51
|
Harvey AR. Links Between the Neurobiology of Oxytocin and Human Musicality. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:350. [PMID: 33005139 PMCID: PMC7479205 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The human species possesses two complementary, yet distinct, universal communication systems—language and music. Functional imaging studies have revealed that some core elements of these two systems are processed in closely related brain regions, but there are also clear differences in brain circuitry that likely underlie differences in functionality. Music affects many aspects of human behavior, especially in encouraging prosocial interactions and promoting trust and cooperation within groups of culturally compatible but not necessarily genetically related individuals. Music, presumably via its impact on the limbic system, is also rewarding and motivating, and music can facilitate aspects of learning and memory. In this review these special characteristics of music are considered in light of recent research on the neuroscience of the peptide oxytocin, a hormone that has both peripheral and central actions, that plays a role in many complex human behaviors, and whose expression has recently been reported to be affected by music-related activities. I will first briefly discuss what is currently known about the peptide’s physiological actions on neurons and its interactions with other neuromodulator systems, then summarize recent advances in our knowledge of the distribution of oxytocin and its receptor (OXTR) in the human brain. Next, the complex links between oxytocin and various social behaviors in humans are considered. First, how endogenous oxytocin levels relate to individual personality traits, and then how exogenous, intranasal application of oxytocin affects behaviors such as trust, empathy, reciprocity, group conformity, anxiety, and overall social decision making under different environmental conditions. It is argued that many of these characteristics of oxytocin biology closely mirror the diverse effects that music has on human cognition and emotion, providing a link to the important role music has played throughout human evolutionary history and helping to explain why music remains a special prosocial human asset. Finally, it is suggested that there is a potential synergy in combining oxytocin- and music-based strategies to improve general health and aid in the treatment of various neurological dysfunctions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alan R Harvey
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
52
|
Schaebs FS, Deschner T, Range F, Karl S, Marshall-Pescini S. Consistency and efficacy of two methods of intranasal oxytocin application in dogs. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2020; 72:106436. [PMID: 32114215 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2020.106436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years, oxytocin (OT) administration to investigate the role of the oxytocinergic system in the social behavior of dogs has become of more and more interest. To date, the most common OT administration method for dogs is the intranasal spray commonly used for humans. Due to the different nasal conformation of dogs and the unpleasantness of the procedure, most dogs need to be restrained to allow administration. This has 2 main drawbacks-it may hinder reliable administration, which might lead to tremendous variance in the uptake of OT across individuals and it is likely to be stressful for the dogs. Alternatively, a vaporizer mask can be used to administer aerolized OT and dogs can be trained to voluntarily enter the mask, which might enable a more reliable administration without having to restrain the dogs. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of these 2 methods to identify a reliable non-invasive method for exogenous OT administration, thereby assisting future research on the role of OT in canines. We administered OT to pet dogs using either an intranasal spray bottle or a vaporizer mask and assessed urinary OT concentrations as a measure of OT uptake. We found that only when administered using a vaporizer mask, OT significantly increased in all subjects, while using a spray bottle led to considerable variance in OT uptake and an inconsistent increase in urinary OT concentrations across individuals. These results suggest that using a vaporizer mask should be preferred over using an intranasal spray bottle for OT administration in dogs. If not available, experimenters should at least monitor OT uptake after administration using spray bottles, to evaluate the success of the method.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F S Schaebs
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Department ZLS, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - T Deschner
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - F Range
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - S Karl
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - S Marshall-Pescini
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
53
|
Exogenous effects of oxytocin in five psychiatric disorders: a systematic review, meta-analyses and a personalized approach through the lens of the social salience hypothesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 114:70-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
|
54
|
Diesendruck G. Why do children essentialize social groups? ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 59:31-64. [PMID: 32564795 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The tendency to essentialize social groups is universal, and arises early in development. This tendency is associated with negative intergroup attitudes and behaviors, and has thus encouraged the search for remedies for the emergence of essentialism. In this vein, great attention has been devoted to uncovering the cognitive foundations of essentialism. In this chapter, I suggest that attention should also be turned toward the motivational foundations of essentialism. I propose that considerations of power and group identity, but especially a "need to belong," may encourage children's essentialization of social groups. Namely, from a young age, children are keen to feel members of a group, and that their membership is secure and exclusive. Essentialism is the conceptual gadget that satisfies these feelings. And to the extent that groups are defined by what they do, this motivated essentialism also impels children to be adamant about the maintenance of unique group behaviors.
Collapse
|
55
|
Stauffer CS, Moschetto JM, McKernan S, Meinzer N, Chiang C, Rapier R, Hsiang E, Norona J, Borsari B, Woolley JD. Oxytocin-enhanced group therapy for methamphetamine use disorder: Randomized controlled trial. J Subst Abuse Treat 2020; 116:108059. [PMID: 32741502 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine (METH) use is a public health crisis that disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM). There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological interventions to treat methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). MUD is associated with social impairments and extremely high treatment attrition rates. Administration of oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in social attachment, may be a novel approach to addressing these issues. Moreover, oxytocin administration has shown promise for reducing METH-related addictive behavior in animal models, but has not yet been investigated in clinical trials for MUD. Last, oxytocin is known to modulate stress responsivity via regulation of the autonomic nervous system, which is dysregulated in METH users. We hypothesize that oxytocin, in combination with group psychotherapy, will increase treatment engagement, reduce addiction behavior, and mitigate stress hyperreactivity. METHODS This is a randomized, double blind trial of oxytocin 40-IU (n = 24) or placebo (n = 24) administered intranasally prior to each of six weekly motivational interviewing group therapy (MIGT) sessions for MUD in MSM. PRIMARY OUTCOME (a) session attendance. SECONDARY OUTCOMES (b) group cohesion, (c) anxiety, (d) METH craving, (e) METH use, and (f) in-session cardiac physiology. RESULTS Participants receiving oxytocin had significantly higher group therapy attendance than those receiving placebo, OR 3.26, 95% CI [1.27-8.41], p = .014. There was a small effect of oxytocin on group cohension, but not anxiety or craving. METH use did not change over the six-week MIGT course in either treatment arm. Participants receiving oxytocin had lower average heart rates during MIGT sessions and higher heart rate variability. There were positive main effects of MIGT over Time regardless of study drug. CONCLUSIONS This evidence, and the lack of any serious adverse events, suggests that oxytocin may safely increase treatment attendance. One possible mechanism by which it may do so is its modulation of the autonomic nervous system. Further investigation is warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher S Stauffer
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America; University of California, San Francisco, United States of America; Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center & Oregon Health and Science University, United States of America.
