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The neuroscience of affiliation: Forging links between basic and clinical research on neuropeptides and social behavior
Abstract
Animal studies point to the role of two neuropeptides-oxytocin and vasopressin-in the regulation of affiliative behaviors including mating, pair-bond formation, maternal/parenting behavior, and attachment. These findings may have important implications for understanding and treating clinical disorders marked by social deficits and/or disrupted attachment. This review focuses on advances made to date in the effort to forge links between basic and clinical research in the area of neuropeptides and social behavior. The literature on oxytocin and its involvement in stress response, affiliation, and prosocial behavior is reviewed, and the implications of these findings for such disorders as autism as well as other social and stress-related disorders including social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and some personality disorders are considered. Finally, unresolved issues and directions for future research are discussed.
... The similarities in these areas of action, and notably the release of oxytocin (which can help facilitate interpersonal trust, attachment, bonding, forming affection) (Kosfeld et al., 2005;Bartz and Hollander, 2006;Domes et al., 2007), notably with its interaction with vasopressin and its context-dependent nature (Carter et al., 2020), and serotonin (increasing positive mood and extraversion, reducing depression and anxiety) (e.g., Hasler et al., 2009;van Wel et al., 2012), demonstrate that similar processes are activated in the neurobiology of love as are with MDMA. Notably, several studies have failed to show a relationship between the social effect of MDMA and oxytocin (e.g., Kuypers et al., 2017), which suggests that the empathogenic effects of MDMA are not unifactorial to the presence of oxytocin. ...
... The perceived psychological cognitive effects of MDMA include being able to engage with difficult memories, likely due to a reduction in perceived threat and increased interpersonal trust (Kosfeld et al., 2005;Domes et al., 2007), as well as (Kosfeld et al., 2005;Bartz and Hollander, 2006;Domes et al., 2007). MDMA associated with seeing others as empathetic and caring (Hysek et al., 2013;Bedi et al., 2014;Wardle and de Wit, 2014), and increases emotional empathy beyond oxytocin alone (Kuypers et al., 2014) Centering both peoples' experiences, sharing of feelings Communication MDMA associated with greater interpersonal focus in language (Bedi et al., 2014), reduction in reactivity to angry facial expressions and greater reward in happy faces (Bedi et al., 2009) Present and practice skills of sharing and listening with both negative and positive content ...
... The ability to engage in interactions may be supported by the release of cortisol, and paired with oxytocin (e.g., Mas et al., 1999;Hysek et al., 2011) Creating shared intentions, and establishing as a value to bring through the process Attachment/ safety Decreased feelings of threat, increased feelings of interpersonal trust (Kosfeld et al., 2005;Domes et al., 2007) Skills to engage in difficult conversations, take breaks and re-engage. Creating a template for future experiences Bonding/ social intimacy Oxytocin, which MDMA causes to release, supports feelings of social bonding (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). MDMA helps increase cooperation and feelings of trustworthiness (Stewart et al., 2014;Gabay et al., 2019). ...
MDMA's first identified potential as a therapeutic catalyst was for couple therapy. Early work in the 1970s and 1980s explored its potential amongst seasoned psychotherapists and their clients. With the completion of the first pilot trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with couples for PTSD, and as the possibility of conducting MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials expands due to new regulatory frameworks, we have an opportunity to explore and investigate how and why MDMA-assisted couples therapy works. This theoretical paper will explore the neurobiological and neurochemical effects of MDMA in a relational context, the emotional, behavioral, cognitive and somatic effects within a dyadic frame, and how empathy, communication, perception of social connection/support, non-avoidance, openness, attachment/safety, bonding/social intimacy and relationship satisfaction, are all impacted by MDMA, and can be harnessed to facilitate systems-level and interpersonal healing and growth. A model to support MDMA-assisted couple therapy is introduced, and future directions, including implications for intervention development and delivery, will be elucidated.
... Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is primarily synthesized in the hypothalamus and has been implicated in facilitating social interactions (Love, 2018). While oxytocin is perhaps best known for its roles in childbirth, nursing, and pair-bonding, it is also involved in a myriad of other behaviors such as social cognition and perception, mood, and harm avoidance (Bartz and Hollander, 2006;Love, 2014Love, , 2018Yoon and Kim, 2020;Rigney et al., 2022). Similar to humans, oxytocin in rodents is typically associated with pro-social behavior. ...
... Oxytocin administration also enhances social affiliation and cooperation in certain subsets of men with SAD (Fang et al., 2014). Furthermore, a clinical study where healthy adult men received intranasal oxytocin and/or social support during a stress test found that combining the two resulted in the lowest cortisol levels, highest self-reported calmness, and decreased anxiety (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). It is important to note that the effects of oxytocin may extend beyond reducing SAD symptoms, as human data has shown that oxytocin administration can alleviate anxiety and fear in non-social settings as well (Mitchell et al., 2015;Koch et al., 2016;Janecek and Dabrowska, 2019;Horta et al., 2020;Yoon and Kim, 2020). ...
Exposure to isolation can lead to the development of social anxiety disorder (SAD), which affects 13% of Americans. There are sex differences in the prevalence of anxiety disorders, as women experience higher rates of SAD relative to men. Importantly, isolation experienced during adolescence increases the likelihood of developing SAD in adulthood. Unfortunately, the current treatments for SAD are only effective in 50–65% of patients. As such, it is critical to identify therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of SAD, particularly in women. Here, we discuss the links between childhood isolation and adulthood SAD. Next, we examine the preclinical models used to study the impact of isolation on social anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. Increasing evidence from both clinical and pre-clinical studies suggests oxytocin signaling is a potential target to modify social anxiety-like behaviors. We present the evidence that sex hormones influence the oxytocin system. Finally, we highlight future directions for both clinical and pre-clinical studies to further evaluate the efficacy of oxytocin as a treatment for isolation-induced SAD.
... What are the neural mechanisms that improve or inhibit social interaction? Recently, researchers have begun to address these questions with human neuroimaging studies seeking to map various aspects of higher order processing of social information and even develop computational models of the neural basis of social cognition (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). If human neuroimaging studies can describe the cortical patterns, mechanistic studies are still mostly the domain of animal research. ...
... One of the most exciting areas of this frontier is the opportunity to bridge the insights emerging from studies of social cognition and social behavior in animals to human research. While there is a temptation to translate "animal models" of human disorders or to assume that findings in animals will map directly on to human neurobiology, the translational bridge will need to be built with careful consideration of species differences, based on evolutionary adaptations (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). While some of the principles may be conserved (i.e., the importance of receptor maps and the role of gonadal steroids), the details for social organization need to be explored for each species, recognizing the importance of diversity in the neural mechanisms for social cognition (Insel, 2010, p. 11). ...
As a result of evolution, human babies are born with outstanding abilities for human communication and cooperation. The other side of the coin is their great sensitivity to any clear and durable violation in their relationship with caregivers. Infant sustained social withdrawal behavior (ISSWB) was first described in infants who had been separated from their caregivers, as in Spitz's description of “hospitalism” and “anaclitic depression.” Later, ISSWB was pointed to as a major clinical psychological feature in failure-to-thrive infants. Fraiberg also described freezing behavior as one of the earliest modes of infant defense in the face of adverse situations threatening the infant's ability to synchronize with caregivers. We hypothesize that ISSWB behaviors are associated with poor vagal brake functioning and that an impaired social engagement system is induced by an impoverished and/or dangerous environment. Recent research using animal models highlight the neurobiology and the genetics of the social Approach/Withdrawal Behavior in infants. The present paper is therefore a plea for social withdrawal behavior to be attributed a more important role as a major psychological defensive mechanism in infancy, and for research into early development and early intervention to make more practical and theoretical use of this concept, thus decreasing the challenge of translation in social neurosciences. This work presents several situations involving developmental hazards in which assessment of ISSWB by means of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) has proven useful, i.e., malnutrition, effects of major maternal depression and or traumatization, assessing social withdrawal in infants with an chronic organic illness (congenital heart disease, Prader-Willi syndrome, cleft lip and/or palate Prader-Willy syndrome, Fetal alcohol syndrome) or assessing ISSWB in out of home placed infants during parental visitation. Relationships between ISSWB and other biophysiological behavioral systems are discussed, particularly links with attachment processes and Porges's polyvagal theory.
... Empathy and its components have also been linked to peripheral physiologic factors, such as the hormone OT (Barraza & Zak, 2009;Bartz et al., 2010;Domes et al., 2007;Guastella et al., 2010;Hurlemann et al., 2010), and genotyping studies have further linked polymorphisms of the OXTR gene to differences in behavioral and trait empathy (Rodrigues, Saslow, Garcia, John, & Keltner, 2009;Wu, Li, & Su, 2012). Of significant interest, though, are studies that linked empathy deficits in disorders like autism to peripheral levels of OT and OXTR genotypes (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Green & Hollander, 2010;Guastella et al., 2010;Jacob et al., 2007;Modahl et al., 1998;Wu et al., 2005). Reports of associations between OT and empathy deficits encourage investigation of the relationship between OT and empathy in sex offenders, who are also hypothesized to have empathy deficits. ...
... Studies linking OT and the OXTR gene to empathy have led researchers to speculate about OT as a potential etiologic factor and treatment method for improving certain symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a developmental disorder characterized in part by deficiencies in expressing empathy (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Gillberg, 1992;Green & Hollander, 2010). Although ASD as a disorder differs vastly from sex offending as a set of behaviors, both are characterized by deficits in empathic responding. ...
Sexual sadists derive pleasure from humiliation, domination and infliction of pain on victims. They display increased penile arousal and activation of brain regions involved in sexual arousal and emotional states when viewing stimuli depicting individuals in physical distress. Neuroactive hormones modulate these regions, but it is unknown if sexual sadists also have endocrine responses to depictions of individuals in distress. The present study examined endocrine responses, elicited by viewing a video depicting an individual in extreme emotional distress, in incarcerated adult male sexual offenders (n = 23) with varying levels of sadistic traits. Sadism, was measured by the Severe Sexual Sadism Scale (SeSaS). Testosterone (T), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and oxytocin (OT) were assayed before and after participants watched a video depicting an individual in emotional distress. T responses to the video were significantly and positively associated with SeSaS scores. There were no significant associations between sexual sadism and OT or ACTH. Our findings provide physiological evidence of atypical processing of distress cues in sadism consistent with the role of testosterone in sexual arousal and aggressive behaviors. These findings have implications for the evaluation and treatment of sexual sadists.
... = correlation; PL = placebo; WT = wildtype messenger that releases calcium from intra-cellular stores. (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). Altogether, interest in the mechanisms of action of oxytocin and CD38 is a major focus of the field of social neuroscience and the number of investigations in the past several years has grown considerably. ...
... Tsoory and Abu-Akel (Shamay-Tsoory and Abu-Akel, 2016), following seminal work by Bartz and Hollander (Bartz and Hollander, 2006), have suggested a novel theory of OXT role in human social behavior that attempts to resolve some of the contradictory findings regarding this paramount human social hormone associated with prosocial and affiliative behaviour. ...
... In chimpanzees and bonobos, intranasally administered OT modulated group-based social attention such that subjects spent more time looking at images of the sex that is typically most engaged in intergroup encounters, namely females for bonobos and males for chimpanzees (Brooks et al., 2021). Specific to social attention, intranasally administered OT suppresses the vigilance response of rhesus monkeys toward socially threatening faces (Ebitz et al., 2013), possibly due to the stress-reducing capacity of OT (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Heinrichs et al., 2003). Evidence also suggests that intranasal OT attenuates attention to threatening facial expressions compared to neutral expressions in rhesus macaques (Parr et al., 2013), providing further support that OT reduces vigilance to threat. ...
