Those with a low libido have distinct patterns of brain activity compared to those with a healthy sex drive, according to a study by Wayne State University in Detroit, suggesting that a long-term lack of interest in sex is not just all in the mind.

Certain areas of the brain that normally light up when processing information about sex fail to do so in women with a condition known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), doctors said.

Dr Michael Diamond said that his study offered “significant evidence” that the controversial condition does exist as a physiological disorder, rather than being purely psychological.