| | - Jenna M Moschetto
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America; University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
| | - Scott McKernan
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America; University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
| | | | - Chavy Chiang
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America
| | - Rachel Rapier
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America
| | - Elaine Hsiang
- University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
| | - Jerika Norona
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America
| | - Brian Borsari
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America; University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
| | - Joshua D Woolley
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States of America; University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
56
|
Orihashi R, Mizoguchi Y, Imamura Y, Yamada S, Ueno T, Monji A. Oxytocin and elderly MRI-based hippocampus and amygdala volume: a 7-year follow-up study. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa081. [PMID: 32954331 PMCID: PMC7472904 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin is deeply involved in human relations. In recent years, it is becoming clear that oxytocin is also involved in social cognition and social behaviour. Oxytocin receptors are also thought to be present in the hippocampus and amygdala, and the relationship between oxytocin and the structure and function of the hippocampus and amygdala has been reported. However, a few studies have investigated oxytocin and its relationship to hippocampus and amygdala volume in elderly people. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between serum oxytocin levels and hippocampus and amygdala volume in elderly people. The survey was conducted twice in Kurokawa-cho, Imari, Saga Prefecture, Japan, among people aged 65 years and older. We collected data from 596 residents. Serum oxytocin level measurements, brain MRI, Mini–Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating were performed in Time 1 (2009–11). Follow-up brain MRI, Mini–Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating were performed in Time 2 (2016–17). The interval between Time 1 and Time 2 was about 7 years. Fifty-eight participants (14 men, mean age 72.36 ± 3.41 years, oxytocin 0.042 ± 0.052 ng/ml; 44 women, mean age 73.07 ± 4.38 years, oxytocin 0.123 ± 0.130 ng/ml) completed this study. We analysed the correlation between serum oxytocin levels (Time 1) and brain volume (Time 1, Time 2 and Times 1–2 difference) using voxel-based morphometry implemented with Statistical Parametric Mapping. Analysis at the cluster level (family-wise error; P < 0.05) showed a positive correlation between serum oxytocin levels (Time 1) and brain volume of the region containing the left hippocampus and amygdala (Time 2). This result suggests that oxytocin in people aged 65 years and older may be associated with aging-related changes in hippocampus and amygdala volume.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryuzo Orihashi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshito Mizoguchi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshiomi Imamura
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan
| | | | - Takefumi Ueno
- Division of Clinical Research, National Hospital Organization, Hizen Psychiatric Center, Kanzaki, Saga 842-0192, Japan
| | - Akira Monji
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
57
|
Declerck CH, Boone C, Pauwels L, Vogt B, Fehr E. A registered replication study on oxytocin and trust. Nat Hum Behav 2020; 4:646-655. [PMID: 32514040 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0878-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In an influential paper, Kosfeld et al. (2005) showed that intranasal administration of oxytocin (OT) increases the transfers made by investors in the trust game-suggesting that OT increases trust in strangers. Subsequent studies investigating the role of OT in the trust game found inconclusive effects on the trusting behaviour of investors but these studies deviated from the Kosfeld et al. study in an important way-they did not implement minimal social contact (MSC) between the investors and the trustees in the trust game. Here, we performed a large double-blind and placebo-controlled replication study of the effects of OT on trusting behaviour that yields a power of more than 95% and implements an MSC condition as well as a no-social-contact (NoC) condition. We find no effect of OT on trusting behaviour in the MSC condition. Exploratory post hoc analyses suggest that OT may increase trust in individuals with a low disposition to trust in the NoC condition, but this finding requires confirmation in future research. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 19 October 2018. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.11980368.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn H Declerck
- Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christophe Boone
- Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Loren Pauwels
- Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bodo Vogt
- Chair in Empirical Economics and Health Economics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Fehr
- Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
58
|
Yang S, Xu Q, Li P. Oxytocin modulates responsibility attribution and hypothetical Resource allocation during cooperation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 114:104597. [PMID: 32044651 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Reasonable responsibility attribution and resource allocation in intragroup contexts benefit the evolution of group cooperation. Oxytocin (OT) has been shown to promote prosocial behavior; however, it remains unclear whether OT affects responsibility attribution and hypothetical resource allocation. In the present study, participants were intranasally administered OT or placebo (PLC) before a response task with a partner. The participant could win a certain amount of money depending on the group's performance, which was determined by the faster player. The contribution was manipulated to be similar in the first phase, while the participants could individually contribute more in the second phase. Our results show that both groups attributed more credit to the player who performed better in a trial. Moreover, reward magnitude only enhanced effort-based attribution in the OT group. Although both groups proposed to distribute money based on individual efforts, the PLC group increased their effort-based allocation when they contributed more, regardless of the fact that the money was eventually equally distributed. Our study demonstrates that OT modulates responsibility attribution and hypothetical resource allocation in different manners, suggesting that OT has different effects on a participant's perception of individual contribution and fairness when allocating a reward during social cooperation in a real effort task.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shiyao Yang
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Peng Li
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
| |
Collapse
|
59
|
Shi Y, Liu J, Hu Z, Gao S. Opposing sex-dependent effects of oxytocin on the perception of gaze direction. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:869-876. [PMID: 31844937 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05423-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yahuan Shi
