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Salivary cortisol levels across experimental time, by maternal contact type. The green arrow represents the onset of the stressor, and the pink arrow the onset of maternal contact (if any). Both speech and direct contact facilitate a more rapid return to baseline values than simply resting alone. Diamonds and black line, no contact; triangles and red line, direct contact; squares and blue line, speech-only.
Source publication
Vocalizations are important components of social behaviour in many vertebrate species, including our own. Less well-understood are the hormonal mechanisms involved in response to vocal cues, and how these systems may influence the course of behavioural evolution. The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) partly governs a number of biological and social proces...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... experimental time, reduction in cortisol in children engaging in speech only was intermediate between the other two groups, but by the end of the study children hearing their mother's voice and those interacting with their mothers directly were statistically indistinguishable (comparable to baseline levels across participants). Children receiving no social contact exhibited higher levels of cortisol than the other two groups, even an hour after the stressor was complete (F 2,52 ¼ 4.475, p , 0.02; figure 1). ...
Citations
... This unique social context may reduce social demands while preserving some advantages of social proximityincluding a state of calm or equanimity, supported by bodily synchronization and emotional attunement (92). Additionally, oxytocin is released in response to many social behaviors that are intentionally renounced during retreat-including affiliative vocalizations, eye contact, social touch, and sexual behavior (93)(94)(95). As such, the withdrawal from these normative forms of social interaction may have contributed to the observed decreases in oxytocin while on retreat. ...
Background
Given its putative roles in mediating prosocial behavior, attachment bonds, and stress physiology, oxytocin modulation has been hypothesized to be a biological correlate of the salubrious effects of meditation practice. Here we investigated the effects of a month-long silent meditation retreat on changes in oxytocin, and the related hormone and vasopressin, in relation to psychosocial changes in attachment style, anxiety, personality measures, and feelings of social connectedness with fellow meditators.
Methods
Plasma oxytocin and vasopressin and self-report questionnaires were measured in retreat participants (n = 28) at the beginning of, and 3 weeks into, a residential meditation retreat. Control participants (n = 34), who were similar in age, gender, and meditation experience, were also assessed across a 3-week interval. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess outcomes.
Results
The retreat group showed a small but significant decrease in oxytocin compared to controls who showed no change. In the retreat group, higher openness to experience at Time 1 predicted greater reductions in oxytocin during the retreat, and lower oxytocin at Time 2 was related to stronger feelings of personal connection with fellow meditators. The changes in oxytocin were not related to attachment style or anxiety. Vasopressin decreased over time across both groups, suggesting no specific effect of retreat.
Conclusion
These preliminary findings suggest that meditation training in the context of a silent residential retreat may reduce circulating levels of oxytocin. We interpret this finding from multiple theoretical perspectives, discussing key measurement limitations and proposing future study designs that may help to differentiate the effects of different meditation practices and contexts on oxytocin signaling.
... Positive attachments continue to buffer stress beyond infancy and throughout middle childhood as well. When 7-12-year-old girls were administered the TSST-C (child version) [25], those who were able to speak to their mother returned to baseline cortisol faster than those whose mothers were unavailable after the TSST-C was administered [26]. These studies point to how parent-child relationships influence the development of stress regulation throughout childhood, as well as through early adolescence. ...
Introduction: The self-medication hypothesis (SMH) suggests that individuals consume alcohol to alleviate stressful emotions. Still, the underlying mechanisms between stress and heavy episodic drinking remain to be explored. Impaired control over drinking (IC) reflects a failure of self-regulation specific to the drinking context, with individuals exceeding self-prescribed limits. Parenting styles experienced during childhood have a lasting influence on the stress response, which may contribute to IC. Method: We examined the indirect influences of parenting styles (e.g., permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative) on heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems through the mediating mechanisms of stress and IC. We fit a latent measurement model with 938 (473 men; 465 women) university students, utilizing bootstrap confidence intervals, in Mplus 8.0. Results: Higher levels of authoritative parenting (mother and father) were indirectly linked to fewer alcohol-related problems and less heavy episodic drinking through less stress and IC. Maternal permissiveness was indirectly linked to more alcohol-related problems and heavy episodic drinking through more stress and, in turn, more IC. Impaired control appeared to be a mediator for stress and alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Maternal permissiveness contributes to the use of alcohol to alleviate stress. Thus, reducing stress may reduce problematic heavy drinking and alcohol problems among emerging adults with high IC who may also have experienced permissive parenting. Stress may exacerbate behavioral dysregulation of drinking within self-prescribed limits.
