Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Research into the physiological mechanisms underlying female sexual functioning is in its infancy, especially compared to male sexual physiology. This knowledge deficit has manifested in an absence of effective pharmacological treatments for female sexual dysfunctions, while several are available for treating male sexual dysfunctions. Given the high prevalence rate of female sexual dysfunctions and their negative impact on mental health, better treatment and knowledge regarding female sexual functioning are required. A promising way to achieve these goals is to study the endocannabinoid system. My colleagues and I conducted the first study employing physiological measures to examine the relationship between circulating endocannabinoid levels and female sexual arousal. All previous human data on this relationship had been indirect, i.e., from self-reports on sexual functioning and cannabis use. Although our study was the first to find a relationship between endocannabinoid levels and female physiological sexual arousal, it cannot inform whether or how the endocannabinoid system is involved in female sexual dysfunction, as it analyzed only sexually healthy women. The purpose of the first proposed study is to assess whether endocannabinoid activity is abnormal in women diagnosed with female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD). If this is found, pharmacological manipulation of the endocannabinoid system would be a promising treatment for FSAD. The aim of the second study is to determine whether irregularities in endocannabinoid activity can explain the well-documented but generally inexplicable link between depression and diminished sexual arousal. If supporting evidence is found, pharmacological treatment for depression that targets endocannabinoid signaling may concurrently restore sexual arousal and thus be superior to existing anti-depressants.