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China.,Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinmeng Liu
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China.,Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhonghua Hu
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China. .,Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shan Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China. .,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
60
|
Lemoine S, Preis A, Samuni L, Boesch C, Crockford C, Wittig RM. Between-Group Competition Impacts Reproductive Success in Wild Chimpanzees. Curr Biol 2020; 30:312-318.e3. [PMID: 31902731 PMCID: PMC6971690 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Between-group competition in social animals appears to be a prominent selective pressure shaping the evolution of territoriality and cooperation [1-4]. Evidence for an effect of between-group competition on fitness in territorial species, however, is mostly lacking because of difficulty in measuring between-group competition and its long-term impact [5]. Between-group competition corresponds to a complex set of interactions between neighboring groups, and its intensity seems to depend on the competitive abilities of each interacting group [6, 7]. We tested whether the competitive ability of groups and the pressure exerted by neighboring groups affected the reproductive success of wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). Using long-term data on four neighboring groups in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, collected over the course of 54 observation years, we measured the competitive ability of habituated groups using the number of mature males and the pressure exerted by non-habituated neighbors with an index of neighbor pressure that combined the frequency of neighboring encounters and related spatial information. Importantly, we found that experiencing low neighbor pressure provides fitness benefits through increased offspring survival and shorter inter-birth intervals. Also, many males in a group are associated with shorter inter-birth intervals. We conclude that high between-group competition hampers fast reproduction and offspring survival when exposure is during the prenatal period. Our findings suggest that having many males in a group results in fitness benefits and that between-group competition should be considered as a potential selective pressure that shaped key social adaptations in the hominoid lineage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Lemoine
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique en Côte d'Ivoire, 01 BP 1303 Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Anna Preis
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique en Côte d'Ivoire, 01 BP 1303 Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Liran Samuni
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique en Côte d'Ivoire, 01 BP 1303 Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique en Côte d'Ivoire, 01 BP 1303 Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique en Côte d'Ivoire, 01 BP 1303 Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
61
|
Riem MME, Kunst LE, Bekker MHJ, Fallon M, Kupper N. Intranasal oxytocin enhances stress-protective effects of social support in women with negative childhood experiences during a virtual Trier Social Stress Test. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 111:104482. [PMID: 31677411 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is considered a biological mechanism underlying stress-protective effects of positive social interactions. It is assumed to underlie the women-specific tend-and-befriend response to stress, although few studies have tested this assertion with female samples. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to test whether oxytocin enhances stress-protective effects of social support during stress in women, taking into account the moderating role of childhood adversity. The sample consisted of 180 female undergraduate students who had reported on experiences of childhood abuse and how often their mother used love withdrawal as an insensitive disciplinary strategy. Women participated in a virtual version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and were randomly assigned to receive 24 IU oxytocin or a placebo and to receive support or no support from a female friend (sub-groups N = 45). Results showed that oxytocin reduced heart rate variability during the TSST in participants who received support, possibly indicating that oxytocin increases attention and stimulates a challenge motivational state in the presence of a friend. In addition, we found that, in the presence of a friend, oxytocin reduced state anxiety levels and cortisol levels after the TSST, but only in women with higher levels of adverse childhood experiences. Our findings may indicate that oxytocin is a neurobiological means to attain and benefit from social support under stressful circumstances, which may be particularly adaptive for women with a history of adversity. Thus, oxytocin may function as motivator for affiliative disposition during stress exposure in women with a history of childhood adversity. Results should be replicated in clinical samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M M E Riem
- Center of Research on Psychological and Somatic disorders, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - L E Kunst
- Center of Research on Psychological and Somatic disorders, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - M H J Bekker
- Center of Research on Psychological and Somatic disorders, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M Fallon
- Business School, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - N Kupper
- Center of Research on Psychological and Somatic disorders, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
62
|
Pavarini G, Sun R, Mahmoud M, Cross I, Schnall S, Fischer A, Deakin J, Ziauddeen H, Kogan A, Vuillier L. The role of oxytocin in the facial mimicry of affiliative vs. non-affiliative emotions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 109:104377. [PMID: 31493677 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The present paper builds upon a growing body of work documenting oxytocin's role in social functioning, to test whether this hormone facilitates spontaneous mimicry of others' emotional expressions. In a double-blind, randomized trial, adult Caucasian males (n = 145) received a nasal spray of either oxytocin or placebo before completing a facial mimicry task. Facial expressions were coded using automated face analysis. Oxytocin increased mimicry of facial features of sadness (lips and chin, but not areas around the eyes), an affiliative reaction that facilitates social bonding. Oxytocin also increased mimicry of happiness, but only for individuals who expressed low levels of happiness in response to neutral faces. Overall, participants did not reliably mimic expressions of fear and anger, echoing recent theoretical accounts of emotional mimicry as dependent on the social context. In sum, our findings suggest that oxytocin facilitates emotional mimicry in ways that are conducive to affiliation, pointing to a possible pathway through which oxytocin promotes social bonding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Pavarini
- Centre for Music and Science, University of Cambridge, 11 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DP, United Kingdom.