... Oxytocin has been measured in different types of samples [8][9][10][11]. The use of saliva has the advantages of being non-invasive, easy to collect and non-stressful [12]. In addition, saliva has a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 been demonstrated to be more sensitive to serum in some situations. ...
The objective of this research was to develop and validate two immunoassays for oxytocin measurement in human saliva, one using a monoclonal and the other a polyclonal antibody against oxytocin, whose affinity for oxytocin was tested by an antibody mapping epitope analysis. These assays were analytically validated and used to compare oxytocin concentrations with those obtained with a commercial kit before and after the extraction or reduction/alkylation (R/A) treatments to saliva samples. The assays were also used to evaluate changes in salivary oxytocin concentrations following a physical effort and an induced psychological stress, which have previously been described as situations that cause an increase in salivary oxytocin. Both assays showed to be precise and accurate in the validation studies, and the antibodies used showed a defined binding region in case of the monoclonal antibody, whereas the polyclonal antibody showed binding events through all the oxytocin sequence. Although the monoclonal and polyclonal assays showed a positive correlation, they give results in a different range of magnitude. Both assays showed significant increases in oxytocin concentrations when applied after the physical effort and the psychological stress. This study shows that a variability in the reported values of oxytocin can occur depending on the assay and indicates that the use of different types of antibodies can give a different range of values when measuring oxytocin in saliva.
... Peripheral measures of OT have thus traditionally been used as a surrogate including blood (serum, plasma) as well as alternative biological matrices such as saliva and urine. These peripheral measures have been used in a wide range of studies which include obesity and metabolism [7], neuropsychiatric disorders [8], and social behaviors [9]. ...
Oxytocin (OT) is a peptide hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus and released into systemic circulation or other areas of the brain. Its physiological roles include action as a hormone with stimulation of uterine contractions and that as a neuromodulator with involvement in social behaviors and regulation of mood. Its small size and low levels within biological matrices make it challenging to accurately measure. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the specificity of the antibody, sensitivity, and reproducibility of the Phoenix Pharmaceuticals (PP) OT radioimmunoassay (RIA) for use in human urine, serum, and saliva. Specificity of the antibody was assessed by high pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) separation and assay of the fractions. Immunoreactivity was evaluated using the percent OT bound, and the fraction retention times were compared to the retention time of an intact OT standard to determine which fractions contained OT in the extracted samples. Reproducibility was assessed by running replicates of pools of each biomatrix over several assays. Sensitivity was assessed by repeated measurement of physiologically relevant low-concentration specimens. In all tested specimens the greatest reactivity in assay corresponded to the same fraction(s) as the OT standard. Only minimal reactivity was found in the other fractions, suggesting that in an unfractionated sample the antibody reacts mostly with intact OT. Reproducibility was acceptable for all specimens and the coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 3.72 to 8.04% and 5.89–12.8%, for intra and inter-assay, respectively. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) were sufficient for measurement of normal values in urine (0.643 & 1.43 pg/mL), serum (1.90 pg/mL), and saliva pools (0.485 & 4.42 pg/mL). In conclusion, the PP OT RIA is specific and sensitive enough for reproducible measurement of intact OT in human peripheral biological matrices.
... Preliminary support for such a care-related oxytocin effect was found in two studies. First, Seltzer et al. (2010) exposed children between 7 and 12 years old to the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) to induce stress. Afterwards, children were assigned to one of three conditions: 1) a reunion with their mother who comforted them verbally and physically, 2) comfort by their mother provided over the phone, or 3) watching a neutral movie clip alone as a control condition. ...
... To increase confidence in the causal effect of support on children's oxytocin levels, a within-subject design is necessary. Since contemporary theory and research suggest that oxytocin responds to attachment-related situations, our first research aim was to replicate the studies of Seltzer et al. (2010) and of Brockington et al. (2021) with a within-subject design, to minimize effects related to interperson variability. Furthermore, within-subject designs are more powerful than betweensubject designs . ...
... In sum, the current study had two research aims. The first aim was to replicate Seltzer's et al. (2010), Brockington et al. (2021), and Vandevivere et al. (2018) observations that care after exposure to stress has an immediate, positive effect on children's oxytocin and secure state attachment levels. Adding to the literature, we tested these effects using a within-subject design. ...
... Aliquots were thawed, vortexed, and centrifuged for solid phase extraction (SPE, 100 mg, C-18, Oasis SepPak, WAT 023590, Waters Technologies Corp, Milford, MA, USA) prior to OT analyses by enzyme-immunoassay (Oxytocin ELISA kit, ADI-901-153A, Enzo Life Sciences, Farmingdale, NY, USA). Methods for SPE of OT have been published previously [68][69][70][71][72][73]. Briefly, columns were conditioned with 1 mL methanol followed by 1 mL distilled water using vacuum pressure. ...
