the regulation of emotions. Scientists also make a distinction between traumatic nightmares - i.e. linked to a state of post-traumatic stress - and nightmares without traumatic origin.

Reference:

Lampros Perogamvro et al, Enhancing imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmares with targeted memory reactivation, Current Biology, DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.032

More than 10,000 nerve fibers in human clitoris enable pleasurable sensations: OHSU research

Nerves are made of bundles of thin nerve fibers, also known as axons. Nerves -which carry electrical impulses between the brain and the rest of the body -enable people to feel and respond to stimulus such as touch.

The clitoris is the only known human organ that has the singular purpose of providing pleasure. While the tip of its small shaft -the highly sensitive part of the clitoris, also known as the clitoral glans -is found outside the body, much of the clitoris is located internally. Below the surface is the dorsal nerve, the main nerve responsible for clitoral sensation. The dorsal nerves are symmetrical, tube-like structures that travel on top of the clitoral shaft and then run downward on either side, like a wishbone.

More than 10,000 nerve fibers enable the pleasurable sensations created by the human clitoris, according to new Oregon Health & Science University-led research presented at a joint scientific meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and the International Society for Sexual Medicine.

This finding is the result of the first known count of human clitoral nerve tissue. It's also about 20% more than the often-quoted estimate of 8,000 nerve fibers, which is believed to be derived from livestock studies.

Reference:

Maria Uloko, Paige Isabey, Blair Peters. How many nerve fibers innervate the human clitoris? A histomorphometric evaluation of the dorsal nerve of the clitoris, abstract presentation by Blair Peters, 2 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2022, 23rd annual joint scientific meeting of Sexual Medicine Society of North America and International Society for Sexual Medicine, https://issmsmsna2022.org/program/program/?persons=4928&q=.