The ability to quickly perceive and interpret threatening facial expressions from others is critical for successfully maintaining group cohesion in social nonhuman primate species. Rapid detection of threatening or negative stimuli in the environment compared to neutral stimuli, referred to as an attentional bias toward threat, is adaptive in that faster threat detection can lead to greater survival outcomes. However, the evolutionary roots of attentional bias formation toward social threat are not well understood. The present study investigated attentional biases toward social threat and the factors associated with them, including underlying hormonal mechanisms, in socially housed capuchin monkeys. Attentional biases were assessed using a dot-probe task that measured capuchins’ latency to respond to a target using a joystick after viewing threatening or neutral conspecific or allospecific faces or nonface stimuli. In our first study, we examined how age, dominance status, sex, and cortisol level related to attentional biases. In our second study, we examined how manipulated oxytocin (OT) influenced attentional biases. Capuchin monkeys did not show attentional biases toward threatening faces or objects, but they showed attentional avoidance of scrambled familiar conspecific face stimuli. Cortisol and social rank were associated with attentional bias toward threat in the capuchin monkeys that participated in this study, which suggests that stress and dominance relate to attentional bias toward social threat. Manipulated OT increased attentional avoidance of scrambled familiar and unfamiliar face images, but not unscrambled faces or objects. Overall, we did not find compelling evidence of attentional biases toward social threat in capuchin monkeys.
... This finding is extremely important as oxytocin (a bodily hormone) has found to be associated with affiliative behaviour, and increased generosity, trust, and ability to infer affective mental states in others [52,53]. Additionally, oxytocin has been found to play a role in attenuating the stress response, thus enhancing compassionate behaviours in stressful situations [54,55]. In other words, oxytocin helps us to be compassionate and reduces our bodily response to stress. ...
Self-compassion involves being touched by and open to one’s own suffering, coupled with the desire to alleviate it and heal oneself with kindness. While self-compassion has gained significant attention in research, certain conceptual and methodological complexities have evolved over time and led to ambiguity surrounding the concept. As such, the overall purpose of this commentary was to highlight and discuss the different perspectives of self-compassion in the literature. We opted to centralize our focus primarily on Neff’s [1] self-compassion framework, given its extensive adoption. We highlight two broad perspectives for conceptualizing self-compassion in the literature: 1) Mind-Body Experiences (i.e., cognitive process, emotion/affect, or motivation) and 2) Generality (i.e., state-like, trait-like/global, or context-specific). This paper aims to offer insights into the complexities surrounding the conceptualizations of self-compassion and facilitate improvements in researchers approaches to studying this important construct.
... Recently, Dewi et al. reported using a coping strategy has a partial or simultaneous positive impact on the quality of life of breast cancer patients [63]. According to the results of studies conducted on animals, social support may inhibit the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reaction to stress [64][65][66], and resilience to stress is associated with the regulation of noradrenergic activity produced by the HPA system in an optimal window [67]. By multiple regression analysis, Filazoglu and Griva [17] showed that disease-related variables such as cancer stage and psychological factors such as social support and problem-solving coping were considerable predictors for HRQoL. ...
Background
Breast cancer may negatively affect people’s quality of life. We investigated the predictors of quality of life in women with breast cancer with the mediating role of resilience.
Method
In a cross-sectional design, 218 patients completed a survey referring to the Valiasr International Hospital Oncology Center in Tabriz, Iran. Four validated self-report measures assessed HRQoL as measured by the SF-12, Resilience, Hope, and Perceived Social Support (MSPs). The mediating roles of resilience between HRQoL and the fitness of the proposed model were investigated using path analysis. SPSS version 24 software and Lisrel 8.8 software were used for data analysis.
Results
The results of path analysis showed that the final model had a good fit to the data (Chi-Square/ degrees of freedom (Normed Chi2) = 2.08, RMSEA = 0.014, goodness fit index = 0.99, both comparative fit index = 0.99 both CFI = 0.99 and IFI = 1). In this model, age and psychosocial factors predicted health-related quality of life.
Conclusions
Age and psychosocial factors especially social support are important components in predicting health-related quality of life among those suffering from breast cancer.
... Unlike anxiety disorders, OCD has received relatively limited attention in terms of co-occurrence in youth with primary depression. Depressive disorders present as a relatively common secondary diagnoses to OCD in children (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Pallanti et al., 2011;Storch et al., 2012) and, to a greater extent, in adolescence (Peris et al., 2017). When depression develops secondary to a primary OCD diagnosis, it can lead to increased symptom severity and impairment (Peris et al., 2010), suicidality (Angelakis et al., 2015), anxiety (Abramowitz et al., 2007), and attenuated intervention response (Abramowitz, 2004;Meyer et al., 2014). ...
... Unlike anxiety disorders, OCD has received relatively limited attention in terms of co-occurrence in youth with primary depression. Depressive disorders present as a relatively common secondary diagnoses to OCD in children (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Pallanti et al., 2011;Storch et al., 2012) and, to a greater extent, in adolescence (Peris et al., 2017). When depression develops secondary to a primary OCD diagnosis, it can lead to increased symptom severity and impairment (Peris et al., 2010), suicidality (Angelakis et al., 2015), anxiety (Abramowitz et al., 2007), and attenuated intervention response (Abramowitz, 2004;Meyer et al., 2014). ...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders are highly comorbid, and each contribute to significant functional impairment for affected youth. Comorbid anxiety disorders in depressed youth have been associated with greater depressive symptom severity and impairment, but the impact of comorbid OCD in this population remains unclear. Accordingly, the present study examined the differential clinical characteristics of youth with depression and comorbid OCD relative to age/gender matched depressed youth with no such comorbidity and to those with depression and a comorbid (non-OCD) anxiety disorder. A sample of 797 youth and young adults ages 8-20 years who met diagnostic criteria for depression alone, depression with co-occurring OCD or any anxiety disorder were included in the present study. Rates of comorbid anxiety and OCD were very high (60.5% and 15.5%, respectively). Relative to youth with only depression, depressed youth with comorbid OCD or anxiety had greater severity of depression, suicidality, and overall impairment in social, physical, and emotional functioning. These results highlight the contribution of OCD or anxiety comorbidity in more complex clinical presentations for depressed youth.
... How do OT and AVP influence stress? First, these peptides increase during stress, along with other stress hormones (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Carter & Altemus, 1997). Second, OT and AVP affect many aspects of the stress response. ...
Our bodies produce a rich diversity of hormones that play roles in physiological functions from blood sugar storage (insulin) to thirst and salt–water balance (angiotensin II) to inhibition of neural firing (allopregnanolone). The brain coordinates hormone production, so levels of many hormones fluctuate during emotion. Hormones also affect the brain, which gives them the potential to influence emotion, cognition, and behavior.
... Pokušat ću se osvrnuti na nekoliko točaka koje su mene potakle na razmišljanje: Neuroimaging studies, for example, have confirmed the connection between attachment and mentalizing (11,12,13,14). kind of attachment that patient experienced with his mother, that he could not stand either her or himself. ...
... MDMA is a psychoactive compound that promotes serotonin release, and may exert therapeutic effects by enhancing fear memory extinction (47), promoting greater self-compassion (48), reducing self-criticism (48), reducing PTSD-related shame and anger (49) and causing acute prosocial and interpersonal effects that support the quality of the therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy (50). MDMA promotes oxytocin release, which helps increase interpersonal focus, feelings of interpersonal trust and social affiliation (51)(52)(53), and has been shown to reduce pain associated with social rejection (54). MDMA-AT has been associated with changes in personality persisting at two-month follow-up, notably increased personality trait Openness and reduction in Neuroticism (55). ...
Introduction
Increasing evidence demonstrates 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) may be a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is growing interest in MDMA-AT to address a range of other health challenges. Chronic pain and PTSD are frequently comorbid, reciprocally interdependent conditions, though the possible role of MDMA-AT in treating chronic pain remains under-investigated. The present analysis examined the impact of manualized MDMA-AT on chronic pain severity among participants with PTSD who were enrolled in a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating MDMA-AT for PTSD (NCT03282123).
Materials and methods
Exploratory data from a subset of participants who completed chronic pain measures (n = 32) were drawn from a Phase 2 open-label study sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Multivariable analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to compare pre- vs. post-treatment Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS) values, adjusting for demographics (age, sex, and ethnicity). K-means clustering was then used to group the sample into three clusters to denote high (n = 9), medium (n = 11), and low (n = 12) baseline pain severity, and the same analysis was repeated for each cluster.
Results
Among the 32 participants included in this analysis, 59% (n = 19) were women, 72% (n = 23) were white, and median age was 38 years [interquartile range (IQR) = 31–47]. Overall, 84% (n = 27) reported having pain, and 75% (n = 24) reported disability associated with their pain. Significant reductions in CPGS subscales for pain intensity and disability score, and overall CPGS severity grade were observed among participants in the highest pain cluster (n = 9, p < 0.05), and for pain intensity in the medium pain cluster (n = 11, p < 0.05) post- vs. pre-treatment.
Discussion
Findings demonstrate a high prevalence of chronic pain in this sample of people with severe PTSD and that chronic pain scores among medium and high pain subgroups were significantly lower following MDMA-AT. While these data are preliminary, when considered alongside the frequency of comorbid chronic pain and PTSD and promising efficacy of MDMA-AT for treating PTSD, these findings encourage further research exploring the role of MDMA-AT for chronic pain.
... Relatedly, the neurohormone oxytocin also plays a key role in stress regulation where social contact impacts the HPA axis to release oxytocin and in turn reduce stress (71)(72)(73)(74)(75)(76)(77). Indeed, studies using animal models have demonstrated that social contact is associated with oxytocin release (75)(76)(77). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a still-unfolding series of novel, potentially traumatic moral and ethical challenges that place many healthcare workers at risk of developing moral injury. Moral injury is a type of psychological response that may arise when one transgresses or witnesses another transgress deeply held moral values, or when one feels that an individual or institution that has a duty to provide care has failed to do so. Despite knowledge of this widespread exposure, to date, empirical data are scarce as to how to prevent and, where necessary, treat COVID-19-related moral injury in healthcare workers. Given the relation between moral injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we point here to social and interpersonal factors as critical moderators of PTSD symptomology and consider how this knowledge may translate to interventions for COVID-19-related moral injury. Specifically, we first review alterations in social cognitive functioning observed among individuals with PTSD that may give rise to interpersonal difficulties. Drawing on Nietlisbach and Maercker's 2009 work on interpersonal factors relevant to survivors of trauma with PTSD, we then review the role of perceived social support, social acknowledgment and social exclusion in relation to potential areas of targeted intervention for COVID-19-related moral injury in healthcare workers. Finally, building on existing literature (e.g., Phoenix Australia—Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health and the Canadian Centre of Excellence—PTSD, 2020) we conclude with individual and organizational considerations to bolster against the development of moral injury in healthcare workers during the pandemic.
... These effects result in SAD and other disorders associated with impaired social functioning (13). OT levels are high in females relative to the level in males (14). Notably, OT protects females from SAD. Hoge reported low plasma OT levels in patients with a generalized SAD during a pro-social laboratory task paradigm (15). ...
Purpose: This study explored the association between peripheral blood oxytocin (OT) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) and cue-induced cravings in female heroin addicts. The effect of exercise on alleviation of SAD and OT levels was also explored.
Methods: A total of 72 females with heroin dependence were assigned to three groups based on SAD severity. The three groups were Non-SAD control, SAD control, and SAD exercise groups. Subjects in the SAD exercise group underwent aerobic exercise and resistance training for 8 weeks (60 min/day, 5 days/week). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) scores were used to determine plasma OT concentration and SAD, respectively. Cue-induced craving was assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Desires for Drug Questionnaire (DDQ). Mixed-effect analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis were used to explore the effect and correlation between different parameters.
Results: OT levels in the SAD exercise group were significantly high after exercise (p < 0.01). LSAS, VAS, and DDQ (“Desire and Intention” and “Negative reinforcement”) scores in the SAD exercise group were significantly lower after exercise (p < 0.01). Plasma OT level was negatively correlated with LSAS score (r = −0.534, p < 0.001), VAS score (r = −0.609, p < 0.001), “Desire and Intention” score (r = −0.555, p < 0.001), and “Negative reinforcement” score (r = −0.332, p < 0.01) and positively correlated with the “control” score (r = 0.258, p < 0.05). LSAS was positively correlated with VAS score (r = 0.588, p < 0.001) and “Desire and Intention” score (r = 0.282, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that plasma OT is a potential peripheral biomarker for prediction of the severity of social anxiety in female heroin withdrawal patients. Aerobic exercise combined with resistance training plus incremental load for 8 weeks can increase plasma OT levels and significantly reduce severity of SAD and cue-induced cravings in female heroin addicts.
