– The basic mechanisms when an erection occurs are the same in all mammals, they are very similar. It is enough to be able to speculate about what it means for people, says research leader Christian Göritz.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that affects potency.
In the past, potency research has primarily focused on the importance of muscle cells when the penis is filled with blood. The new study, which is published in Science, shows that a type of connective tissue cells found in the penis also contributes to regulating blood flow.
Like a vacuum cleaner
These cells are called filoblasts and have a role in erection that can be compared to small vacuum cleaners: They suck up the signaling substance that otherwise holds back blood flow.
The number of filoblasts in the penis determines how efficiently this absorption works and thus also how strong the erection will be. In the mice in the study, the number of filoblasts in the genital organ could be influenced.
– If you increase the frequency of erections, you increase the number of fibroblasts and then you increase the blood flow in the penis, says Christian Göritz.
Does this mean that you can train yourself to an improved potency? It is not scientifically proven, but Christian Göritz believes that it is reasonable to believe it.
Automatic training
He points out that such training actually takes place automatically in men.
– During the night when men sleep, they have three to five erections. It is an automatic exercise that runs regularly every night. Young people also have spontaneous erections during the day.
This constant exercise naturally wanes in an aging man. But just as it is possible to maintain fitness and strength through exercise, potency could be better maintained through erection training, believes Christian Göritz.
– Yes, by actively training to maintain the frequency you had when you were younger.
The hope is that the new findings about the role of filoblasts in erection can eventually lead to new treatments for impotence.
– What we contribute here is that we can understand the mechanisms much better as a whole. It is always a basic prerequisite to be able to improve the therapy.