Oxytocin is well known for its role in relationships and social cognition and has more recently been implicated in pain relief and pain perception. Connections between prosocial feelings and pain relief are also well documented; however, the effects of exogenous oxytocin on social cognition and pain have not been explored. The current study tested whether intranasally delivered oxytocin affects pain perception through prosocial behaviors. Additionally, moderation of the effects of oxytocin by life history or genetic polymorphisms is examined. Young adults (n = 43; 65% female) were administered intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo in a crossover design on two visits separated by a one-week washout period. Pain was delivered via cold pressor. Baseline measures for decision-making and social cognition were collected, as well as pain sensitivity and medication history. Saliva samples were collected for analysis of genetic markers, and urine samples were collected to assess oxytocin saturation. Following oxytocin administration, participants reported increased prosocial cognition and decision-making. Pain perception appeared to be adaptive, with procedural order and expectation affecting perception. Finally, behavioral trust and cooperation responses were significantly predicted by genetic markers. Oxytocin may increase a patient's trust and cooperation and reduce pain sensitivity while having fewer physiological side effects than current pharmaceutical options.
... In female cat owners, a rise in peripheral OT concentration during a 15-min interaction was correlated with gentle petting, hugging/kissing and skin contact with the cat (Johnson et al., 2021). A variety of non-noxious sensory stimuli associated with social contact, such as gentle touch, eye contact, verbal contact, and familiar odors, have been associated with a rise in peripheral OT (Uvnäs-Moberg, 1998;Nagasawa et al., 2009;Seltzer et al., 2010), including pleasurable gentle touch on the forearms with a brush (Portnova et al., 2020). ...
Introduction
Positive social interactions with farm animals may have therapeutic benefits on humans by increasing brain oxytocin secretion, as inferred from circulating oxytocin levels. The aim of this observational study was to investigate acute changes in human plasma oxytocin levels and state anxiety associated with interactions with dairy cows.
Methods
Data were collected from 18 healthy female nursing students who performed stroking and brushing of an unfamiliar cow for 15 min. Blood samples were drawn before entering the cowshed (T1, baseline), and after 5 (T2) and 15 (T3) min of interaction with a cow. At T1 and T3, the students filled out the Norwegian version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Subscale (STAI-SS).
Results
Across participants, no significant changes in average plasma oxytocin concentration were detected between time points (p>0.05). There was, however, a modest decline in the STAI-SS scores between T1 and T3 (p=0.015) and a positive correlation between the change in individual level of state anxiety between T1 and T3 and the change in OT concentration of the same individual between T2 and T3 (p = 0.045).
Discussion
The results suggest that friendly social interactions with cows are beneficial in lowering state anxiety, but any relationship with release of OT into the circulation was complex and variable across individuals. The acute reduction in state anxiety lends support to the value of interacting with farm animals in the context of Green Care for people with mental health challenges.
... 38 39 Moreover, the impact of voice on mental states has been investigated extensively and studies have shown that maternal voice, like physical touch, reduces cortisol, which generally increases in stressful situations. 40 Hearing a mother's voice also increases levels of oxytocin, which is linked to phenomena such as mother-infant attachment. 41 These effects are due to the prosody of the mother's voice rather than to the linguistic content. ...
Introduction:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in youth are influenced by parental anxiety and stress. When parents have high levels of stress or have developed PTSD themselves, children tend to show more anxiety symptoms. Parental stress can affect the severity of children's PTSD and lower the success of recovery. However, the influence of parental stress on the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing and cognitive behavioural therapy) has not yet been investigated to our knowledge. Hence, we will measure parental stress (using both validated scales and vocal acoustic markers) and investigate how it influences children's PTSD recovery.
Method and analysis:
Sixty children between the ages of 7 and 15 years who experienced type 1 trauma will be recruited at the Nice Pediatric Psychotrauma Center in France. We plan to measure stress using two different approaches. We will ask parents to answer validated scales of stress and mood in general. Stress will also be measured using vocal acoustic markers. Parents will be recorded while narrating their child's trauma and during the narrative of a positive and neutral recall of events. Child participants will have to complete anxiety, PTSD and depression scales before the beginning of the trauma-focused therapy and after 3 months of treatment.Linear mixed effects models and differential statistics, such as significance testing corrected for multiple testing, will be used to determine the validity of speech features for the proposed hypotheses. Repeated measures analysis of variance will be performed on the clinical scales scores according to parental stress. Correlations will be performed between clinical scales of parents and children according to time of assessment.