... It is plausible to hypothesise that an assessor can use the Internet because he prefers online social interaction due to his lack of social competence and for regulating his own mood. Assessment is also related to obsessional thinking (Emmelkamp & Aardema, 1999), and to a repetitive unconstructive mode of thinking, which is a feature of the impulsivity-compulsivity dimension (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Hollander & Zohar, 2004). It is also plausible to hypothesise, based on these personality characteristics, that an assessor can develop an obsessive and compulsive use of the Internet. ...
The present study examines the relationships between problematic Internet use (GPIU) and two regulatory modes (RMs) namely Locomotion and Assessment. Through an online survey conducted on two hundred and forty six participants we found that Locomotion and Assessment regulatory orientations have opposite effects on the likelihood of developing GPIU, with the former reducing and the latter increasing it. Specifically, while Assessment orientation positively correlates with each GPIU dimension, Locomotion orientation negatively correlates with POSI, compulsive Internet use and negative outcome. Results also show how deficient self-regulation mediates the effect Assessment has on Negative outcome. Conversely, the effect of Locomotion remained significant. This study introduces RMs orientations as new theoretical antecedents of GPIU discussing potential practical implications
... The hormone and neuropeptide oxytocin is conventionally considered to enhance social behavior and reduce social fear ( Bartz and Hollander, 2006 ;Campbell, 2010 ;Gaustella and MacLeod, 2012 ). However, recent reviews suggest that oxytocin can also enhance the salience of negative interaction ( Steinman et al., 2019 ) and modulate non-social cognition and behavior ( Quintana and Guastella, 2020 ). ...
Research has shown that patients with a social anxiety disorder (SAD) show social performance deficits. These deficits are a maintaining factor in SAD, as mending social behavior improves interpersonal judgments and reduces social anxiety. Thus finding ways to enhance social behavior is evidently of importance in the treatment of SAD. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the effect of an intranasal administration of the hormone oxytocin (24 IU) on social behavior and anxious appearance in SAD patients (N = 40) and healthy controls (N = 39). Forty minutes after oxytocin administration participants were submitted to two live social situations (i.e., a waiting room situation and a getting acquainted task). The participants (‘self-rated’) and observers (‘observer-rated’) scored participants’ social behavior and anxious appearance. Participants also rated their positive and negative affect. Confirming the social performance deficits in SAD, observers regarded SAD patients as more anxious and less socially skilled than healthy controls. Results indicated oxytocin-induced improvement of observer-rated social behavior in SAD patients compared to placebo but only in the getting acquainted task. This effect was not perceived as such by patients themselves and did not improve their affect ratings. In conclusion, this study found support for the idea that oxytocin helps SAD patients to perform better in social interactions, although this improvement seemed context-dependent (i.e., only present in the getting-acquainted task) and ‘not perceived by the patient.
... In rodents' brain, OXT is suggested to stimulate social behavior by inhibiting social anxiety and defense which is demonstrated by facilitation of approach behaviors (K. A. Young, Liu and Wang, 2008). Moreover, OXT is believed to play an important role in reducing stress by dampening HPA-activity, producing anxiolytic-like effects (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). AVP is predominantly involves in male social behavior (e.g. ...
Through incorporating both physical and psychological forms of stressors, a variety of rodent models have provided important insights into the understanding of stress physiology. Rodent models also have provided significant information with regards to the mechanistic basis of the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders such as anxiety disorders, depressive illnesses, cognitive impairment and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, rodent models of stress have served as valuable tools in the area of drug screening and drug development for treatment of stress-induced conditions. Although rodent models do not accurately reproduce the biochemical or physiological parameters of stress response and cannot fully mimic the natural progression of human disorders, yet, animal research has provided answers to many important scientific questions. In this review article, important studies utilizing a variety of stress models are described in terms of their design and apparatus, with specific focus on their capabilities to generate reliable behavioral and biochemical read-out. The review focusses on the utility of rodent models by discussing examples in the literature that offer important mechanistic insights into physiologically relevant questions. The review highlights the utility of rodent models of stress as important tools for advancing the mission of scientific research and inquiry.
... To test this mechanism, future experiments can replicate these findings while concurrently measuring excretion of stress hormones after fear conditioning and use these to predict subsequent fear recall scores. Further, future research could usefully index oxytocin levels following an attachment security prime to determine if attachment manipulation influences the level of this neuropeptide, which is known to impact a sense of social affiliation (Bartz & Hollander, 2006). ...
Background:
Recent studies have found that attachment security primes can inhibit fear acquisition. This current study aimed to examine whether a brief imaginal prime of one's attachment figure could impact on fear consolidation.
Methods:
A total of 75 participants underwent fear conditioning on Day 1 and fear recall was tested on Day 2. Immediately following conditioning, half the participants were instructed to imagine an attachment figure while the other half imagined a nonattachment positive situation. Fear-potentiated startle and subjective expectancy of shock ratings were used as the measures of fear learning across trials.
Results:
The attachment group showed significantly lower levels of fear recall on Day 2 at both physiological and subjective levels. Furthermore, this effect was moderated by attachment anxiety, such that it was greatest for individuals who were securely attached.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that attachment relationships are protective during the consolidation of fear memories, and may have implications for how social attachments may impact how anxiety disorders can develop.
... [11] The regulation of social support is mostly dependent on two neuropeptides (oxytocin and vasopressin) that can promote social behavior and prevent the transformation of the HPA axis reactivity into stress. [32,33] In this context, flexible individuals can contribute to social support systems via their brain mechanisms to maintain a state of psychological well-being. [11] There was a negative correlation between functional QoL and psychological resilience and social support. ...
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of social support in the relationship between resilience and quality of life (QoL) among Turkish patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Methods:
The study used a descriptive and cross-sectional design and was carried out in the oncology ward of a hospital in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. A demographic-disease survey, the Turkish version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25, the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire Core, and the QoL Questionnaire Breast Cancer 23 were used to interview 113 patients with breast cancer.
Results:
Social support played a partial mediator role in the relationship between resilience and functional QoL. There was a negative correlation between functional QoL Questionnaire Breast Cancer 23 and psychological resilience and social support (P < 0.005). The mediation effect ratio was 10.2% (R2 = 0.102). Social support was found to not have a mediating role in the relationship between psychological resilience and general QoL (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Patients do not want social support to end, and their weakness in the eyes of others may have a negative impact on their QoL and resilience.
... In humans, oxytocin inhalation facilitates memory of social stimuli and attention to eye regions of the face. Oxytocin also dampens stress-responsive neuroendocrine systems by inducing anxiolytic effects which diminish both cortisol and behavioural responses to social stress (Kosfeld, Heinrichs, Zak, Fischbacher, & Fehr, 2005;Bartz & Hollander, 2006, Heinrichs, Baumgartner, Kirschbaum, & Ehlert, 2003. ...
The neuropeptide oxytocin has recently been researched in the hypnotic context to increase sensitivity to (post)hypnotic suggestions. This bears great importance for creating clinically informed analogues of (neuro)psychological conditions and interventions. The aim of the present study was to explain the impeding effects of oxytocin on the word-blindness posthypnotic suggestion which lead to detrimental effects on Stroop task performance as reported in Parris, Dienes, Bate, and Gothard (2013a). To clarify the influence of oxytocin, various types of memory were researched. Specifically, it was explored whether an effect of oxytocin on working memory was responsible since the ability to sustain the representation of the suggestion in working memory is crucial for the effective application of the suggestion. In a double-blind placebo-controlled counterbalanced between-subjects study, individuals who scored at least as medium hypnotisable performed the Stroop task under normal conditions and after receiving a posthypnotic suggestion that they would perceive words as meaningless symbols. Additionally, oxytocin-induced effects on stress were assessed since stress affects memory. Contrary to expectations, results could not confirm nor explain Parris et al.’s (2013a) finding that oxytocin impeded the effect of the word-blindness suggestion on Stroop performance. Oxytocin did neither influence the suggestion, nor working memory. The results highlight the need for further research into the effects of oxytocin on cognitive processes.
... Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that has been shown to increase social affiliation and prosocial behaviors in both animals and humans (Bartz and Hollander, 2006). Meta-analysis indicates that oxytocin also increases functional connectivity between the PFC and amygdala (Striepens et al, 2012). ...
Amygdala-prefrontal cortex (PFC) functional impairments have been linked to emotion dysregulation and aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the major catabolic enzyme for the endocannabinoid anandamide, has been proposed as a key regulator of the amygdala-PFC circuit that subserves emotion regulation. We tested the hypothesis that FAAH levels measured with [11C]CURB positron emission tomography in amygdala and PFC would be elevated in BPD and would relate to hostility and aggression. Twenty BPD patients and 20 healthy controls underwent FAAH genotyping (rs324420) and scanning with [11C]CURB. BPD patients were medication-free and were not experiencing a current major depressive episode. Regional differences in [11C]CURB binding were assessed using multivariate analysis of covariance with PFC and amygdala [11C]CURB binding as dependent variables, diagnosis as a fixed factor, and sex and genotype as covariates. [11C]CURB binding was marginally elevated across the PFC and amygdala in BPD (p = 0.08). In a priori selected PFC, but not amygdala, [11C]CURB binding was significantly higher in BPD (11.0%, p = 0.035 versus 10.6%, p = 0.29). PFC and amygdala [11C]CURB binding was positively correlated with measures of hostility in BPD (r > 0.4; p < 0.04). This study is the first to provide preliminary evidence of elevated PFC FAAH binding in any psychiatric condition. Findings are consistent with the model that lower endocannabinoid tone could perturb PFC circuitry that regulates emotion and aggression. Replication of these findings could encourage testing of FAAH inhibitors as innovative treatments for BPD.
... These behaviours lie at the core of healthy social relationships and are a key facilitator of social cohesion and group bonding (de Waal, 2008;Fehr & Camerer, 2007;Fehr & Fischbacher, 2003). Nevertheless, the frequencies of these behaviours and the extent to which they are manifested can vary from person to person, and in particular seem to be disturbed across a variety of psychiatric disorders (Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Bora, Yucel, & Allen, 2009;Gilbert, 2015;Robson, Repetto, Gountouna, & Nicodemus, 2019a). A hallmark of several psychiatric disorders is impairments in affective processing and interpersonal functioning. ...
Prosocial behaviours-actions that benefit others-fundamentally shape our interpersonal interactions. Psychiatric disorders have been suggested to be related to prosocial disturbances, which may underlie many of their social impairments. However, broader affective traits, present in different degrees in both psychiatric and healthy populations, have also been linked to variability in prosociality. Therefore, it is unclear to what extent prosocial variability is explained by specific psychiatric disorders relative to broad affective traits. Using a computational, transdiagnostic approach in two online studies, we found that participants who reported being more affectively reactive across a broad cluster of traits manifested greater frequencies of prosocial actions in two different contexts: they reported being more averse to harming others for profit, and they were more willing to exert effort to benefit others. These findings help illuminate the profile of prosociality across psychiatric conditions as well as the architecture of prosocial behaviour in healthy individuals.
... Research has shown an association of maternal and paternal OXY levels with parent-infant synchrony 16 , showing increased levels during the first six months after birth 13,17 . OXY levels are related with the parent-specific repertoire 12 ; they have a crucial role in the regulation of pro-social and affiliative behavior (e.g., mating, pair-bond formation, maternal/parental behavior, attachment), facilitating social cognition in humans 18,19 . ...
Pregnancy and puerperium are typified by marked biobehavioral changes. These changes, which are traceable in both mothers and fathers, play an important role in parenthood and may modulate social cognition abilities. However, the latter effects remain notably unexplored in parents of newborns (PNs). To bridge this gap, we assessed empathy and social emotions (envy and Schadenfreude) in 55 PNs and 60 controls (childless healthy participants without a romantic relationship or sexual intercourse in the previous 48 hours). We used facial electromyography to detect physiological signatures of social emotion processing. Results revealed higher levels of affective empathy and Schadenfreude in PNs, the latter pattern being accompanied by increased activity of the corrugator suppercilii region. These effects were not explained by potential confounding variables (educational level, executive functioning, depression, stress levels, hours of sleep). Our novel findings suggest that PNs might show social cognition changes crucial for parental bonding and newborn care.
