Prefrontal Cortex

[Castroboi (imported)]

Well I am only 19 I will be 20 on Wednesday and I was wondering lets say hypothetically I get castrated tomorrow, what would be the affects of the almost no existent testosterone levels on my still grown prefrontal cortex???

[Hash (imported)]

If you're going to turn 20, I suspect that testosterone has already caused multiple changes, but it's hard to know for sure what might take place. As a eunuch I know that I have changed mentally, but I believe that getting rid of the majority of my testosterone allows me to think more clearly and I feel as though I'm in control of myself now. Testosterone made me do stupid things because I was driven by it, without it, I believe my brains operates better. Well, that's what I think.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the very front of the brain, located right beneath the forehead. It is in the anterior (front) region of the frontal lobes. Besides being the front of the brain physically, it is responsible for the executive functions, which include mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong or good and bad, predicting future events, and governing social control -- such as suppressing emotional or sexual urges. The prefrontal cortex is the brain center most strongly implicated in qualities like sentience, human general intelligence, and personality.

[Castroboi (imported)]

So let me ask this will having my jewels removed, cause any physical problems with my maturing PFC?? Or will it continue to grow and mature like it needs too???

[jemagirl (imported)]

Castroboi,

I'm not sure anyone here is qualified to answer your question, but I think it is safe to assume that women also have prefrontal cortexes and they seem to be just fine with a minimal amount of testosterone in their system. That is not to say that you will be just fine without testosterone as Your Mileage May Vary.

[Castroboi (imported)]

But doesn't testosterone drive puberty???? I mean if the PFC is still growing then puberty is still going on right???

[colin (imported)]

But doesn't testosterone drive puberty???? I mean if the PFC is still growing then puberty is still going on right???

I am not qualified enough to give a definitive answer, but I believe that the 'engine' which drives puberty is the pituitary gland. The period of life known as 'puberty' is one in which many changes are taking place, not all of them driven by testosterone, which whilst mainly produced in the testicles is produced elsewhere, too. The pituitary appears to be the 'switching' mechanism which causes the various glands to turn on, or increase, production of the hormones which they produce.

Boys with a pituitary deficiency tend to be stunted in growth and may not enter puberty until very late on, if at all.

Boys without working testicles will still grow and develop but in a more androgynous way than those with testicles.

Testosterone seems mainly to be involved with 'manly' characteristics such as deepening of the voice; growth of hair on the face (women with much less testosterone grow pubic hair) and broad shoulders.

The chances of the brain failing to develop seems fairly small.

Having said all of this, if you are 19 going on 20 then I would not recommend castration. That is a once and for all solution. It would be much better for you to take one of the medications which blocks the effects of testosterone for a while as a test run.

[Castroboi (imported)]

I guess your right colin playing it safe right now is the best idea, its not like my balls are going anywhere

[nullorchis (imported)]

As they say, "It's not nice to fool mother nature". There is no one short or simple answer to your question. Even an expert who studies the effects of castration will tell you that everyone's experience can not be completely predicted.

Sure, it is obvious that removing the testicles will cause your testosterone level to plummet to a level that will cause most men to have no sex drive at all. But as we know, some castrated men still have not lost all of their sex drive after castration.

Our bodies are complex chemical factories. The interplay between numerous hormones, one affecting the other, is nothing less than absolutely remarkable. There is one body hormone that destroys testosterone. Even if your testicles are producing loads of testosterone, with too much T destroying hormone you might be functioning at a low or below minimal T level. Thus, over-sexed or under-sexed is not necessarily 100% dependent on the amount of testosterone that comes from the testicles or from supplements.

Removing the testicles and using testosterone replacement therapy is not the same as having testicles because you loose chemical hormone interactiity between the other complex chemicals produced by and used by the testicles. For example, cholesterol is needed and is consumed within the testicles as part of the testosterone production process (call it TPP). I can find no studies that indicate that cholesterol reduction drugs have an adverse affect on TPP. Yet I would not be surprised to find that in some men there may be a link between erectile dysfunction and use of cholesterol reduction drugs.

When castration was legal, back in the 1930's, in several Scandinavian countries, numerous studies were done on hundreds of men who were voluntarily castrated. There is much useful information from the studies done over years on those men. However back then they did not have the means or knowledge to study all the complex chemical interactions that can be studied today.

Thus, you, I, nor anyone can possibly predict exactly all of the consequences and experiences of castration on one individual. If reducing your sexual tension is the goal, consult with an endoctrinologist. Have a battery of tests run. Work with specialists who agree to do what is medically safe to get your mind and body working in harmony. Unless you have a clear medical problem this will probably not be covered by medical insurance. But, many people spend more time and money on their car or electronic toys than they spend on body maintenance.

It would appear that most men who desire castration have passionately wanted it done all of their lives since puberty, sometimes since pre-puberty. Even for those of us who have lived with this feeling all of our lives actually being castrated should still follow considerable research, introspection, and be done in a safe way. It's not something you do out of curiosity or casually. Being castrated simply to lower libido is not necessary as there are other ways to achieve lower libido. When you passionately want, need and practically can't live without being castrated you really don't care about all of the side effects that will occur. And they will occur, not just physical ones, but mental and emotional ones.

Your interest in what might occur to the prefrontal cortex might reveal that you have a considerable interest in medicine. Such curiosity might lead you to med school and maybe some day you will be the one to develop new medical breakthroughs, or you might decide to be another Dr. Spector and develop new long term studies on those who seek and obtain voluntary castration.

[Castroboi (imported)]

I do have a considerable medicine full body medicine. The libido is only a tiny fraction of why I want them gone, for as long as I can remember I wanted them gone. Its a desire that took root in my heart for unknown reasons but I am just not happy like I could be but hey I got four years to do soul searching.

I am not sure but for some reason the desire to talk face to face, with an eunuch (sorry if that sounds rude I couldn't get my thoughts out any other way) seems like the best idea right now. What you guys think???

[Paolo]

I think being here and making contacts is definitely the best thing for you right now.