A neurological condition?

[mimi212]

Can asexuality be a neurological condition? (Known neurological conditions include asperger's syndrome, dyslexia, ADHD, epilepsy, schizophrenia, etc.)

[Rabger]

Can asexuality be a neurological condition? (Known neurological conditions include asperger's syndrome, dyslexia, ADHD, epilepsy, schizophrenia, etc.)

I don't know, can heterosexuality be a neurological condition?

And I'd say I highly doubt it, since I don't have any of these conditions, or anything remotely close to them. Aside from my massive stress levels as of late, people including a damned shrink told me that I was so mentally healthy, it made them sick :lol:

[mimi212]

I mean..asexuality could be a type of neurological disorder. Let me compare among the conditions:

Asperger's syndrome: lack of the desire or inability to interact socially with others.

ADHD: lack of attention and behavior control.

Dyslexia: inability to read, write, or spell at grade level and difficulty sustaining attention.

Schizophrenia: lack of empathy and inability to think clearly, manage emotion, and interact socially with others.

Asexuality: lack of sexual desire and intimacy and lack feelings of sexual attraction.

Do you see a similar pattern among these?

[Toiletman]

if you write it in this oversimpflified way yes but that simplyfied you could also add

blindness - lack of eyesight

poverty - lack of money

[Orbit]

Yeah, there's a similarity - stigmatization of people who learn, interact and function differently by calling the way they are born a 'disorder'.

more later... off to my in laws. :)

hawke

[Rabger]

Heterosexuality - lack of sexual attraction to the same sex

Female - lack of penis

Bald men - lack of hair

Ring-wing - lack of tolerance

Dog - lack of wings

I mean come on. Just because something has the word "lack" in it, doesn't make it some sort of condition.

[Hallucigenia]

"Neurological condition" would mean that it is linked to a difference in brain structure or function from what a "normal" brain would be, yes?

So, if you looked at asexuals' brains and found that they were different from sexuals' brains, then yes, it would be a neurological condition. Otherwise no. It has nothing to do with whether it is a lack of anything or not.

My money is on no, but I haven't exactly seen the results of the brain scans, so there's really no way of knowing. Also, note that asexuality has been tentatively correlated with some neurological conditions, such as Asperger's.

[mimi212]

I think inborn asexuals may differ from sexuals in a brain region that governs sexual drive/desire/attraction. Several studies have shown anatomical differences between the heterosexual and homosexual brains. Also, I have seen a schizophrenic brain structurally different from a normal brain.

[Toiletman]

The pigmentation of a negroid differs from the pigmentation of a europid.So what?

[Hallucigenia]

The pigmentation of a negroid differs from the pigmentation of a europid.So what?

So they're different colours. Nothing more, nothing less. The idea that asexuality may be a neurological difference doesn't necessarially mean that it is a disease - in fact, there are many activists who argue that other neurological differences, such as Asperger's and dyslexia, are healthy and we shouldn't be trying to "cure" their thought and perception processes, just as asexuals argue we shouldn't be trying to "cure" a lack of sexuality.

However, if we *could* see neurological differences between sexuals and asexuals, it might provide some fascinating insights into how the human brain works.

[Orbit]

Hallucigenia, you expanded well on what I was going to say. :)

FF, there are just as many Left-wingers who are intolerant as there are right -wingers... They are just intolerant of different things. ;)

hawke

[Rabger]

Several studies have shown anatomical differences between the heterosexual and homosexual brains.

True enough, but so what? Are you saying that homosexuality is a condition? Why isn't heterosexuality? The male and female brain are different too. Which of those has the condition? A 5 year old brain is different from an adult brain. Does the child have a condition? Even if there is the possibility of an asexual brain being slightly different from the sexual brain, does that make it a condition? No.

[Concealed ID]

The answer yes, asexualityis a neurological condition. Just like heterosexuality, desire to eat, desire to interact with people... are also neurological conditions. The only difference is that asexuality is only present in a minority.

It's the same for those various forms of autism, autistics people are different to non-autistic people but there is no right or wrong way to be, we are all different. It's just that some psychologists decide to give names to various states that only affect minorities, just because they are minorities. If most people were autistic then those non-autistic people would be the ones that were to be considered 'wrong' and needed to be 'fixed.'

