Researchers at the University of Santiago de Compostela have conducted the most detailed neuroanatomical study of the penis, finding that the frenular delta on its underside holds the highest concentration of nerve endings and sensory structures. This triangular area, where the head meets the shaft, may function as the male G-spot. The discovery highlights potential risks from circumcision procedures that damage this zone.
Alfonso Cepeda-Emiliani and colleagues at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain examined 14 cadaver penises from donors aged 45 to 96. They sliced the organs into micrometre-thin sections, applied nerve-binding dyes, and analyzed them microscopically. The frenular delta emerged with a higher density of nerve endings than the glans, the penis's bulbous head traditionally cited as the main sensory site in textbooks and guides. It also contained densely clustered sensory corpuscles, including Krause corpuscles that detect vibrations during skin contact, grouped up to 17 per cluster compared to isolated ones in the glans. “Although this may seem self-evident to anyone attuned to the sensations of their penis during sexual activity, our work scientifically validates the existence of a ventral penile anatomical region that serves as a centre of sexual sensation,” the authors wrote. Eric Chung, president-elect of the International Society for Sexual Medicine at the University of Queensland in Australia, endorsed the finding, calling the frenular delta the “male G-spot” and “one of the most pleasurable spots for male sexual stimulation.” Named in 2001 by Ken McGrath of Auckland University of Technology for its triangular shape near the frenulum, the zone has been overlooked in anatomy texts and surgical training. The researchers urged education for circumcising doctors, as some techniques sever the frenulum, potentially disrupting nerves and sensations if deeply incised. Kesley Pedler of Port Macquarie Base Hospital in Australia noted its absence from urological textbooks and stressed performing the procedure only when medically necessary, such as for tight foreskin. Elective circumcision rates are low in the UK and Australia but affect about half of US male infants. A Belgian study found uncircumcised men reported more frenular delta pleasure, while a US survey detected no orgasm quality difference, hinting at compensation mechanisms. The team now studies cadaver vaginas and clitorises. The findings appear in Andrology (DOI: 10.1111/andr.70118).