The purpose of this study is to examine the acute effect of being choked during partnered sex on neurological measures. The study is designed to identify the effects being choked during partnered sex on the brain through the use of neural-injury blood biomarkers, functional, diffusion, and perfusion MRI, and ocular-motor function across 3 time points (baseline, post-choking, post-non-choking). The central hypothesis is that acute neuronal structural, physiological, and functional alterations will be amplified after an incidence of choking-involved sex. The neural-injury blood biomarkers neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and Tau will be measured in plasma, with the hypothesis that having choking involved sex will result in a increased heightened response compared to baseline and post non-choking involved sex timepoints. An additional panel of inflammatory cytokines may be considered if/when brain injury biomarkers show changes. It is also hypothesized that engaging in choking-involved sex will be associated with changes in fMRI activation patterns. White matter microstructure will be measured by diffusion imaging metrics, with the hypothesis that engaging in choking-involved sex will significantly disrupt microstructure at a post-choking involved sex time point, compared to baseline, but not at the post non-choking involved sex timepoint. The study will also assess oculomotor function as measured by near-point-of-convergence (NPC) in response to engaging in choking involved sex. The hypothesis is that NPC performance will be significantly impaired at the post choking-involved sex timepoint in comparison to both baseline and non-choking involved sex timepoints.
Age range
18 Years – 30 Years
Sex
FEMALE
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Change in brain-derived blood biomarkers from baseline to post choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: Blood samples will be collected at baseline and within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking
Differences in brain-derived blood biomarkers between post choking involved sex time point and post non-choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: Blood samples will be collected within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking and within 24 hours of engaging in non-choking involved sex
Differences in regional fMRI activation between post choking involved sex time point and post non-choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: fMRI procedures will be performed within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking and within 24 hours of engaging in non-choking involved sex
Change in axonal microstructure from baseline to post choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: MRI procedures will be performed at baseline and within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking
Differences in axonal microstructure between post choking involved sex time point and post non-choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: MRI procedures will be performed within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking and within 24 hours of engaging in non-choking involved sex
Change in cerebral blood flow from baseline to post choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: MRI procedures will be performed at baseline and within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking
Difference in cerebral blood flow between post choking involved sex time point and post non-choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: MRI procedures will be performed within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking and within 24 hours of engaging in non-choking involved sex
Change in regional fMRI activation at rest from baseline to post choking involved sex time point
Timeframe: fMRI procedures will be performed at baseline and within 24 hours after engaging in sex involving choking