The word condition here can [by definition] be applied to anything that isn't average-normal. So asexuality is a neurological condition, but that does not make it wrong, bad or undesirable.

[mimi212]

I'm glad you agree, Concealed ID.

Sexual orientation is in the brain. There are studies on brain response to visual sexual stimuli (relationship between brain activation and sexual arousal). Brain activation is measured with MRI scanner while subjects are viewing arousing/non-arousing images. Amygdala (located in the medial temporal lobe) is found to show a very strong activation; thalamus and hippocampus are also involved in sexual response.

[Concealed ID]

I'm glad you agree, Concealed ID.

Sexual orientation is in the brain. There are studies on brain response to visual sexual stimuli (relationship between brain activation and sexual arousal). Brain activation is measured with MRI scanner while subjects are viewing arousing/non-arousing images. Amygdala (located in the medial temporal lobe) is found to show a very strong activation; thalamus and hippocampus are also involved in sexual response.

Yes. But remember that heterosexuality is also a neurological condition as well under this definition. Asexuality can not be considered a 'disorder,' that's different to a 'condition' and requires the 'condition' to cause problems in the life of the subject, which is most certainly doesn't to us (actually it solves problems, so maybe heterosexuality could be considered a disorder?)

[cijay]

Are you saying that homosexuality is a condition? Why isn't heterosexuality?

Perhaps heterosexuality IS a condition. Maybe that's all that orientation IS is a neurological condition, who knows? I agree it's a grand waste of time that they're constantly trying to figure out what "causes" homosexuality, asexuality, bisexuality etc and I can't imagine they dedicate much time in finding out what "causes" heterosexuality - in THAT case they're content to say "that's the way God made me".

Being as I DO have a neurological condition (epilepsy), I'm sure there would be a lot of people who would "assume" or at least want to pursue the possiblity that my asexuality is connected. Not that all epileptics are asexual or all asexuals have seizures but in my particular case. It may even be so because I've had epilepsy since I was two and I've been asexual all of my life. (But, like you said, FF, if I were straight & sexual, nobody would say 'could it be connected to your epilepsy?') I just say the same thing in all cases - "might be, might not be, I'm not spending any time worrying about it and frankly, I'd sooner they stop the seizures than build me a sex drive."

So I don't think it's and absolute, firm "no way" as far as could it be a neurological condition, in some people it may be so. I'll just leave it for the people who worry about it to do the research, I'm busy.

[mimi212]

Yes, I understand, Concealed ID. Desires, emotions, and feelings are all in the brain.

For those who wonder about sex hormones (androgens and estrogens), they are required to activate specific brain cells in order to become sexually aroused in sexuals (So, they need normal levels of sex hormones). I think, in asexuals, their brain cells somehow are only weakly activated or not activated at all by sex hormones, even they have normal hormone levels.

[Silly Green Monkey]

Thought and the mind are neurological conditions.

[Eta Carinae]

Ring-wing - lack of tolerance

Unlike you, of course, who slams an entire class of people with broad ranging views as bigots.

To address the question... well, yes, it's a neurological condition. Every aspect of personality is. The question is whether or not it's pathological -- and I don't think it is, since many asexuals have no inherent problems with their orientation.

[Rabger]

Ring-wing - lack of tolerance

Unlike you, of course, who slams an entire class of people with broad ranging views as bigots.

Did I say republican? No. Did I say religious? No. Maybe what I mean by ring-wing isn't what you mean, but did you bother to ask me to clarify? No. Maybe I should have said extremist ring wing or ultra right wing. But I never said that every single non-liberal was a bigot, so don't assume shit.

[Eta Carinae]

Ring-wing - lack of tolerance

Unlike you, of course, who slams an entire class of people with broad ranging views as bigots.

Did I say republican? No. Did I say religious? No. Maybe what I mean by ring-wing isn't what you mean, but did you bother to ask me to clarify? No. Maybe I should have said extremist ring wing or ultra right wing. But I never said that every single non-liberal was a bigot, so don't assume shit.

Given that "right wing" can mean everything from "rightists in general" to "extreme rightists" (and that "extreme rightist" can mean a few things), well, if you meant social conservatives, you probably should have said that.