| | - Rui Sun
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Marwa Mahmoud
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Cross
- Centre for Music and Science, University of Cambridge, 11 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DP, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Schnall
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Agneta Fischer
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, Amsterdam 1018 WV, The Netherlands
| | - Julia Deakin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Herchel Smith Building, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Hisham Ziauddeen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Herchel Smith Building, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Cambridge CB21 5EF, United Kingdom
| | - Aleksandr Kogan
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Vuillier
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
63
|
Moscovice LR, Surbeck M, Fruth B, Hohmann G, Jaeggi AV, Deschner T. The cooperative sex: Sexual interactions among female bonobos are linked to increases in oxytocin, proximity and coalitions. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104581. [PMID: 31449811 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In some species habitual same-sex sexual behavior co-occurs with high levels of intra-sexual alliance formation, suggesting that these behaviors may be linked. We tested for such a link by comparing behavioral and physiological outcomes of sex with unrelated same- and opposite-sex partners in female bonobos (Pan paniscus). We analyzed behavioral outcomes following 971 sexual events involving n = 19 female and n = 8 male adult and sub-adult members of a wild, habituated bonobo community. We additionally collected n = 143 urine samples before and after sexual interactions to non-invasively measure oxytocin (OT), which modulates female sexual behavior and facilitates cooperation in other species. The majority of sexual events (65%) consisted of female same-sex genito-genital rubbing (or GG-rubbing). Female dyads engaged in significantly more sexual interactions than did inter-sexual dyads, and females were more likely to remain within close proximity to their partners following GG-rubbing. Females also exhibited greater increases in urinary OT following GG-rubbing compared with copulations, indicating a physiological basis for increased motivation to cooperate among females. The frequency of coalitionary support among non-kin was positively predicted by the frequency of sexual interactions for female as well opposite-sex dyads, although coalitionary support tended to be more frequent among females. The emergence of habitual same-sex sexual behavior may have been an important step in the evolution of cooperation outside of kinship and pair-bonds in one of our closest phylogenetic relatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liza R Moscovice
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, D-18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; Anthropology Department, Emory University, 1557 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Martin Surbeck
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Peabody Museum, 5(th) Floor, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Primatology Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Barbara Fruth
- Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom; Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 20-26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Primatology Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Anthropology Department, Emory University, 1557 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Primatology Department, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
64
|
Romero-Martínez Á, Rodríguez A, Moya-Albiol L. Is It Easy to Synchronize Our Minds When We Are Forced to Cooperate? Brain Sci 2019; 9:E282. [PMID: 31635245 PMCID: PMC6826415 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9100282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing scientific interest in elucidating the biological mechanisms underlying cooperative behaviors. Humans have developed a high degree of complexity in their cooperativity, which has been defined as hyper-cooperativity. An interesting biological marker to study how two individuals are emotionally linked when they cooperate is their psychophysiological synchronization (the overlapping of signals as indicators of Autonomous Nervous System activation). Hence, the main aim of this study was to explore participants' psychophysiological synchronization, based on electrocardiograms (ECG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) signals in a sample of strangers who were set up to cooperate (n = 29 pairs of same sex strangers; mean age = 20.52 ± 1.72), compared to participants who were forced to compete (n = 22 pairs of same sex strangers; mean age = 20.45 ± 1.53) in a laboratory setting. Moreover, the roles of the participants' gender and the outcomes (positive or negative) obtained in the cooperation were examined as potential moderators of this psychophysiological synchronization. Results showed a progressive increase in ECG and GSR signal synchronization in participants who cooperated, reaching the highest levels of synchronization during the recovery period. Moreover, cooperation induced higher GSR synchronization in comparison with competition. Finally, although gender played an important role in the psychophysiological synchronization during cooperation (women presented the highest overlapping of GSR signals), feedback about the participants' performance was not significantly associated with their psychophysiological synchronization. Therefore, research in this field would help us to understand more about the body's physiological responses to different types of social interactions, such as cooperation and competition, providing an opportunity to establish interaction strategies that would be physiologically desirable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alejandro Rodríguez
- Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), La Fe Health Research Institute, 46026 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Luis Moya-Albiol
- Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), La Fe Health Research Institute, 46026 Valencia, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
65
|
Oxytocin reduces interpersonal distance: Examining moderating effects of childrearing experiences and interpersonal context in virtual reality. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 108:102-109. [PMID: 31252303 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin has been shown to stimulate social approach behaviors, although effects may depend on contextual and individual difference factors. Here, we examined intranasal oxytocin effects on interpersonal distance using an immersive Virtual Reality paradigm, taking into account early caregiving experiences and interpersonal context as potential moderators. Participants were 180 women who received 24 IU oxytocin or a placebo and had reported how often their mother used love withdrawal as a disciplinary strategy, involving withholding love and affection after a failure or misbehavior. We used a virtual stop-distance paradigm, instructing participants to approach a virtual person or to stop an approaching virtual person at a preferred distance (passive approach). In order to examine the role of interpersonal context in shaping oxytocin effects, facial expressions and bodily gestures of the virtual person were manipulated. The person showed a dynamical expression of sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, or no emotional expression in six different emotion conditions. We found that oxytocin reduced interpersonal distance across the different emotion conditions, but only in individuals with lower levels of love withdrawal. In addition, oxytocin reduced anxiety levels during passive approach, in particular in the disgust condition, but only in individuals with lower levels of maternal disciplinary love withdrawal. Individuals with more love withdrawal experienced more anxiety while being approached by a virtual person displaying disgust or fear, but benefitted less from anxiety-reducing oxytocin effects. These results are consistent with previous research showing a dysregulated oxytocinergic system after childhood adversity and indicate that oxytocin may be less effective for individuals who are most in need of an intervention because of a problematic family background.
Collapse
|
66
|