... Devido à estreita ligação entre a regulação emocional e as relações interpessoais, os padrões de vinculação da vida adulta assumemse como importantes fatores de análise psicológica, para o estudo dos processos sociais envolvidos na regulação emocional eficaz ou disfuncional (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007). , Carter, 1998;DeVries et al., 2003;Henry and Wang, 1998;Insel and Young, 2001;Light et al., 2005;Taylor, 2002; Heinrichs et al, 2003 citados por Bartz & Hollander, 2006). ...
Using the paradigm of subliminal emotional priming, our study aims to test the modulating influences of non-conscious emotions in the processing of stimuli. We associated three neutral mask stimuli, respectively, with 30 positive valenced stimuli, 30 negative valenced stimuli, and 30 neutral valenced stimuli. These emotional stimuli were presented subliminally, in a backward and forward masking paradigm, to a sample of 18 healthy subjects. The effects of the subliminal priming of each of the three subliminal emotion conditions were studied through a task of preference choice, liking and disliking (behavioral indicators) for the three mask stimuli, and event related potentials (electrophysiological indicators). We hypothesized that preference choices for a mask stimulus would be associated with responses with greater amplitude in their electrophysiological indicators for the subliminal priming condition associated with it.
After the experimental session, participants answered clinical and personality scales, which assessed the difficulties of emotional regulation, alexithymia, perceived stress, attachment patterns, temperament, and emotional dimensins of the personality – Dificulties os Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Perceived Stress Scale (PSP), Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San-Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS).
... Oxytocin (OXT) has a crucial role in the social cognition and interpersonal communication (Bartz and Hollander 2006;Lim and Young 2006). This is supported by accumulating evidence in various domains such as empathy (Bartz et al. 2010;Hurlemann et al. 2010), social cooperation (De Dreu 2012;De Dreu and Kret 2016), and emotion recognition (Domes et al. 2010;Shahrestani et al. 2013). ...
Background
Gaze direction is an important cue of the eye region. Previous studies have revealed that oxytocin (OXT) increases orienting to the eye region of face. However, little has been known about the effect of OXT in men and women on the perception of gaze direction particularly when associated with different emotions.
Objectives
We investigated how oxytocin would affect gaze direction judgments for threatening, angry, and neutral facial expressions and whether this effect would be modulated by observers’ sex.
Methods
We used the cone of direct gaze (CoDG) task. Participants were required to judge the gaze direction of face between directed and averted gaze.
Results
Results showed opposing sex-dependent effects of OXT such that OXT, as compared with placebo, tended to decrease the CoDG in men but increase it in women. The CoDG was marginally wider in men than in women in the placebo condition, and however, this difference was abolished following OXT treatment. We also found that the perception of gaze direction varied as a function of emotional expression such that the CoDG for angry and neutral faces was wider than that for fearful faces and the CoDG for angry faces was marginally wider than that for neutral ones. However, there was no significant interaction between treatment and facial expression.
Conclusions
Our findings provide the first evidence for sex-dependent effects of OXT on gaze direction perception, suggesting that OXT attenuates the self-referential judgment of gaze directions of others in men and enhances it in women despite differentiated emotions of faces.
... 7 Neuroendocrine systems and the brain structures they act on to promote social behaviour 8 are well conserved across vertebrate species 3 and, in some cases, are also present in invertebrates. 9 Despite evidence of certain generalities, neuropeptides that affect social behaviours often function in a species-specific fashion 10,11 and the behavioural outcome of neuropeptide signalling in distinct brain areas depends on various parameters including sex, reproductive and physiological (i.e., stress-relevant) state. [12][13][14] However, comparative neuroendocrine studies can provide insights that are relevant to a wide range of taxa, regardless of the model animal species used, as long as the species being compared both possess the social behaviours and neuroendocrine features that are under investigation. ...
The interaction of animals with conspecifics, termed social behaviour, has a major impact on the survival of many vertebrate species. Neuropeptide hormones modulate the underlying physiology that governs social interactions, and many findings concerning the neuroendocrine mechanisms of social behaviours have been extrapolated from animal models to humans. Neurones expressing neuropeptides show similar distribution patterns within the hypothalamic nucleus, even when evolutionarily distant species are compared. During evolution, hypothalamic neuropeptides and releasing hormones have retained their structures and also their biological functions, including their effects on behaviour. Here we review the current understanding of the mechanisms of social behaviours in several classes of animals, such as worms, insects and fish, and laboratory, wild and domesticated mammals.
... Fischbacher (2005) reports that intranasal Oxytocin promotes trust and prosocial behaviour in humans. The positive benefits of Oxytocin have been argued to far exceed social behaviour and that Oxytocin could be used to in the clinical treatment of disorders such as autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder (Bartz & Hollander, 2006). Churchland and Winkleman (2012) also state the importance of Oxytocin in the treatment of disorders, however, believed that clinicians and academics should refrain from a focus on Oxytocin for specific conditions such as autism or schizophrenia and focus on Oxytocin as more of a tool in the toolbox, used for many purposes. ...
This paper will critically evaluate whether there is a causal link between Oxytocin and social behaviour, through evaluation of Oxytocin's effect on both prosocial and anti-social behaviour.
... As such Oxytocin is involved in a range of physiological processes including sexual activity, pregnancy, lactation, social bonding, pain regulation, and maternal behavior (14,15). Oxytocin is also central to various aspects of human behavior such as social cognition, affectivity, stress response, affiliation, and prosocial behavior (15,16). Manipulation of oxytocin levels has been shown to alter social cognition in healthy individuals, e.g., increase social interaction, empathy and trust, and reduce stress (17). ...
Background and aims: Antisocial personality disorder is an enduring mental disorder associated with significant disease burden and treatment difficulties. This is apparent within forensic populations. There is growing evidence to suggest that treatment with oxytocin could have some benefit in treating a range of psychiatric disorders. There are no reviews studying the use of oxytocin for patients with ASPD. We aim to present the first literature review on the use of oxytocin in patients with ASPD.
Method: We searched relevant databases for original research on effect of oxytocin upon persons with a diagnosis of ASPD or healthy participants with symptoms seen in ASPD. Studies were included if they included healthy participants that evaluated the effect of oxytocin on symptoms relevant to ASPD, including empathy, inhibitory control, compliance, conformity, aggression, violence, and moral responsibility.
Results: Thirty-six studies were included. There were a range of study designs, including randomized controlled trials, double blinded, single blinded, and unblinded controlled trials. The sample sizes in studies ranged from 20 to 259 participants. Studies looked at participants with a diagnosis of ASPD and participants with symptoms relevant to ASPD, including empathy, inhibitory control, compliance, conformity, aggression, violence, and moral responsibility. Oxytocin was found to demonstrate diversified effects, in most cases being associated with socially positive or non-criminogenic behaviors. However, some studies found opposite, and non-desirable, effects, e.g., an increase in violent inclinations to partners. The two studies looking at participants with ASPD had a number of limitations and had conflicting results on the impact that OT has on aggression in ASPD.
Conclusions: This is the first systematic literature review exploring the potential use of oxytocin in managing ASPD and the symptoms of ASPD. It is apparent that there is a body of evidence addressing related symptoms in healthy individuals. There were diversified effects with oxytocin showing some benefits in promoting positive effects on symptoms of ASPD, but there were also studies showing non-desirable effects. It is difficult to draw any direct inferences from healthy control studies. Further high quality large sample studies are required to explore the effects of oxytocin in those with ASPD
... Hypothesis Oxytocin increases social motivation and/or a "communal" other-orientation associated with the motivation to attend to and/or care for others (e.g., Bartz, 2016;Gordon, Martin, Feldman, & Leckman, 2011;Ross & Young, 2009) Oxytocin increases the (perceptual) salience of, and attention to, social cues in the environment (e.g., Bartz, Zaki, et al., 2011;Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2009;Shamay-Tsoory & Abu-Akel, 2016) Oxytocin reduces anxiety, especially social anxiety (e.g., Bartz & Hollander, 2006;Heinrichs & Domes, 2008;Neumann & Landgraf, 2012) Evidence • Oxytocin plays a critical role in mother-infant and adultadult pair-bonding in non-human animals (e.g., Bielsky & Young, 2004;Carter, 1998;Carter, Devries, & Getz, 1995) • Oxytocin is critically involved in the onset of maternal behaviors (e.g., Bosch & Neumann, 2012;Pedersen et al., 1992) and alloparental care (e.g., Olazábal & Young, 2006) • Oxytocin increases trust (e.g., Kosfeld et al., 2005), a communal orientation (Bartz et al., 2015), and various other prosocial behaviors in humans (e.g., see Bartz, Zaki, et al., 2011 for review) • Oxytocin promotes selective recognition of offspring in sheep by augmenting neuronal sensitivity to social stimuli (e.g., Keverne & Kendrick, 1992) • Oxytocin increases the salience of acoustic social stimuli and, as a result, promotes maternal behavior in mice (Marlin, Mitre, D'amour, Chao, & Froemke, 2015) • Oxytocin augments emotional salience of social memories (e.g., Bartz, Zaki, Ochsner, et al., 2010;Guzmán et al., 2013Guzmán et al., , 2014 • Oxytocin attenuates HPA axis and stress reactivity (e.g., Heinrichs, Baumgartner, Kirschbaum, & Ehlert, 2003;Neumann & Landgraf, 2012;Quirin, Kuhl, & Düsing, 2011) • Oxytocin attenuates amygdala activity in men (e.g., Kirsch et al., 2005) Explanatory value • Explains the selectively beneficial (social) effects of oxytocin displayed by individuals with ASD, and those who are less socially proficient/more socially aloof, if the underlying reason for those social impairments is social amotivation (cf. Chevallier, Kohls, Troiani, Brodkin, & Schultz, 2012) • Explains "anti-social" effects displayed by those who are preoccupied with closeness and rejection sensitive (e.g., anxiously attached individuals or those with BPD), since heightening the desire to affiliate may bring to mind people's negative expectancies, memories of failures to achieve affiliative goals, and/or maladaptive strategies to pursue affiliation goals. ...
The neuropeptide oxytocin plays a critical role regulating social cognition and behavior in animals, and recent work manipulating the availability of oxytocin indicates parallel effects in humans. To date, however, studies have been somewhat inconsistent with some showing “prosocial” effects, but others showing null, or even detrimental social effects. We review the literature on the social effects of oxytocin in humans, specifically highlighting this context- and person-dependent variability. Adopting an interactionist perspective, we argue that this variability is meaningful and may shed light on the underlying mechanism(s) by which oxytocin modulates human sociality. We also consider work measuring peripheral oxytocin and oxytocin-related genes, and discus whether the person-dependent effects may relate to the endogenous oxytocin system.
Preprint available at: www.jonasnitschke.com
... Disrupted attachment behaviors related to parental neglect may also have biological underpinnings. Researchers speculate that the hormone oxytocin supports affiliation through its role in stress reduction (Bartz & Hollander, 2006). Adverse experiences in early childhood can alter brain development through its effects on the oxytocin-vasopressin stress response system (Pierrehumbert et al., 2010). ...
... However, initial studies suggest similar social and stress-related effects of both neuropeptides in humans. [18,19] Besides the endogenous stimulation of OXT during breast-feeding and positive physical contact, leading to attenuated endocrine responses to stress in women, studies in humans have also been carried out with exogenous administration of OXT. [20][21][22][23][24][25] www.ejpmr.com ...
The neuropeptide oxytocin has had key roles throughout mammalian evolution in the regulation of complex social cognition and behaviors, such as attachment, parental care, pair-bonding, as well as social exploration and recognition. Recently, studies have begun to provide evidence that the function of this neuropeptide is impaired in mental disorders associated with social deficits. The fundamental ability to form attachment is indispensable for human social relationships. Impairments in social behaviour are associated with decreased quality of life and psychopathological states. In non-human mammals, the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is key mediators of complex social behaviours, including attachment, social recognition and aggression. In particular, OXT reduces behavioural and neuroendocrine responses to social stress and seems both to enable animals to overcome their natural avoidance of proximity and to inhibit defensive behaviour, thereby, facilitating approach behaviour. Initial studies in humans suggest behavioural, neural, and endocrine effects of oxytocin, similar to that found in animal studies. This review focuses on advances made to date in the effort to understand the role of OXT in human social behaviour. First, the literature on OXT and its involvement in social stress and anxiety, social cognition, social approach, and aggression is reviewed. Second, we discuss clinical implications for mental disorders that are associated with social deficits (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, borderline personality disorder).
