Part of brain 'switches off when a woman is having orgasm'

Dutch researchers have unraveled the secrets behind female orgasms

They discovered that the female orgasm leads to an altered state of consciousness, a finding that could help find a way to a cure for women who cannot climax.

While examining the brain scans of women taken while they orgasmed, lead researcher Janniko Georgiadis at the University of Groningen and his team found that a part of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) actually 'switches off' when a woman climaxed.

Georgiadis said the OFC may be the basis for 'sexual control', and that by 'letting go' women can induce orgasm.

"I don''t think orgasm turns off consciousness but it changes it. When you ask people how they perceive their orgasm, they describe a feeling of a loss of control," the Daily Mail quoted him as telling New Scientist.

"I''m not sure if this altered state is necessary to achieve more pleasure or is just some side effect," he added.

To create the scans, the researchers strapped the women into an MRI scanner and then allowed their partners to pleasure them to orgasm, all the while taking snapshots of their brain activity.

It is hoped that by comparing the brain scans of women having an orgasm with those who cannot, scientists will be able to 'coach' those with anorgasmia into truly ''letting go''.

It is hoped that by allowing women with anorgasmia to watch their brain activity in real time, they to will be able to ''train'' their brain to copy the same activity of women who can experience orgasm.