Schaebs FS, Marshall-Pescini S, Range F, Deschner T. Analytical validation of an Enzyme Immunoassay for the measurement of urinary oxytocin in dogs and wolves. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 281:73-82. [PMID: 31121163 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Assessing changes in oxytocin (OT) levels in response to a variety of social stimuli has become of major interest in the field of behavioral endocrinology. OT is involved in the regulation of various aspects of social behavior such as tolerance, and the formation and maintenance of social bonds but also the regulation of stress. All of these aspects have been identified as potential targets of selection during the domestication process. Therefore, comparing the role of the oxytocinergic system in various aspects of dog and wolf social behavior, might help to understand whether this system was involved in the domestication process. Studies assessing OT levels in dogs and wolves have used invasively collected plasma and serum samples and non-invasively collected urine samples. However, when using an assay system on a new species a careful and complete validation of the method is of crucial importance, and to date no proper validation, to assess urinary OT levels in dogs and wolves, has been reported. We therefore conducted an analytical validation of an Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) for the measurement of OT in urine of dogs and wolves, using a commercially available EIA. Stability tests revealed that OT levels degrade over time when stored at 4 °C, but are little affected by repeated thawing. In addition, our results indicate that the variance in OT levels is slightly lower when phosphoric acid is added following collection to prevent OT degradation. Long term storage tests revealed that urinary OT levels are least variable when stored as extracts in ethanol at -20 °C, rather than as unextracted urine samples. Validation results were acceptable with regard to parallelism, but values for accuracy and extraction efficiency were not meeting the standard criteria usually applied to steroid EIAs, especially when assessed for the lower range of the assay. The results of this study highlight the importance of an analytical assay validation, since even if validation parameters are not optimal, if published, they allow readers to estimate the relevance of studies using the validated method.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franka S Schaebs
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Friederike Range
- Wolf Science Center, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
67
|
Venta A, Ha C, Vanwoerden S, Newlin E, Strathearn L, Sharp C. Paradoxical Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Trust in Inpatient and Community Adolescents. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL FOR THE SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, DIVISION 53 2019; 48:706-715. [PMID: 29236527 PMCID: PMC6167185 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2017.1399401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Research suggests that oxytocin, a neuropeptide implicated in attachment, is a promising clinical tool because it increases affiliation and attachment behaviors, which are reduced in a range of psychiatric disorders. Oxytocin has been recommended as a psychiatric treatment for adolescents, but this remains largely unstudied. Skepticism is warranted, based on mixed findings in adults and absence of data across development. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of intranasal oxytocin on attachment-related and non-attachment-related trust in an interactive game, determining how this effect differs among inpatient adolescents and healthy controls and whether this effect is moderated by attachment security. There were 122 adolescents (ages 12-17; n = 75 inpatient, 70% female, 37% Black, 24% Hispanic, 20% White, and 20% multiracial; n = 46 control, 55% female, 75% Caucasian) randomized to receive self-administered intranasal oxytocin or a placebo and play a trust game with their mother and a stranger over the Internet. Oxytocin only affected the trust game behavior of adolescents when attachment security was moderate or low. At these levels, oxytocin increased the trust of patients, such that their behavior was equivalent to that of healthy controls. Paradoxically, oxytocin reduced the investments of healthy control subjects. This study takes a first step toward determining whether, and for whom, oxytocin may have a trust-enhancing effect and challenges simplistic notions of oxytocin as the attachment-chemical of the brain-pointing instead to differential oxytocin effects based upon clinical status (patient vs. control) and attachment security.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Venta
- Sam Houston State University, Hunstville, TX 77341
| | - Carolyn Ha
- University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX
| | | | | | | | - Carla Sharp
- University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Houston, TX 77204
| |
Collapse
|
68
|
Chruścicka B, Wallace Fitzsimons SE, Borroto-Escuela DO, Druelle C, Stamou P, Nally K, Dinan TG, Cryan JF, Fuxe K, Schellekens H. Attenuation of Oxytocin and Serotonin 2A Receptor Signaling through Novel Heteroreceptor Formation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:3225-3240. [PMID: 31038917 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The oxytocin receptor (OTR) and the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HTR2A) are expressed in similar brain regions modulating central pathways critical for social and cognition-related behaviors. Signaling crosstalk between their endogenous ligands, oxytocin (OT) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), highlights the complex interplay between these two neurotransmitter systems and may be indicative of the formation of heteroreceptor complexes with subsequent downstream signaling changes. In this study, we assess the possible formation of OTR-5HTR2A heteromers in living cells and the functional downstream consequences of this receptor-receptor interaction. First, we demonstrated the existence of a physical interaction between the OTR and 5-HTR2A in vitro, using a flow cytometry-based FRET approach and confocal microscopy. Furthermore, we investigated the formation of this specific heteroreceptor complex ex vivo in the brain sections using the Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA). The OTR-5HTR2A heteroreceptor complexes were identified in limbic regions (including hippocampus, cingulate cortex, and nucleus accumbens), key regions associated with cognition and social-related behaviors. Next, functional cellular-based assays to assess the OTR-5HTR2A downstream signaling crosstalk showed a reduction in potency and efficacy of OT and OTR synthetic agonists, carbetocin and WAY267464, on OTR-mediated Gαq signaling. Similarly, the activation of 5-HTR2A by the endogenous agonist, 5-HT, also revealed attenuation in Gαq-mediated signaling. Finally, altered receptor trafficking within the cell was demonstrated, indicative of cotrafficking of the OTR/5-HTR2A pair. Overall, these results constitute a novel mechanism of specific interaction between the OT and 5-HT neurotransmitters via OTR-5HTR2A heteroreceptor formation and provide potential new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of social and cognition-related diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Chruścicka
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Shauna E. Wallace Fitzsimons
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | - Clémentine Druelle
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | - Kenneth Nally
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Timothy G. Dinan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - John F. Cryan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Kjell Fuxe
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Harriët Schellekens
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
69
|
Yap WJ, Cheon B, Hong YY, Christopoulos GI. Cultural Attachment: From Behavior to Computational Neuroscience. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:209. [PMID: 31281247 PMCID: PMC6596443 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cultural attachment (CA) refers to processes that allow culture and its symbols to provide psychological security when facing threat. Epistemologically, whereas we currently have an adequate predictivist model of CA, it is necessary to prepare for a mechanistic approach that will not only predict, but also explain CA phenomena. Toward that direction, we here first examine the concepts and mechanisms that are the building blocks of both the prototypical maternal attachment as well as CA. Based on existing robust neuroscience models we associate these concepts and mechanisms with bona fide neurobiological functions to advance an integrative neurobiological model of CA. We further discuss the unresolved relationship of CA to other similar socio-cognitive concepts such as familiarity. Overall aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of integrating CA theory to computational approaches to culture and evolution (such as predictive processing computations explaining niche construction), as this will allow a dynamic interpretation of cultural processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Jie Yap
- Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Decision, Environmental and Organizational Neuroscience Lab, Culture Science Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bobby Cheon
- School of Social Sciences (Psychology), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ying-Yi Hong
- Department of Marketing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - George I Christopoulos
- Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Decision, Environmental and Organizational Neuroscience Lab, Culture Science Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
70
|
Smith MF, Leverett KL, Wilson BJ, Brosnan SF. Capuchin monkeys (
Sapajus
[
Cebus
]
apella
) play Nash equilibria in dynamic games, but their decisions are likely not influenced by oxytocin. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e22973. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie F. Smith
- Department of Psychology Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia
- Language Research Center Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia
| | | | - Bart J. Wilson
- Economic Science Institute Chapman University Orange California
- Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy Chapman University Orange California
| | - Sarah F. Brosnan
- Department of Psychology Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia
- Language Research Center Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
71
|
Influs M, Masalha S, Zagoory-Shaon O, Feldman R. Dialogue intervention to youth amidst intractable conflict attenuates stress response to outgroup. Horm Behav 2019; 110:68-76. [PMID: 30807738 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2018] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Encounter with outgroup has been shown to elicit physiological stress response and when outgroup is perceived as threatening to one's own family and community, stress is higher. In such contexts, becoming familiar and learning to empathize with the other side may reduce stress. Building on the long-lasting Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we developed an eight-week group intervention focused on dialogue and empathy and tested it within a randomized controlled trial. Eighty-eight Israeli-Jewish and Arab-Palestinian adolescents (16-18 years) were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Before(T1) and after(T2) intervention, one-on-one interaction with outgroup member was videotaped, cortisol levels assessed five times during a 2.5-hour session involving exposure to outgroup stimuli, and adolescents were interviewed regarding national conflict. Intervention reduced cortisol response to social contact and reminders of outgroup (F = 4.92, p = .032, Eta2 = 0.109). This HPA-activity suppression was defined by two pathways. First, intervention had a direct impact on cortisol decrease; and second, intervention increased youth's behavioral empathy during one-on-one interaction with outgroup member and this empathic response mediated the effect of intervention on cortisol reduction. Adolescents' belief in the potential for reconciliation at T1 predicted greater empathy at T2. Our study provides the first evidence-based intervention for youth growing up amidst intractable conflict and demonstrates its impact on adolescents' physiological stress response to outgroup. Results contribute to research on the neurobiology of ingroup/outgroup relations, highlight the key role of dialogical empathy and social interactions for interventions targeting youth, and emphasize the importance of enhancing motivation for social inclusion for initiating positive behavioral and physiological processes. Clinical Trials Registry (NCT02122887; https://clinicaltrials.gov).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moran Influs
- Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlia, Israel; Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | | | | | - Ruth Feldman
- Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlia, Israel; Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
72
|
Sariñana-González P, Romero-Martínez Á, Moya-Albiol L. Cooperation Between Strangers in Face-to-Face Dyads Produces More Cardiovascular Activation Than Competition or Working Alone. J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Individual and shared goals can be achieved through social interpersonal interaction, cooperation and competition being two different yet similar strategies to reach such aims and objectives. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the literature analyzing the effect of these types of social interactions, especially in cooperation, on autonomic nervous system responses using noninvasive measures, such as heart rate (HR). The regulation of HR and other cardiovascular variables of the central nervous system offers information about how to encourage or discourage social engagement and prosocial behaviors. In fact, a more flexible engagement with the environment and efficient emotions regulation is enabled by an efficient cardiac control. Hence, the main aim of this study was to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) in strangers (180 healthy young participants) who were set to cooperate or compete in face-to-face dyads (between same-gender participants) or to work alone (as the control condition), considering outcomes in these tasks (positive or negative) and gender as moderating variables. We found that participants who cooperated had higher HRs and lower high frequency (HF) HRV than those who competed and/or worked alone. Regarding gender and outcome, men who cooperate and lose have lower HF-HRV levels than men on the simple task with negative outcomes. Hence, our study indicates that cooperation between strangers in face-to-face dyads may produce less parasympathetic activation than competition or working on the task without any social interaction. Research in this field may help us understand the psychophysiological basis of social interaction, providing an opportunity to establish interaction strategies that would be physiologically desirable, in order to promote well-being.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luis Moya-Albiol
- Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
73
|
Romero T, Konno A, Nagasawa M, Hasegawa T. Oxytocin modulates responses to inequity in dogs. Physiol Behav 2019; 201:104-110. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
74
|
Noriuchi M, Kikuchi Y, Mori K, Kamio Y. The orbitofrontal cortex modulates parenting stress in the maternal brain. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1658. [PMID: 30733605 PMCID: PMC6367346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38402-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many mothers are adaptive, deploying successful coping strategies that mitigate the deleterious effects of parenting stress on caregiving, nevertheless, the neural mechanisms underlying these adaptive responses remain unclear. We utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain activity in 28 healthy mothers of typically developing, 2-to-3-year-old children in response to the feeding behavior of their own children versus that of other children. We then examined the correlation between maternal brain activation and subjective feelings of parenting stress. Brain regions associated with maternal motivation including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), ventral pallidum, periaqueductal gray (PAG), dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), and anterior insular cortex (AIC)—as well as those associated with the recognition of one’s own child’s state (e.g., cerebellum)—exhibited significant activation in response to their own children. While mothers with higher activation in the OFC showed less parenting stress related to one’s sense of competence in the parental role, mothers with higher co-activation of the OFC with both of the AIC and PAG/DRN, and with the cerebellum showed less parenting stress caused by child characteristics. Our findings suggest that well-balanced maternal brain mechanisms integrated by the OFC may provide effective adaptive responses in daily parenting scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madoka Noriuchi
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Science, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, 7-2-10 Higashi-ogu, Arakawa, Tokyo, 116-8551, Japan.