El apego es un elemento esencial del ser humano y, como tal, tiene factores biológicos y sociales que justifican su existencia y mantenimiento. Se han encontrado distintas hormonas y neurotransmisores que participan en ello, así como determinadas estructuras cerebrales implicadas. No obstante, la interacción de los factores biológicos con el ambiente serán los que pongan de manifiesto el predominio de un tipo u otro de apego.
This article reviews the neuroscientific understanding of the self and personal identity, focusing on various elements of inclusivity and exclusivity as well as engaging religious and spiritual perspectives. We will also consider how the identity is comprised of biological, social, and ideological or spiritual aspects, and how they are interconnected. We will consider how the brain helps us to construct and maintain our representation of the self and what happens when we have self‐transcendent experiences. Such an evaluation will have implications for understanding the intersection between consciousness and the self. This information will be helpful from both the psychological and spiritual perspective for understanding human identity.
There is now ample evidence from the preclinical and clinical fields that early life trauma has both dramatic and long-lasting effects on neurobiological systems and functions that are involved in different forms of psychopathology as well as on health in general. To date, a comprehensive review of the recent research on the effects of early and later life trauma is lacking. This book fills an obvious gap in academic and clinical literature by providing reviews which summarize and synthesize these findings. Topics considered and discussed include the possible biological and neuropsychological effects of trauma at different epochs and their effect on health. This book will be essential reading for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, mental health professionals, social workers, pediatricians and specialists in child development.
The extent to which we see ourselves as similar or different from others in our lives plays a key role in getting along and participating in social life. This volume identifies research relevant to such communal functions of social comparisons and summarizes and organizes this research within a single, coherent conceptual framework. The volume provides an important addition to current thinking about social comparison, which has often neglected communal and affiliative functions. Whereas human desire to compare with others has traditionally been viewed as motivated by self-centered needs such as self-evaluation, self-enhancement, and self-improvement, this book presents an eclectic cross-section of research that illuminates connective, cooperative, and participatory functions of social comparisons. In this vein, the book aims both to expose research on currently neglected functions of social comparisons and to motivate a broader theoretical integration of social comparison processes.
The extent to which we see ourselves as similar or different from others in our lives plays a key role in getting along and participating in social life. This volume identifies research relevant to such communal functions of social comparisons and summarizes and organizes this research within a single, coherent conceptual framework. The volume provides an important addition to current thinking about social comparison, which has often neglected communal and affiliative functions. Whereas human desire to compare with others has traditionally been viewed as motivated by self-centered needs such as self-evaluation, self-enhancement, and self-improvement, this book presents an eclectic cross-section of research that illuminates connective, cooperative, and participatory functions of social comparisons. In this vein, the book aims both to expose research on currently neglected functions of social comparisons and to motivate a broader theoretical integration of social comparison processes.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental disorder that results in the frequent coexistence of other diseases, lowers patients’ quality of life, and has a high annual cost of treatment. However, despite the variety of therapeutic approaches that exist, some patients still do not achieve the desired results. In addition, we may soon face an increase in the number of new PTSD cases because of the current global situation—both the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing armed conflicts. Hence, in recent years, many publications have sought a new, more personalized treatment approach. One such approach is the administration of intranasal oxytocin (INOXT), which, due to its pleiotropic effects, seems to be a promising therapeutic option. However, the current findings suggest that it might only be helpful for a limited, strictly selected group of patients.
The biochemistry of human aggression has been studied for about three decades; over this period, a considerable but inconsistent literature has arisen. Much less research has been done on the biochemistry of human prosocial and affiliative behavior (e.g., cooperation, altruism, friendship); as such, the primary focus of this review will be the neurobiology of aggression and violence in humans. The primary dependent measures used in the study of the biochemistry of human aggression and violence include (1) hormones and their precursors/metabolites, measured in saliva, blood, and urine; (2) neurotransmitters and their precursors/metabolites, measured in blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); (3) neurotransmitter uptake and receptor functioning on blood platelets; and (4) neurotransmitter physiology and its effects on hormonal responses using neurotransmitter precursor, reuptake inhibitor, and direct receptor agonists/antagonists. The latter technique has been particularly useful in elucidating which specific neurotransmitter receptor subtypes may be involved in aggression, particularly with the development of agonists and antagonists with greater receptor specificity. Much of the literature is composed of correlational studies linking a particular biochemical to aggression; however, some experimental studies assessing human aggressive behavior following the administration of hormones or neurotransmitter precursors, agonists, or antagonists have also been conducted (Chichinadze et al., 2012; Cunha et al., 2019; Denson et al., 2012; Duica et al., 2018; Ferguson, 2009; Hagenbeek et al., 2016; Pinto et al., 2010; Shoesmith, 2015; Speigel, 2013; Tiihonen et al., 2015; Umukoro et al., 2013).
This is a systematic review about the association between empathic behavior and oxytocin (OXT). Searches were conducted in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, SciELO, and LILACS using the search terms “oxytocin”, “empathy”, and “empathic”. Forty-four studies were reviewed. Scarce findings point to a lack of association between baseline endogenous OXT levels and empathy traits, and for a trend towards a direct relationship between oxytocinergic reactivity and empathic functioning. The results showed that variations in empathy were related to polymorphisms in the OXT receptor gene, especially in rs53576, and that this relationship seems to mediated by individual, ethnic, and cultural characteristics. Most studies on the exogenous administration of OXT tested a single dose (24 IU) with positive effects mainly on the affective domain of empathy. At the neural level, findings were inconsistent. Taken together, the results of the studies reviewed support the existence of a relationship between OXT and empathy that is complex and multifaceted. Robust evidence is still needed to elucidate existing links. Future investigations could benefit from methodological improvements aimed at increasing the reproducibility and applicability of findings, as well as the systematic assessment of the effects of exogenous OXT considering dose and frequency of administration, genotyping, and hormonal availability at the peripheral and central levels. This should lead to significant progress in the understanding of the therapeutic possibilities of OXT in the domain of empathic behavior.
Maternal-offspring communication and care are essential for offspring survival. Oxytocin (OXT) is known for its role in initiation of maternal care, but whether OXT can rapidly influence maternal behavior or ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs; above 50 kHz) has not been examined. To test for rapid effects of OXT, California mouse mothers were administered an acute intranasal (IN) dose of OXT (0.8 IU/kg) or saline followed by a separation test with three phases: habituation with pups in a new testing chamber, separation via a wire mesh, and finally reunion with pups. We measured maternal care, maternal USVs, and pup USVs. In mothers, we primarily observed simple sweep USVs, a short downward sweeping call around 50 kHz, and in pups we only observed pup whines, a long call with multiple harmonics ranging from 20 kHz to 50 kHz. We found that IN OXT rapidly and selectively enhanced the normal increase in maternal simple sweep USVs when mothers had physical access to pups (habituation and reunion), but not when mothers were physically separated from pups. Frequency of mothers' and pups' USVs were correlated upon reunion, but IN OXT did not influence this correlation. Finally, mothers given IN OXT showed more efficient pup retrieval/carrying and greater total maternal care upon reunion. Behavioral changes were specific to maternal behaviors (e.g. retrievals) as mothers given IN OXT did not differ from controls in stress-related behaviors (e.g. freezing). Overall, these findings highlight the rapid effects and context-dependent effect a single treatment with IN OXT has on both maternal USV production and offspring care.
Given the significance of close relationships for human survival, it is thought that biological mechanisms evolved to support their initiation and maintenance. The neuropeptide oxytocin is one such candidate identified in non-human animal research. We investigated whether variation in CD38, a gene involved in oxytocin secretion and attachment behavior in rodents, predicts romantic relationship dynamics in daily life. Community couples participated in an event-contingent recording (ECR) study in which they reported their social behavior, perception of their partner’s behavior, and affect during their interactions with one another over a 20-day period; couples also completed various measures of relationship adjustment. Out of the 111 couples (N = 222 individuals) who provided either ECR and/or relationship adjustment information, we had information on CD38 for 118 individuals. As hypothesized, variation in rs3796863, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identified in prior work, predicted communal behaviors (e.g., the expression of affection), as well as overall relationship adjustment, such that individuals with the CC (vs. AC/AA) allele reported higher levels of communal behavior across their daily interactions with their romantic partner, as well as higher levels of relationship adjustment. Individuals with the CC (vs. AC/AA) allele of rs3796863 also reported less negative affect and felt insecurity in their interactions with their romantic partner. Notably, we found that variation in the romantic partner's rs3796863 SNP was related to the person's outcomes, independent of the person’s rs3796863 genotype. These findings support the role of oxytocin in the interpersonal processes implicated in the maintenance of close relationships.
The primary focus behind the overall design involves shifting from a designer-centric concept to a user-centric one. In essence, cars are utilitarian from an engineering point of view and symbolic-emotional from a social point of view. The modern car retains a strong social position and also generates vivid emotions. The tellability of a car is the priority when communicating with a customer. As a result, this paper proposes a computational approach towards studying the relationship between car morphology and the aforementioned produced emotions. Emotions are considered self-measurable and physiologically distinct. Each car is thus self-evaluated emotionally by a panel of potential users. The results of this study allege that cars can be differentiated in terms of emotions. The computing results show that a dominant trend in car style reflects the production of a group of emotions that we called power. These emotions are classified as (a) dynamism, (b) aggressivity, and (c) powerfulness, and are associated with those of (d) elegance and (e) modernity. Two groups of cars mostly correspond to a single emotion: friendly or stable. Finally, a group of cars is characterized by neutrality. It is also important for the designer to be able to foresee changes in style; and if possible, a designer must be able to explain them while considering the emotions produced in time and within context. A possible explanation is that the relationship between a car’s style and its environment tends to be orchestrated and designed as a team. A car’s style can be influenced by both the physical and social environment, and, in turn, impact these environments.
Attachment security is a critical resource for individuals to preserve relationship quality. Insecure attachment reduces relationship quality and can seriously influence mental and physical health. Adult attachment style is thought to develop through relationships with a caregiver during childhood and social interactions during adolescence according to epigenetic modification and reinforcement learning mechanisms, and is an important factor for developing and maintaining relationship quality. The neurochemicals such as oxytocin (OXT), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT) have been shown to be critical for pair-bond formation and maintenance by animal experiments. However, the neural basis underlying the human adult attachment has not yet been clarified. We investigated whether the brain regions involved in these neurochemicals are correlated with adult attachment style in healthy male participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Significantly activated brain regions, while they were viewing their partner compared to unknown females included the hypothalamus, substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and locus coeruleus (LC), in which each of these regions is involved in OXT, DA, 5-HT and norepinephrine, respectively. Moreover, higher activity in these brainstem regions was associated with less attachment anxiety. These brainstem regions are primarily important for basic survival functions and well-being. Based on these results, in humans, neurochemicals such as OXT, DA, and 5-HT may be also critical for developing and maintaining relationships, and adult attachment style may be developed based on the epigenetic modification and reinforcement learning mechanisms through relationships with a caregiver during childhood.
Aim:
To examine the association between several perinatal and obstetric risk factors and reactive attachment disorder in children diagnosed in specialized services.
Methods:
In this nested case control study, 614 cases with reactive attachment disorder and 2,423 controls matched with age and sex were identified from Finnish national registers. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between a number of perinatal risk factors and reactive attachment disorder.
Results:
In the adjusted analysis, a low birthweight of <2,500 grams was associated with an increased odds of reactive attachment disorder, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.96 and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.17, 3.30 and a birthweight of 4,000-4,499 grams was associated with decreased odds OR 0.49 (95% CI 0.31, 0.75). The odds for being diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder increased with a gestational age of <32 weeks OR 3.72 (95% CI 1.52, 9.10), induced labour OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.03, 1.75) and monitoring in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) OR 1.67 (95% CI 1.09, 2.55).