Ethics and dissemination:
This study was approved by the Committee for the Protection of Individuals of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (CERNI) on 21 February 2022, under the number CER2022-015.All participants will be informed that this is an observational study and their consent taken prior to the experiment. Participants will be informed that they can withdraw from the study at any time and that it would not affect the care provided.
Trial registration number:
CER AVIS n° 2022-015.
... In particular, oxytocin regulates the salience of external cues 22 by modulating approach/avoidance motivational tendencies and behaviors 23 (see Table 3 for further details). Both physical touch 24 and social vocalizations with relevant others 25 release oxytocin in humans improving their engagement in collective actions. ...
What distinguishes real-world communities from their online counterparts? Social and cognitive neuroscience research on social networks and collective intentionality will be used in the article to answer this question. Physical communities are born in places. And places engage "we-mode" neurobiological and cognitive processes as behavioral synchrony, shared attention, deliberate attunement, interbrain synchronization, and so on, which create coherent social networks of very different individuals who are supported by a "wisdom of crowd." Digital technologies remove physical boundaries, giving people more freedom to choose their activities and groups. At the same time, however, the lack of physical co-presence of community members significantly reduces their possibility of activating "we-mode" cognitive processes and social motivation. Because of this, unlike physical communities that allow interaction between people from varied origins and stories, digital communities are always made up of people who have the same interests and knowledge (communities of practice). This new situation disrupts the "wisdom of crowd," making the community more radical and less accurate (polarization effect), allowing influential users to wield disproportionate influence over the group's beliefs, and producing inequalities in the distribution of social capital. However, a new emergent technology-the Metaverse-has the potential to reverse this trend. Several studies have revealed that virtual and augmented reality-the major technologies underlying the Metaverse-can engage the same neurobiological and cognitive "we-mode" processes as real-world environments. If the many flaws in this technology are fixed, it might encourage people to engage in more meaningful and constructive interactions in online communities.
... Stress can be significantly regulated by social support through social buffering, a phenomenon defined by using existing social networks to reduce neurohormonal responses to stress [10]. In early childhood, parents play a main role in social buffering [11,12] and although adolescents often seek social buffering from peers, parents remain a primary support for recovery from stressors during adolescence . [13]. ...
... A prior study by Seltzer et al. [12] used a randomized, experimental design (maternal comfort in-person, maternal comfort over phone, and no maternal comfort) to establish that maternal comfort serves to buffer adolescent cortisol response to a widely used social stress paradigm (i.e., adolescent Trier Social Stress Task) via increases in oxytocin. However, it is unclear whether natural variations in maternal comfort (rather than comfort vs no comfort) are associated with similar hormonal reactivity patterns in adolescents and whether variations in adolescents' own social anxiety severity moderate these patterns. ...
... Adolescents and their mothers were invited to the laboratory to participate in an adapted version of the Trier Social Stress Task for Adolescents [12,21]. All mother-adolescent dyads arrived at the laboratory between 4:00 and 4:30 pm to start this visit to control for diurnal cortisol release [37]. ...
Both social support and social stress can impact adolescent physiology including hormonal responses during the sensitive transition to adolescence. Social support from parents continues to play an important role in socioemotional development during adolescence. Sources of social support and stress may be particularly impactful for adolescents with social anxiety symptoms. The goal of the current study was to examine whether adolescent social anxiety symptoms and maternal comfort moderated adolescents’ hormonal response to social stress and support. We evaluated 47 emotionally healthy 11- to 14-year-old adolescents’ cortisol and oxytocin reactivity to social stress and support using a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test for Adolescents that included a maternal comfort paradigm. Findings demonstrated that adolescents showed significant increases in cortisol and significant decreases in oxytocin following the social stress task. Subsequently, we found that adolescents showed significant decreases in cortisol and increases in oxytocin following the maternal comfort paradigm. Adolescents with greater social anxiety symptoms showed higher levels of cortisol at baseline but greater declines in cortisol response following maternal social support. Social anxiety symptoms were unrelated to oxytocin response to social stress or support. Our findings provide further evidence that mothers play a key role in adolescent regulation of physiological response, particularly if the stressor is consistent with adolescents’ anxiety. More specifically, our findings suggest that adolescents with higher social anxiety symptoms show greater sensitivity to maternal social support following social stressors. Encouraging parents to continue to serve as a supportive presence during adolescent distress may be helpful for promoting stress recovery during the vulnerable transition to adolescence.