| | - Yoshiaki Kikuchi
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Science, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, 7-2-10 Higashi-ogu, Arakawa, Tokyo, 116-8551, Japan
| | - Kumiko Mori
- Department of Frontier Health Science, Division of Human Health Science, Graduate School of Tokyo Metropolitan University, 7-2-10 Higashi-ogu, Arakawa, Tokyo, 116-8551, Japan
| | - Yoko Kamio
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan.,Institute of Education and Human Development, Ochanomizu Univesrsity, 2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 112-8610, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
75
|
Rault JL. Be kind to others: Prosocial behaviours and their implications for animal welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
|
76
|
Sapolsky RM. Doubled-Edged Swords in the Biology of Conflict. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2625. [PMID: 30619017 PMCID: PMC6306482 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable advances have been made in understanding the biological roots of conflict, and such understanding requires a multidisciplinary approach, recognizing the relevance of neurobiological, endocrine, genetic, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives. With these insights comes the first hints of biological interventions that may mitigate violence. However, such interventions are typically double-edged swords, with the potential to foster conflict rather than lessen it. This review constitutes a cautionary note of being careful of what one wishes for.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert M. Sapolsky
- Gilbert Laboratory MC 5020, Departments of Biology, Neurology and Neurological Sciences, and Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
77
|
Barrera G, Dzik V, Cavalli C, Bentosela M. Effect of Intranasal Oxytocin Administration on Human-Directed Social Behaviors in Shelter and Pet Dogs. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2227. [PMID: 30524337 PMCID: PMC6262305 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A wide variety of evidence has demonstrated that oxytocin is involved in socio-cognitive skills in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). The purpose was to evaluate the effect of oxytocin administration on socio-cognitive abilities in two populations of dogs with different levels of daily human contact: shelter and pet dogs. Additionally, the effect of different doses of oxytocin (i.e., 16 and 24 IU) was assessed. To this end, dogs were tested on two tasks: a sociability test to assess their social responses and a communicative task focused on the learning of gazing responses. Results showed that pet dogs performed better than shelter dogs on the sociability and the gazing tests showing the relevance of dogs’ previous experience and learning when interacting with people. The administration of 16 IU as well as 24 IU of oxytocin improved the performance on the communicative learning task, producing an increment in gaze duration during extinction. This difference was observed in both pet and shelter dogs. Therefore, oxytocin seems to participate in the persistence of this communicative response. However, the treatment did not modify the behaviors during the sociability test. Furthermore, oxytocin appears to be beneficial to increase the communicative abilities of shelter dogs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Barrera
- Grupo de Investigación del Comportamiento en Cánidos, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Victoria Dzik
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de investigaciones Mdicas A Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Técnicas, Instituto de investigaciones Médicas, Grupo de Investigación del Comportamiento en Cánidos, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Camila Cavalli
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de investigaciones Mdicas A Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Técnicas, Instituto de investigaciones Médicas, Grupo de Investigación del Comportamiento en Cánidos, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Bentosela
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de investigaciones Mdicas A Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientficas y Técnicas, Instituto de investigaciones Médicas, Grupo de Investigación del Comportamiento en Cánidos, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
78
|
Cavanaugh J, Mustoe A, Womack SL, French JA. Oxytocin modulates mate-guarding behavior in marmoset monkeys. Horm Behav 2018; 106:150-161. [PMID: 30342885 PMCID: PMC6298842 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In socially-monogamous species, intolerance of interactions between a pairmate and a sexual rival (i.e., mate-guarding) promotes the preservation of long-lasting partnerships. One promising neurobiological candidate for the regulation of mate-guarding behavior in monogamous primates is the oxytocin (OT) system, given its established role in both the development of monogamous bonds and the behavioral processes that facilitate the preservation of those bonds. In this study, male and female marmosets were exposed to a same-sex intruder in their home environment during conditions when their pairmate was present and absent, and across three treatment conditions (OT receptor agonist; saline control; OT receptor antagonist). Saline-treated marmosets spent significantly more time in proximity to the intruder, relative to the empty pairmate enclosure, when their pairmate was absent. However, when marmosets received OT they spent less time in proximity to the intruder, indicating that OT may reduce interest in a same-sex stranger in a territorial context. When their pairmate was present, saline-treated marmosets spent equal time in proximity to both intruder and pairmate; yet when they received OT they spent significantly more time in proximity to the intruder, indicating that OT may increase interest in a same-sex stranger in a mate-guarding context. While OT treatment did not directly influence the expression of aggression, OT system manipulations impacted the expression of selective social interest during an intruder challenge, suggesting that OT may enhance adaptive responses to social challenges. Moreover, these findings add to the converging evidence that the OT system regulates behavioral processes that underlie the preservation of established relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jon Cavanaugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States of America.
| | - Aaryn Mustoe
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States of America
| | - Stephanie L Womack
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey A French
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States of America; Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
79
|
Gruson D. Oxytocin testing and reproductive health: Status and clinical applications. Clin Biochem 2018; 62:55-61. [PMID: 30392999 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a nonapeptide hormone mainly synthesized in the magnocellular neurons of the paraventricular and supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. In the extra-hypothalamic brain areas, OT acts like neurotransmitters and modulators. The physiological functions of OT are multiple. OT participates to the coordination and control of gonadal development and reproduction. OT appears also as an important regulator of social behaviors such as affiliative, parental, and romantic behaviors. Recent evidence suggests other roles for OT such as potent effects on cardiometabolic functions or involvement in stress-related disorders. The growing interest around the clinical role of OT raised the question of the measurement of OT levels and performances of assays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Gruson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Pôle de recherche en Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
80
|
Modelling Adaptation through Social Allostasis: Modulating the Effects of Social Touch with Oxytocin in Embodied Agents. MULTIMODAL TECHNOLOGIES AND INTERACTION 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/mti2040067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Social allostasis is a mechanism of adaptation that permits individuals to dynamically adapt their physiology to changing physical and social conditions. Oxytocin (OT) is widely considered to be one of the hormones that drives and adapts social behaviours. While its precise effects remain unclear, two areas where OT may promote adaptation are by affecting social salience, and affecting internal responses of performing social behaviours. Working towards a model of dynamic adaptation through social allostasis in simulated embodied agents, and extending our previous work studying OT-inspired modulation of social salience, we present a model and experiments that investigate the effects and adaptive value of allostatic processes based on hormonal (OT) modulation of affective elements of a social behaviour. In particular, we investigate and test the effects and adaptive value of modulating the degree of satisfaction of tactile contact in a social motivation context in a small simulated agent society across different environmental challenges (related to availability of food) and effects of OT modulation of social salience as a motivational incentive. Our results show that the effects of these modulatory mechanisms have different (positive or negative) adaptive value across different groups and under different environmental circumstance in a way that supports the context-dependent nature of OT, put forward by the interactionist approach to OT modulation in biological agents. In terms of simulation models, this means that OT modulation of the mechanisms that we have described should be context-dependent in order to maximise viability of our socially adaptive agents, illustrating the relevance of social allostasis mechanisms.
