Alexander Comninos is a consultant in endocrinology, diabetes and general internal medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. In addition, he continues in research and education as an honorary senior clinical lecturer at Imperial College London. He led a research team that found that the ‘brain viagra’ may hide in kisspeptin. The team explored whether kisspeptin could play a part in treating some psychosexual disorders – sexual problems which are psychological in origin, and commonly occur in patients with infertility.

Kisspeptin is a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones inside the body. The study involved a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which 29 healthy heterosexual young men were given either an injection of kisspeptin or placebo. In an MRI scanner the men were shown a variety of images, including sexual and non-sexual romantic pictures of couples, whilst researchers scanned their brains to see how kisspeptin affected the brain’s responses. The researchers found that after the injection of kisspeptin, when the volunteers were shown sexual or romantic images of couples, there was enhanced activity in structures in the brain typically activated by sexual arousal and romance.

The research team believes that this shows kisspeptin boosts behavioral circuits associated with sex and love. They are particularly interested in how kisspeptin might be able to help people with psychosexual disorders and related problems with conceiving a baby.

“Our study shows that kisspeptin boosts sexual and romantic brain activity as well as decreasing negative mood. This raises the interesting possibility that kisspeptin may have uses in treating psychosexual disorders and depression which are major health problems which often occur together, but further studies would be needed to investigate this,” Alexander Comninos said.

The Greek scientist joined Imperial College School of Medicine in 1997. He completed his BSc in endocrinology in 2001 for which he was awarded first class honors. On completion of his medical degree, he trained in endocrinology and general internal medicine in London. He completed his PhD in 2014. He practices clinically in general endocrinology and diabetes with particular interests in metabolic bone disease including osteoporosis and calcium disorders, reproductive endocrinology, neuroendocrine tumours, thyroid, adrenal and rare endocrine disorders.

He is the author of many clinical research publications in endocrinology and has presented his work internationally including at the British Endocrine Society, American Endocrine Society and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual conferences. Alexander Comninos has won several awards including the Best Oral Presentation in Reproductive Science in 2015. His clinical and academic contributions were recently recognised by the UK Society for Endocrinology with the award of the prestigious Early Career Clinical Prize in 2015, presented to the leading early career clinical endocrinologist in the United Kingdom.