There is a better way of improving brain power and it does not involve wracking your mind completing crosswords puzzles. It is also more enjoyable too, said Rutgers University neuroscientist Professor Barry Komisaruk.

The better way is through orgasms, he said, because it gives the entire brain a good workout, unlike puzzles which concentrate on only one area of the brain.

He cited other benefits of orgasms include blocking pain. His theory is that the sensation could even be tapped to alleviate the pain of delivering a baby and perhaps even address other problems such as depression, anxiety and addiction.

The basis of his theory is a study on female sexual pleasure that he had been conducting since the 1960s which initially started as trials on mice. However, in 1982, he moved to humans as subject of the study at the Rutgers University in New Jersey.

"At orgasm we see a tremendous increase in the blood flow (to the brain) ... So my belief is that it can't be bad. It brings all the nutrients and oxygenation to the brain," The Times quoted the professor.

To measure the increase in the blood flow to the brains as his female subjects climax, he required the women to lie in a narrow tube called a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine and they must come even amid the clinical surrounding.

In an orgasm, he said 30 areas of the brain are activated, including touch, memory and reward as well as pain.

Despite the topic of orgasm still considered a taboo in many social circles, he said the study is hoping to help desensitize people about climaxing.

"They used to be very squeamish about it and we're very straightforward about it. They don't make fun of it, we don't make fun of it. A lot of people take it very seriously," Mr Komisaruk was quoted by Brisbane Times.

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