Conclusion:
We found associations between low birthweight, preterm birth, NICU admission and reactive attachment disorder. The findings add to the current literature on the understanding of the development of reactive attachment disorder in children.
Endocrine system regulation is important for the maintenance of homeostasis; it controls hormonal functions in complex physiology and behavior and adaptations to social environments. Evidence indicates that for more than 35 000 years, dogs (Canis familiaris) have been domesticated through living with humans. For example, they have acquired human-like social skills, such as eye gazing and pointing gestures. These unique behaviors are, at least partially, regulated by hormones and are thought to have been genetically altered throughout domestication. Glucocorticoids affect social tolerance, while oxytocin facilitates social coordination and familiarity between individuals. We review historical and recent literature to facilitate an understanding of the roles of glucocorticoid and oxytocin functions in the human-canine coexistence dynamic established during domestication.
Most human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine trials have lacked efficacy and empirical vaccine lead targets are scarce. Thus far, the only independent correlate of reduced risk of HIV-1 acquisition in humans is elevated levels of V2-specific antibodies identified in the modestly protective RV144 vaccine trial. Ten years after RV144, human and non-human primate vaccine studies have reassessed the potential contribution of V2-specific antibodies to vaccine efficacy. In addition, studies of natural HIV-1 infection in humans have provided insight into the development of V1V2-directed antibody responses and their impact on clinical parameters and disease progression. Functionally diverse anti-V2 monoclonal antibodies were isolated and their structurally distinct V2 epitope regions characterized. After RV144, a plethora of research studies were performed using different model systems, immunogens, protocols, and challenge viruses. These diverse studies failed to provide a clear picture regarding the contribution of V2 antibodies to vaccine efficacy. Here, we summarize the biological functions and clinical findings associated with V2-specific antibodies and discuss their impact on HIV vaccine research.
Background:
Suicide ideation and behavior remains a significant public policy concern. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide posits that thwarted belongingness potentiates risk for suicide. Early disruptions in caregiving have documented effects on lifespan social and interpersonal development, and therefore warrants further investigation in suicide research. This novel study investigates risk for suicide ideation conferred by infant-onset child maltreatment and oxytocin genotypes (OXTR and CD38) and tests interactive effects of genetics and early maltreatment experiences.
Methods:
Participants (N = 251) were from a longitudinal follow-up study of emerging adults who participated in a research summer camp program as children (wave 1). Childhood maltreatment was coded from child protective service records and buccal cells were obtained from children and genotyped. At wave 2, self-reported suicide ideation and internalizing symptomatology were obtained.
Results:
Maltreatment onset in infancy was significantly related to lifetime suicide ideation. The CD38 gene variation moderated this association such that early onset maltreatment was related to suicide ideation among C-carriers only. The OXTR gene did not relate to lifetime suicide ideation, nor did it moderate early onset maltreatment risk.
Limitations:
This study was conducted with a relatively small sample, necessitating the combination of genotypes into binary groups. Replication is necessary.
Conclusions:
Child maltreatment experienced early in development confers significant risk for lifetime suicide ideation. Furthermore, greater risk for suicide ideation was present for those with specific oxytocin genotypes. These findings further emphasize the importance of preventive interventions aimed at decreasing the incidence of maltreatment and increasing support for high risk families.
The invention may comprise a collaborative method and apparatus for gathering, enriching, preserving, and sharing memories for members of a group using the combination of 1) collaboration through nominal group recall and 2) recording of personal preferences to produce a digital asset that contains a unique blend of selected profiles, images, stories, personalized notes, and other relevant content from more than one group member to constitute a more complete and accurate rendering of an important occasion experienced by the group.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) enhances maternal behavior and decreases blood pressure (BP) and stress responses in animals. Thus, the relationship of OT responsivity to BP in 14 breast- and 11 bottle-feeding mothers of infants was examined. Laboratory BP was assessed during baseline, speech preparation, active speech, and recovery on 2 days, 1 in which baseline and speech were separated by 10 min of baby holding and the other by no baby contact. Systolic BP reactivity to speech was lower after baby contact. Plasma OT change from baseline to speech after baby contact defined OT increase, minimal OT change, and OT decrease groups. OT increase mothers were primarily breast-feeders, and they had lower BP throughout both stress sessions and after baby feeding at home than OT decrease mothers, who also had greater BP reactivity to preparation and recovery. These results suggest that oxytocin has antistress and BP-lowering effects in humans.
Compared the history of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect in 27 reliably diagnosed borderline adolescents and 23 psychiatric controls (aged 14–17 yrs) in an effort to understand the developmental antecedents of borderline personality disorder in adolescence. Borderline patients tended to have a history of abuse from multiple perpetrators and to have been physically as well as sexually abused. The abuse typically occurred in the context of neglect and rejection by primary caretakers. Patients with depressed verbal IQ and a pattern of impulsivity were particularly likely to be victims of abuse.
Social impairments are central to the syndrome of autism. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been implicated in the regulation of social behavior in animals but has not yet been examined in autistic subjects.
To determine whether autistic children have abnormalities in OT, midday plasma samples from 29 autistic and 30 age-matched normal children, all prepubertal, were analyzed by radioimmunoassay for levels of OT.
Despite individual variability and overlapping group distributions, the autistic group had significantly lower plasma OT levels than the normal group. OT increased with age in the normal but not the autistic children. Elevated OT was associated with higher scores on social and developmental measures for the normal children, but was associated with lower scores for the autistic children. These relationships were strongest in a subset of autistic children identified as aloof.
Although making inferences to central OT functioning from peripheral measurement is difficult, the data suggest that OT abnormalities may exist in autism, and that more direct investigation of central nervous system OT function is warranted.
The present experiments investigated the hypothesis that lactation constitutes a chronic stress to the adrenocortical system. To determine whether the normal circadian control of the adrenocortical system or the ability to mount an adequate ACTH response to stress are modified during lactation, we compared morning and evening basal and stress-induced ACTH, corticosterone (B), and PRL secretion as well as pituitary ACTH content and thymus weight in virgins and lactating females on day 10 of lactation. We also compared the capacity of B to suppress ACTH secretion in adrenalectomized virgin or lactating females, both given various B pellet replacement doses (40-130% B) for 5 days. In addition, we investigated the influence of decreased litter size and increased caloric intake on basal circadian activity in the adrenocortical system. Finally, we measured suckling-induced activation of ACTH and B release and restoration of basal morning ACTH and B levels after pup separation. In all 10-d lactating females, basal PRL levels were elevated compared to virgins and the circadian rhythm observed in virgins (P less than 0.05) was absent in all lactating females. By contrast, diurnal variations in ACTH and B secretion (P less than 0.05 or 0.01) were observed in all females regardless of lactation and changes in caloric intake or litter size. Plasma ACTH and B were elevated during the trough of the diurnal rhythm in mothers, compared to virgins. The amplitude of the increase in ACTH between trough and peak was greater in mothers than virgins; however, the amplitude of the increase in plasma B was greater for virgins than mothers, probably because of the higher levels of corticosteroid binding globulin in the former. Diurnal rhythms in stress responsiveness and sensitivity of ACTH to B feedback were normal in mothers; however, the magnitude of their ACTH, B, and PRL response to ether stress was less in mothers than virgins. Attempts to normalize basal ACTH and B concentrations by increasing calorie consumption were unsuccessful. However, we found that suckling caused marked stimulation of ACTH and B secretion; moreover, within 24 h after pups removal, trough ACTH and B concentrations were restored to normal values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Subjects with borderline personality disorder (N = 21) or borderline traits (N = 11) and nonborderline subjects with closely related diagnoses (N = 23) were interviewed in depth regarding experiences of major childhood trauma. Significantly more borderline subjects (81%) gave histories of such trauma, including physical abuse (71%), sexual abuse (68%), and witnessing serious domestic violence (62%); abuse histories were less common in those with borderline traits and least common in the subjects with no borderline diagnosis. These results demonstrate a strong association between a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and a history of abuse in childhood.
Recent scientific work has established both a theoretical basis and strong empirical evidence for a causal impact of social
relationships on health. Prospective studies, which control for baseline health status, consistently show increased risk of
death among persons with a low quantity, and sometimes low quality, of social relationships. Experimental and quasi-experimental
studies of humans and animals also suggest that social isolation is a major risk factor for mortality from widely varying
causes. The mechanisms through which social relationships affect health and the factors that promote or inhibit the development
and maintenance of social relationships remain to be explored.
Oxytocin (OT) knock-out mice fail to recognize familiar conspecifics after repeated social exposures, despite normal olfactory and spatial learning abilities. OT treatment fully restores social recognition. Here we demonstrate that OT acts in the medial amygdala during the initial exposure to facilitate social recognition. OT given before, but not after, the initial encounter restores social recognition in OT knock-out mice. Using c-Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) as a marker of neuronal activation in this initial encounter, we found similar neuronal activation in the wild-type (WT) and OT knock-out mouse in olfactory bulbs, piriform cortex, cortical amygdala, and the lateral septum. Wild-type, but not OT knock-out mice exhibited an induction of Fos-IR in the medial amygdala. Projections sites of the medial amygdala also failed to show a Fos-IR induction in the OT knock-out mice. OT knock-out, but not WT, mice showed dramatic increases in Fos-IR in the somatosensory cortex and the hippocampus, suggesting alternative processing of social cues in these animals. With site-specific injections of OT and an OT antagonist, we demonstrate that OT receptor activation in the medial amygdala is both necessary and sufficient for social recognition in the mouse.
This study presents data on a Canadian sample of inpatients with the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Inpatients with BPD were compared to inpatients with borderline traits. The results indicate that the BPD inpatients have a chronic severe disorder, which onsets in adolescence, and are likely to have suffered early deprivation or abuse.
The present experiments investigated the hypothesis that lactation constitutes a chronic stress to the adrenocortical system. To determine whether the normal circadian control of the adrenocortical system or the ability to mount an adequate ACTH response to stress are modified during lactation, we compared morning and evening basal and stress-induced ACTH, corticosterone (B), and PRL secretion as well as pituitary ACTH content and thymus weight in virgins and lactating females on day 10 of lactation. We also compared the capacity of B to suppress ACTH secretion in adrenalectomized virgin or lactating females, both given various B pellet replacement doses (40-130% B) for 5 days. In addition, we investigated the influence of decreased litter size and increased caloric intake on basal circadian activity in the adrenocortical system. Finally, we measured suckling-induced activation of ACTH and B release and restoration of basal morning ACTH and B levels after pup separation. In all 10-d lactating females, bas...
Background:
Limited neurobiological data have implicated central arginine vasopressin in the pathobiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Based on twin, family genetic, and pharmacological studies, some forms of OCD are etiologically related to Tourette's syndrome. The role of arginine vasopressin and related compounds such as oxytocin in Tourette's syndrome has not been previously explored.Methods:
To compare cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin, we collected CSF at midday in a standardized fashion from a total of 83 individuals (29 patients with OCD, 23 patients with Tourette's syndrome, and 31 normal controls). We also collected family study data on each subject to determine which subjects had a family history positive for Tourette's syndrome, OCD, or related syndromes.Results:
In contrast to previous reports, we report similar concentrations of arginine vasopressin for all three groups but increased oxytocin levels in patients with OCD. Remarkably, this increase was observed only in a subset of patients with OCD (n=22) independently identified as being without a personal or family history of tic disorders (P=.0003). In this subgroup of patients, the CSF oxytocin level was correlated with current severity of OCD (n=19,r=.47, P<.05).Conclusions:
A possible role for oxytocin in the neurobiology of a subtype of OCD is suggested by the elevated CSF levels of oxytocin and by the correlation between CSF oxytocin levels and OCD severity. These findings reinforce the value of family genetic data in identifying biologically homogeneous (and perhaps more etiologically homogeneous) groups of patients with OCD. Together with emerging pharmacological data showing differential responsiveness to treatment of tic-related OCD vs non—tic-related OCD, these data also argue strongly for the incorporation of tic-relatedness as a variable in biological and behavioral studies of patients with OCD.
