Many women experience desires, arousal and behavior that run counter to their sexual orientation (orientation inconsistent, ‘OI’). Are such OI sexual experiences cognitively and neurobiologically distinct from those that are consistent with one’s sexual orientation (orientation consistent, ‘OC’)? To address this question, we employed a mindful attention intervention—aimed at reducing judgment and enhancing somatosensory attention—to examine the underlying attentional and neurobiological processes of OC and OI sexual stimuli among predominantly heterosexual women. Women exhibited greater neural activity in response to OC, compared to OI, sexual stimuli in regions associated with implicit visual processing, volitional appraisal and attention. In contrast, women exhibited greater neural activity to OI, relative to OC, sexual stimuli in regions associated with complex visual processing and attentional shifting. Mindfully attending to OC sexual stimuli reduced distraction, amplified women’s evaluations of OC stimuli as sexually arousing and deactivated the superior cerebellum. In contrast, mindfully attending to OI sexual stimuli amplified distraction, decreased women’s evaluations of OI stimuli as sexually arousing and augmented parietal and temporo-occipital activity. Results of the current study constrain hypotheses of female erotic flexibility, suggesting that sexual orientation may be maintained by differences in attentional processing that cannot be voluntarily altered.

中文翻译：

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了解异性恋女性的色情柔韧性：注意在性评估和性刺激神经反应中的作用。

许多女性的欲望，唤醒和行为与她们的性取向（性取向不一致，“ OI”）背道而驰。这种OI的性经历在认知和神经生物学上是否不同于与一个人的性取向一致的性取向（性取向一致，“ OC”）？为了解决这个问题，我们采用了专心的注意力干预措施（旨在减少判断并增强体感注意力），以检查异性恋女性中OC和OI性刺激的潜在注意和神经生物学过程。与OI，与隐性视觉处理，自愿评估和注意力相关的区域中的性刺激相比，女性对OC表现出更大的神经活动。相比之下，相对于OC，女性对OI表现出更大的神经活动，与复杂的视觉处理和注意力转移相关的区域中的性刺激。认真参加OC性刺激可减少分心，增强女性对性刺激引起的OC刺激的评价，并使上小脑失活。相反，专心地参与OI性刺激会分散注意力，降低妇女对OI刺激的评价，因为这会引起性刺激并增加顶叶和颞枕活动。当前研究的结果限制了女性色情柔韧性的假设，这表明性取向可以通过注意力加工的差异得以维持，而这种差异不能自愿改变。增强了女性对性刺激引起的OC刺激的评估，并使上小脑失活。相反，专心地参与OI性刺激会分散注意力，降低妇女对OI刺激的评价，因为这会引起性刺激并增加顶叶和颞枕活动。当前研究的结果限制了女性色情柔韧性的假设，这表明性取向可以通过注意力加工的差异得以维持，而这种差异不能自愿改变。增强了女性对性刺激引起的OC刺激的评估，并使上小脑失活。相反，专心地参与OI性刺激会分散注意力，降低妇女对OI刺激的评价，因为这会引起性刺激并增加顶叶和颞枕活动。当前研究的结果限制了女性色情柔韧性的假设，这表明性取向可以通过注意力加工的差异得以维持，而这种差异不能自愿改变。