Rockefeller researchers uncover the molecular mechanisms of sexual motivation For most people, sex is a complicated topic. Pfaff's lab researches the neurobiological and molecular aspects of sexual motivation. Pfaff's motivation for initiating this field of work came from wanting to understand more fully how the brain works. It's also a good candidate for rigorous scientific analysis because it is present in other animals.
Humans are no exception.
A tremendous amount of genetic and neurobiological evidence forces the conclusion that in the evolutionary process, animals do not create whole new systems from scratch, but instead reuse the same materials inherited from common ancestors. Drive documents a large number of libido-related neurobiological, endocrine, physiological and molecular mechanisms that humans share with a variety of other animals. These similarities strongly suggest that the primitive aspects of libido in humans derive from what happens in other mammals. The burden of proof, Pfaff says, is on those who would claim that humans are unique. One thing Pfaff's lab looks at, for example, is the set of genes turned on in certain nerve cells when certain hormones make their way to the brain.