The root of addictive carnal desire

It's all wired at birth. Even the sex drive, researchers say. A school of thought has indicated that only therapy may not work to cure 'sex addicts' , for the answer lies in genetics. Infact, genes may hold the clue, for people who are more driven than others in seeking carnal pleasures.

We owe this discovery to researchers from Hebrew University and Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.

The scientists say that differences in the gene , labeled as D4, is responsible for triggering the brain's reaction to the chemical responsible for pleasure, dopamine, They understood this better, after studying the DNA of 148 men and women .

The participants were asked to answer a questionnaire regarding their sexual inclinations, responses to a steamy scene, the frequency of sexual encounters and about their fantasies. The finding revealed, though men were more inclined to thoughts about sex, yet both sexes portrayed similarities in the arousal levels. The finding also showed that differences in the D4 gene indicated a stronger appetite for sex than others.

Lead researcher Professor Richard Ebstein of Hebrew University said "Some people really do think more about sex and place a greater importance on it than others and what our study suggests is that genes may make a substantial contribution to these differences."

It is hoped that this study will open novel methods to treat sexual problems. For starters, this has been the first ever study that has linked gene variation to sex drive.