During breastfeeding or suckling, maternal oxytocin levels are raised by somatosensory stimulation. Oxytocin may, however, also be released by nonnoxious stimuli such as touch, warm temperature etc. in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid. Consequently, oxytocin may be involved in physiological and behavioral effects induced by social interaction in a more general context. In both male and female rats oxytocin exerts potent physiological antistress effects. If daily oxytocin injections are repeated over a 5-day period, blood pressure is decreased by 10–20 mmHg, the withdrawal latency to heat stimuli is prolonged, cortisol levels are decreased and insulin and cholecystokinin levels are increased. These effects last from 1 to several weeks after the last injection. After repeated oxytocin treatment weight gain may be promoted and the healing rate of wounds increased. Most behavioral and physiological effects induced by oxytocin can be blocked by oxytocin antagonists. In contrast, the antistress effects can not, suggesting that unidentified oxytocin receptors may exist. The prolonged latency in the tail-flick test can be temporarily reversed by administration of naloxone, suggesting that endogenous opioid activity has been increased by the oxytocin injections. In contrast, the long-term lowering of blood pressure and of cortisol levels as well as the sedative effects of oxytocin have been found to be related to an increased activity of central α2-adrenoceptors. Positive social interactions have been related to health-promoting effects. Oxytocin released in response to social stimuli may be part of a neuroendocrine substrate which underlies the benefits of positive social experiences. Such processes may in addition explain the health-promoting effects of certain alternative therapies. Because of the special properties of oxytocin, including the fact that it can become conditioned to psychological state or imagery, oxytocin may also mediate the benefits attributed to therapies such as hypnosis or meditation. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The neuropeptide oxytocin has been implicated in the mediation of several forms of affiliative behavior including parental care, grooming, and sex behavior. Here we demonstrate that species from the genus Microtus (voles) selected for differences in social affiliation show contrasting patterns of oxytocin receptor expression in brain. By in vitro receptor autoradiography with an iodinated oxytocin analogue, specific binding to brain oxytocin receptors was observed in both the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and the polygamous montane vole (Microtus montanus). In the prairie vole, oxytocin receptor density was highest in the prelimbic cortex, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, midline nuclei of the thalamus, and the lateral aspects of the amygdala. These brain areas showed little binding in the montane vole, in which oxytocin receptors were localized to the lateral septum, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and cortical nucleus of the amygdala. Similar differences in brain oxytocin receptor distribution were observed in two additional species, the monogamous pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) and the polygamous meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Receptor distributions for two other neurotransmitter systems implicated in the mediation of social behavior, benzodiazepines, and mu-opioids did not show comparable species differences. Furthermore, in the montane vole, which shows little affiliative behavior except during the postpartum period, brain oxytocin receptor distribution changed within 24 hr of parturition, concurrent with the onset of maternal behavior. We suggest that variable expression of the oxytocin receptor in brain may be an important mechanism in evolution of species-typical differences in social bonding and affiliative behavior.
The aim of the present investigation was to explore whether the personality characteristics of women who have recently given birth differ from those of a control group of similar aged women and if so, whether such deviations are related to the pregnancy- and lactation-associated hormones oxytocin and prolactin which in animal experiments have been shown to play a role in maternal behavior. Thereforethe Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) were used in 50 women 4 days postpartum and in addition 18 blood samples were drawn in connection with breastfeeding. Oxytocin and prolactin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. The women investigated scored lower in Muscular Tension (p < 0.05), in Monotony Avoidance (p < 0.001) and Psychasthenia (p < 0.01) and higher in Social Desirability (p < 0.001) than a reference material. Plasma levels of oxytocin and prolactin rose as expected in response to breastfeeding. When the average prolactin and oxytocin levels obtained at the 18 different timepoints of each woman were correlated with the scores obtained in the various KSP items, some significant relationships were found. Significant positive correlations were found between prolactin and the KSP dimensions Social Desirability and Inhibited Aggression and negative correlations with Psychasthenia. Significant inverse relationships between oxytocin and several Anxiety and Aggression variables, Guilt in particular, were also found. Correlations with oxytocin and prolactin levels were as a rule particularly clear in samples collected during breastfeeding. The data obtained are discussed from a biological point of view in relation to the specific 'maternal behavior' described in other mammals. It is suggested that subtle psychological and behavioral changes occur in women during motherhood and that these changes may in part be related to prolactin and oxytocin.
This study presents data on a Canadian sample of inpatients with the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Inpatients with BPD were compared to inpatients with borderline traits. The results indicate that the BPD inpatients have a chronic severe disorder, which onsets in adolescence, and are likely to have suffered early deprivation or abuse.
Although oxytocin (OT) and dopamine (DA) have been implicated in pair bond formation in monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), the nature of potential interactions between these two neurochemical systems and the brain circuits important for such interactions in the regulation of pair bonding have not been explored. Here, we demonstrated that access to both OT and DA D2-type receptors is necessary for pair bond formation, as blockade of either type of receptor prevented partner preferences induced by OT or a D2-type agonist. We also demonstrated that the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is a brain area important for such OT-DA interactions. In NAcc, blockade of OT receptors prevented partner preferences induced by a D2-type agonist whereas blockade of D2-type, but not D1-type, DA receptors blocked OT-induced partner preferences. Together, our data suggest that concurrent activation of OT and DA D2-type receptors in NAcc is essential for pair bond formation in female prairie voles.
Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are monogamous mammals that form male-female pair bonds. Partner preference formation, one component of the pair bond in prairie voles, occurs following male-female cohabitation and is facilitated by mating. The peptide hormone oxytocin is released during physical contact and particularly following vaginal stimulation. Oxytocin has been implicated in mother-infant bond formation. The present study tested the hypothesis that oxytocin participates in the partner preference component of pair bond formation in adult prairie voles. Ovariectomized female prairie voles were implanted with osmotic mini-pumps releasing oxytocin (1–100 ng/h) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Pumps were implanted intracerebroventricularly or subcutaneously and females then were housed for 6 h with a male partner, followed by a preference test in which females could elect to spend time with either the partner or an unfamiliar male. Females in groups that received centrally-administered oxytocin (10 or 100 ng/h), but not CSF, exhibited a significant preference for the partner present during infusion. The induction of a partner preference after oxytocin administration appeared specific for central oxytocin pathways as peripheral oxytocin administration was ineffective. Moreover, central administration of a selective oxytocin receptor antagonist inhibited the behavioral effect of exogenous oxytocin. These results suggest that oxytocin may be one factor contributing to the development of partner preferences in this monogamous rodent.
Social recognition of juveniles by adult male residents has been shown to be modulated by neurohypophyseal hormones. The decrease of social investigation behavior during a second encounter with the same juvenile serves as index for social recognition. In the present study it was found that low doses (0.09–6.0 ng kg–1) of oxytocin (OXT) given subcutaneously dose dependently facilitated social recognition. The effect of OXT appeared specific, since no change in social investigation was found when a novel juvenile was tested during the second encounter. No disturbances of social recognition by the low doses of OXT could be detected, in contrast to higher doses of this hormone. Other neurohypophyseal hormones, vasopressin and vasotocin, did not facilitate social recognition when tested in the same range of low doses.
Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of oxytocin was followed by an enhancement of novelty-induced grooming in male and female rats. This effect was dose-dependent, in a dose range of 0.1 – 10 μg. Grooming activity of rats injected i.c.v. with 10 μg of oxytocin was 9-fold higher than that of saline-injected controls. The analysis of behavioral element composition revealed an increased occurrence of genital grooming in oxytocin-injected rats. A time-course study revealed a sustained increase in grooming activity of oxytocin-treated rats during 45 min of behavioral testing. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the dopamine antagonist, haloperidol, totally suppressed oxytocin-enhanced grooming. Furthermore, i.p. injection of the opiate receptor antagonist, naloxone, was followed by an attenuation but not a suppression of grooming enhanced by i.c.v. administration of oxytocin. In addition, a small but significant increase in grooming activity was observed after subcutaneous injection of oxytocin. These results suggest that oxytocin-enhanced grooming behavior involves central mechanisms, e.g. dopamine and opioid transmission in the brain.
In the drug development process, it remains a difficult task to regulate the entry of the drugs. However, recent progress in studies of the transporter-mediated influx and efflux of endogenous and exogenous compounds, including synthetic drugs, across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is beginning to provide a rational basis for controlling drug distribution to the brain. This paper describes mechanisms established in the last decade for carrier-mediated influx and efflux of drugs and endocytosis of biologically active peptides across the BBB. The transport systems at the BBB described here are the uptake transporters for nutrients, such as amino acids and hexoses, monocarboxylates, amines, carnitine and glutathione and efflux transporters, such as P-glycoprotein and multiple organic anion transporters. Delivery of cationized peptides across the BBB via adsorptive-mediated endocytosis is also described. By utilizing such highly specific transport mechanisms, it should be possible to establish strategies to regulate the entry of candidate drugs, including peptides, into the brain.
The most consistent finding in clinical research of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the significant treatment advantage of potent serotonin uptake inhibitors (SUIs) over other classes of antidepressant and antianxiety drugs. Clinical neurobiological studies of OCD, however, have yielded limited and inconsistent evidence for significant fundamental abnormalities in monoamine systems including serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Furthermore, one-third to one-half of OCD patients do not experience a clinically meaningful improvement with SUI treatment. Investigation beyond the monoamine systems may be necessary in order to more fully understand the pathophysiology of obsessive–compulsive symptoms and develop improved treatments. Evidence from preclinical studies suggests that neuropeptides may have important influences on memory acquisition, maintenance and retrieval; grooming, maternal, sexual and aggressive behavior; fixed action patterns; and stereotyped behavior; these phenomena may relate to some features of OCD. In addition, extensive interactions have been identified in the brain between neuropeptidergic and monoaminergic systems, including co-localization among specific populations of neurons. The purpose of this review is to present the current knowledge of the role of neuropeptides in the clinical neurobiology of children, adolescents and adults with OCD focusing primarily on results from pharmacological challenge and cerebrospinal fluid studies. Where evidence exists, developmentally regulated differences in neuropeptide function between children and adolescents versus adults with OCD will be emphasized; these data are intended to underscore the potential importance of establishing the age of symptom onset (childhood versus adult) in individual patients with OCD participating in clinical neurobiological investigations. Likewise, where information is available, differences in measures of neuropeptides between patients with non-tic-related OCD versus tic-related OCD will be highlighted; these data will demonstrate the critical value of diagnostic precision, as these two particular subtypes of OCD may have different neurochemical underpinnings.
The existence of neural opioid-mediated networks that are specific for the modulation of nociception is well established. Parallel non-opioid pathways exist, but their underlying physiology is little known. We now report that oxytocin administered intraperitoneally to rats, and intraperitoneally or intracisternally to mice has an anti-nociceptive effect, which is related to the activation of descending anti-nociceptive pathways. This anti-nociceptive effect can be reversed by an oxytocin antagonist but not by the opioid antagonist naloxone. The anti-nociceptive effect of oxytocin is not directly dependent on the activation of serotonergic pathways or to changes in temperature. Our data indicate that the oxytocinergic system has a modulatory function on nociception.
Oxytocin (OT) is a nine amino acid peptide synthesized in hypothalamic cells which project either to the neurohypophysis or to sites within the central nervous system. Although neurohypophyseal OT release has long been associated with uterine contraction and milk ejection, the function of intracerebral OT remains unclear. On the basis of behavioral, cellular, and comparative studies, this review suggests that brain OT influences the formation of social bonds. The first part of this review examines evidence linking central OT to several forms of affiliation. Central administration of OT induces maternal and reproductive behaviors in rats primed with gonadal steroids. OT antagonists and hypothalamic lesions block the initiation of maternal and reproductive behaviors but have no effects on these behaviors once established. Our new studies in rat pups demonstrate that central OT selectively decreases the separation response, an effect which mimics social contact. These studies of parental, reproductive, and attachment behaviors suggest that exogenous OT has "prosocial" effects and that endogenous OT may be essential for initiating social interaction. In a second series of experiments, we investigated the cellular mechanisms for OT's effects on social behavior by means of autoradiographic receptor binding. In the rat forebrain, OT receptors are expressed in several limbic regions believed to be involved in the integration of sensory processing. The regulation of these receptors is surprisingly resistant to either ablation of OT cells or repeated central administration of OT. However, receptors in two regions, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN), appear selectively induced by exogenous or endogenous increases in gonadal steroids. At parturition, binding to OT receptors increases 84% in the BNST, and at estrus, binding increases 35% in the VMN. These results demonstrate that physiologic changes in gonadal steroids can alter receptor expression in anatomically discrete target fields and thereby direct responsiveness to endogenous neuropeptide release. A model for OT's effects on social behavior is proposed, which relies on the heterologous regulation of the brain OT receptor. A third series of experiments tested the hypothesis that brain OT influences affiliation by comparing prairie and montane voles, two closely related species with dichotomous systems of social organization. Although no differences appear in the presynaptic expression of the neuropeptide, OT receptors are distributed in complementary patterns in the two species. In the highly affiliative prairie vole, receptors are most evident in the BNST and one of its primary afferents, the lateral amygdala, highlighting a circuit previously implicated in maternal behavior.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The neuropeptide oxytocin has been implicated in the mediation of several forms of affiliative behavior including parental care, grooming, and sex behavior. Here we demonstrate that species from the genus Microtus (voles) selected for differences in social affiliation show contrasting patterns of oxytocin receptor expression in brain. By in vitro receptor autoradiography with an iodinated oxytocin analogue, specific binding to brain oxytocin receptors was observed in both the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and the polygamous montane vole (Microtus montanus). In the prairie vole, oxytocin receptor density was highest in the prelimbic cortex, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, midline nuclei of the thalamus, and the lateral aspects of the amygdala. These brain areas showed little binding in the montane vole, in which oxytocin receptors were localized to the lateral septum, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and cortical nucleus of the amygdala. Similar differences in brain oxytocin receptor distribution were observed in two additional species, the monogamous pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) and the polygamous meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Receptor distributions for two other neurotransmitter systems implicated in the mediation of social behavior, benzodiazepines, and mu opioids did not show comparable species differences. Furthermore, in the montane vole, which shows little affiliative behavior except during the postpartum period, brain oxytocin receptor distribution changed within 24 hr of parturition, concurrent with the onset of maternal behavior. We suggest that variable expression of the oxytocin receptor in brain may be an important mechanism in evolution of species-typical differences in social bonding and affiliative behavior.
Transport, binding, and metabolism of [phenylalanyl-3,4,5,-3H(N)]arginine vasopressin (AVP) by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was studied in adult guinea-pigs by means of a novel vascular brain perfusion (VBP)/capillary depletion technique and HPLC. A time-dependent, progressive brain uptake of 3H-radioactivity was measured over the 10 min period of VBP both in brain homogenates and in brain tissue depleted of cerebral microvessels. The unidirectional blood-to-brain transport constant, K(IN), estimated by multiple-time tissue uptake analysis of the homogenate and postcapillary supernatant, indicated that the BBB transfer rate for [3H]AVP (K(IN) = 2.37 +/- 0.25 microliters min-1 per gram brain homogenate) was almost 10 times higher than for simultaneously perfused [14C]sucrose, a cerebrovascular space marker. In contrast to homogenate and postcapillary supernatant, the [3H]radioactivity determined in the vascular pellet after dextran density centrifugation of the brain homogenate was very low and only somewhat higher than for [14C]sucrose. HPLC analysis of the perfused brain tissue revealed time-dependent degradation of the blood-borne neuropeptide. The percentage of intact [3H]AVP as determined in the postcapillary supernatant progressively declined during brain perfusion, from 49% at 1 min to 11.9% at 10 min. The major detectable labeled metabolite was [3H]phenylalanine, the labeled amino acid residue of [3H]AVP. The aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin (0.5 mM), perfused simultaneously with [3H]AVP by the VBP technique, did not alter tissue uptake of [3H]AVP, indicating that there was no significant hydrolysis of peptide by the luminal BBB surface.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study with syntocinon (oxytocin) was carried out in 12 patients, nine females and three males with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Patients were treated by intranasal administration of oxytocin spray (18 IU per day) or placebo. No reductions in the number of obsessions or compulsive behaviors were observed in either treatment group. To evaluate whether a higher dosage would exert more beneficial effects, two additional patients were treated with a threefold higher dosage of oxytocin using an open design. In one patient a slight reduction in the number of checking rituals was observed, whereas in the other patient virtually no effect was observed. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that oxytocin might be a potential anticompulsive agent.
Review of the published literature produces 1-year prevalence rates for major depressive disorder DSM-III between 2.6 and 6.2%, for dysthymia between 2.3 and 3.7%, bipolar disorder 1.0-1.7%. Data from the prospective Zurich Study with four interviews over 10 years give relatively high 10-year prevalence rates for subjects from age 20 to 30 (14.4% major depression, 10.5% recurrent brief depression, 0.9% dysthymia, 3.3% bipolar disorder, 1.3% hypomania). On average, 49% of all these cases received treatment for affective disorder, resulting in a weighted treatment prevalence rate of the population of 11.6% (18% for females and 5% for males). It has to be assumed that lifetime prevalence rates based on recall may greatly underestimate true morbidity.
Several lines of evidence suggest that oxytocin modulates the formation and maintenance of social bonds. In the current experiments we investigated the influence of centrally and peripherally administered oxytocin on the behavior of 6-8 day old rat pups during brief periods of social isolation. Ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by isolated pups were decreased following i.c.v. administration of oxytocin, at doses (500, 1000 ng) which did not affect motor activity. S.c. administered oxytocin (1, 10 micrograms) produced a biphasic change in ultrasonic vocalizations, depending on dose. Central administration of the oxytocin antagonist (d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2, Thr4, Tyr-NH2(9)]OVT) (OTA, 500 ng) did not measurably affect pup behavior by itself but did block the decrease in calls following central but not peripheral administration of oxytocin. These data demonstrate that oxytocin via its central receptor can regulate the response to social isolation.
Suspected complex partial seizure disorder, eating disorders, and drug abuse disorders were overrepresented among the 40% (N = 16) of female borderline inpatients who reported a history of sexual abuse. Early family disruption, more frequent hospital admissions, and concomitant antisocial personality disorder were overrepresented among those who reported past physical abuse.
Uptake of arginine-vasopressin, VP, at the luminal side of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was studied by means of an in situ brain perfusion technique in the guinea-pig. Kinetic experiments revealed a saturable peptide influx into the parietal cortex, caudate nucleus and hippocampus with Km between 2.1 and 2.7 microM, and Vmax ranging from 4.9 to 5.6 pmol.min-1.g-1. The non-saturable component, Kd, was not significantly different from zero. Influx of VP into the brain was not altered by the presence of the peptide fragments: VP-(1-8), pressinoic acid and [pGlu4,Cyt6]VP-(4-9) at 4.5 microM, nor yet by the aminopeptidase inhibitor, bestatin (0.5 mM) and the L-amino acid transport system substrates, L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine at 5 mM. At a perfusate concentration of 4.5 microM, the V1-vasopressinergic receptor antagonist, d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]VP, reduced VP influx; regional Ki values, assuming that the observed inhibitions were purely competitive, ranged between 4.7 and 8.5 microM. It is concluded that there is an apparent cerebrovascular permeability to circulating VP due to the presence of a carrier-mediated transport system for the peptide located at the luminal side. The mechanism for VP BBB uptake exhibits no affinity for peptide fragments and large neutral amino acids, but requires reception of the intact molecule, which may be the same initial step for both the BBB VP transporter and the V1-receptor.
Experiences of abuse and neglect were assessed in 24 adults diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder according to the Diagnostic Interview for Borderline Patients and in 18 depressed control subjects without borderline disorder. Significantly more of the borderline patients than depressed patients reported childhood sexual abuse, abuse by more than one person, and both sexual and physical abuse. There were no between-group differences for rates of neglect or physical abuse without sexual abuse. A stepwise logistic regression revealed that derealization, diagnostic group, and chronic dysphoria were the best predictors of childhood sexual abuse in this group of patients.
The effect of lactation on stress-induced hormone responses and changes in hypothalamic mRNA was assessed in female rats. In control animals the stimulus of ip hypertonic saline resulted in increased plasma levels of corticosterone, oxytocin, and vasopressin and hypothalamic content of CRF and enkephalin mRNA. In lactating females, however, the corticosterone response to this stress failed to reach significance, the plasma oxytocin response was markedly reduced, and the vasopressin response was unaffected. Lactation also resulted in an abolition of the CRF and enkephalin mRNA responses to stress. In contrast, the hypothalamic CRF response to adrenalectomy was unaffected by lactation status. Removal of the pups from their mothers resulted in a return of CRF and enkephalin mRNA responses to stress within 2 days. Lactation is associated with a selective inhibition of normal hypothalamic stress responses.
The inhibitory action of oxytocin (OT) on adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion has been disputed. Thus we evaluated the effect of exogenous OT on the elevated blood ACTH levels in normal human subjects. Metyrapone, a blocker of cortisol secretion, was given to enhance ACTH release. This experimental model was chosen because metyrapone-induced ACTH activation depends on diminution of the negative feed-back of cortisol, which is an important physiological mechanism in the control of ACTH secretion. A striking decline in plasma cortisol levels and a 10-fold rise in the mean plasma ACTH concentration was observed within 20 h after the beginning of metyrapone treatment (750 mg orally every 4 h). The administration of OT (2 IU as a i.v. bolus plus 4 IU infused in 2 h) significantly reduced the metyrapone-induced plasma ACTH rise. Since the effect of OT was evident when ACTH secretion was enhanced by a reduced cortisol-dependent negative feed-back, confirmation of the inhibitory action of OT on the ACTH secretory system in man is provided.
The childhood histories of 50 outpatients meeting both Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB) and DSM-III criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder, 29 outpatients meeting DSM-III criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder, and 26 outpatients meeting DSM-III for Dysthymic Disorder as well as DSM-III criteria for some other type of Axis II disorder were assessed, blind to proband diagnosis, using a semistructured interview. Borderlines were significantly more likely than those in either control group to report a history of abuse, particularly verbal and sexual abuse. They were also significantly more likely than antisocial controls to report a history of neglect, particularly emotional withdrawal, and significantly more likely than dysthymic other personality disorder controls to report a history of early separation experiences. The authors conclude that the development of Borderline Personality Disorder is more strongly associated with (1) exposure to chronically disturbed caretakers than prolonged separations from these same adults and (2) a history of abuse than a history of neglect.
To determine if oxytocin (OT) may have a modulatory role on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and vasopressin (AVP) mediated ACTH-cortisol release in women, serial experiments were performed in which saline, OT, AVP and CRF were administered singly or in combinations. OT administration (2 IU intravenous bolus followed by 111 mIU/min infusion for 3 h) maintained a circulating concentration of 7.7 X 10(-8) M and did not significantly influence basal, AVP or CRF-induced ACTH-cortisol release. In contrast, OT inhibited significantly the potentiating effect of AVP on CRF-stimulated ACTH-cortisol release. These findings suggest that OT and AVP may modulate, in a reciprocal fashion, the CRF-mediated ACTH release and support the contention that OT may be involved in the neuroendocrine response to stress in women.
The pituitary-adrenal system plays an important role in the initiation and maintenance of lactation in rats, with the suckling stimulus itself inducing the release of ACTH. The recent finding of a reduced plasma corticosterone response to a variety of noxious stimuli during lactation led us to further investigate the activity of this system in lactating (L) rats, compared with post-parturient non-lactating ontrols (NL). Plasma and adrenal corticosterone and plasma ACTH were measured, the latter with a mouse bioassay. Over a 24 h period (12 L:12 D), basal concentrations of plasma corticosterone were elevated in L females, only at those times when the NL basal concentrations were at the trough in the diurnal cycle. At all times, the plasma corticosterone increase 15 min after ether was significantly lower (by a mean of 55 %) in L rats than in NL rats. The elevations in plasma corticosterone after ether were higher for all rats during the day. The night-day difference in response to ether was greater in L rats than in NL rats. Although morning basal levels were not significantly elevated in L females deprived of their litters for 24 h, in these females, as in continually lactating rats, stress concentrations of plasma ACTH (2–4 min after ether) were one third that of the NL controls. Finally, after dexamethasone treatment, the corticosterone output to exogenous ACTH was lower in the plasma and higher in the adrenal in L rats. Thus, pituitary-adrenal activity is altered in a variety of ways during lactation.Copyright © 1973 S. Karger AG, Basel