Collapse
|
81
|
Kasos E, Kasos K, Pusztai F, Polyák Á, Kovács KJ, Varga K. CHANGES IN OXYTOCIN AND CORTISOL IN ACTIVE-ALERT HYPNOSIS: Hormonal Changes Benefiting Low Hypnotizable Participants. Int J Clin Exp Hypn 2018; 66:404-427. [PMID: 30152735 DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2018.1495009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
It is increasingly clear that oxytocin and cortisol play an intricate role in the regulation of behavior and emotions impacting health, relationships, and well-being. Their long-term, cross-generational effect makes them an important focus of the present study. This exploratory research examined changes in oxytocin and cortisol levels and their correlations with different phenomenological measures in both hypnotist and subject during active-alert hypnosis. The level of oxytocin increased whereas the level of cortisol decreased in the hypnotist. When comparing the oxytocin changes of subjects with their hypnotizability, those with low hypnotizability scores experienced an increase in oxytocin, and those with medium and high hypnotizability scores showed no change or decrease. This could explain why clients' hypnotizability is not considered an important factor during hypnotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eniko Kasos
- a Doctoral School of Psychology , Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Krisztian Kasos
- a Doctoral School of Psychology , Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Fanni Pusztai
- a Doctoral School of Psychology , Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Ágnes Polyák
- b Institute of Experimental Medicine , Budapest , Hungary
| | | | - Katalin Varga
- c Institute of Psychology , Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
82
|
Revisiting the form and function of conflict: Neurobiological, psychological, and cultural mechanisms for attack and defense within and between groups. Behav Brain Sci 2018; 42:e116. [PMID: 30251617 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x18002170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Conflict can profoundly affect individuals and their groups. Oftentimes, conflict involves a clash between one side seeking change and increased gains through victory and the other side defending the status quo and protecting against loss and defeat. However, theory and empirical research largely neglected these conflicts between attackers and defenders, and the strategic, social, and psychological consequences of attack and defense remain poorly understood. To fill this void, we model (1) the clashing of attack and defense as games of strategy and reveal that (2) attack benefits from mismatching its target's level of defense, whereas defense benefits from matching the attacker's competitiveness. This suggests that (3) attack recruits neuroendocrine pathways underlying behavioral activation and overconfidence, whereas defense invokes neural networks for behavioral inhibition, vigilant scanning, and hostile attributions; and that (4) people invest less in attack than defense, and attack often fails. Finally, we propose that (5) in intergroup conflict, out-group attack needs institutional arrangements that motivate and coordinate collective action, whereas in-group defense benefits from endogenously emerging in-group identification. We discuss how games of attack and defense may have shaped human capacities for prosociality and aggression, and how third parties can regulate such conflicts and reduce their waste.
Collapse
|
83
|
Crutchfield P. Moral Enhancement Can Kill. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND PHILOSOPHY 2018; 43:568-584. [DOI: 10.1093/jmp/jhy020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Parker Crutchfield
- Western Michigan University, Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|
84
|
Ferera M, Baron AS, Diesendruck G. Collaborative and competitive motivations uniquely impact infants' racial categorization. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
85
|
Tops M, Huijbregts SCJ, Buisman-Pijlman FTA. Commentary: Intranasal Oxytocin Treatment Increases Eye-Gaze Behavior toward the Owner in Ancient Japanese Dog Breeds. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1473. [PMID: 30174635 PMCID: PMC6107786 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mattie Tops
- Department of Clinical, Neuro & Developmental Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Stephan C J Huijbregts
- Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies-Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Femke T A Buisman-Pijlman
- Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
86
|
Ma X, Zhao W, Luo R, Zhou F, Geng Y, Xu L, Gao Z, Zheng X, Becker B, Kendrick KM. Sex- and context-dependent effects of oxytocin on social sharing. Neuroimage 2018; 183:62-72. [PMID: 30086408 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We interact socially and form bonds with others because such experiences are rewarding. However, an insecure attachment style or social anxiety can reduce these rewarding effects. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) may facilitate social interactions either by increasing their rewarding experience or by attenuating anxiety, although effects can be sex- and attachment-style dependent. In this study, 128 pairs of same-sex friends completed a social sharing paradigm in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design with one friend inside an MRI scanner and the other in a remote behavioral testing room. In this way we could examine whether intranasal-OXT differentially modulated the emotional impact of social sharing and associated neural processing. Additionally, we investigated if OXT effects were modulated by sex and attachment style. Results showed that in women, but not men, OXT increased ratings for sharing stimuli with their friend but not with a stranger, particularly in the friend in the scanner. Corresponding neuroimaging results showed that OXT decreased both amygdala and insula activity as well as their functional connectivity in women when they shared with friends but had the opposite effect in men. On the other hand, OXT did not enhance responses in brain reward circuitry. In the PLC treated group amygdala responses in women when they shared pictures with their friend were positively associated with attachment anxiety and OXT uncoupled this. Our findings demonstrate that OXT facilitates the impact of sharing positive experiences with others in women, but not men, and that this is associated with differential effects on the amygdala and insula and their functional connections. Furthermore, OXT particularly reduced increased amygdala responses during sharing in individuals with higher attachment anxiety. Thus, OXT effects in this context may be due more to reduced anxiety when sharing with a friend than to enhanced social reward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaole Ma
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Weihua Zhao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Ruixue Luo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Yayuan Geng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Lei Xu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Zhao Gao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zheng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China.
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China.
| |
Collapse
|
87
|
|
88
|
Raulo A, Dantzer B. Associations between glucocorticoids and sociality across a continuum of vertebrate social behavior. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7697-7716. [PMID: 30151183 PMCID: PMC6106170 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The causes and consequences of individual differences in animal behavior and stress physiology are increasingly studied in wild animals, yet the possibility that stress physiology underlies individual variation in social behavior has received less attention. In this review, we bring together these study areas and focus on understanding how the activity of the vertebrate neuroendocrine stress axis (HPA-axis) may underlie individual differences in social behavior in wild animals. We first describe a continuum of vertebrate social behaviors spanning from initial social tendencies (proactive behavior) to social behavior occurring in reproductive contexts (parental care, sexual pair-bonding) and lastly to social behavior occurring in nonreproductive contexts (nonsexual bonding, group-level cooperation). We then perform a qualitative review of existing literature to address the correlative and causal association between measures of HPA-axis activity (glucocorticoid levels or GCs) and each of these types of social behavior. As expected, elevated HPA-axis activity can inhibit social behavior associated with initial social tendencies (approaching conspecifics) and reproduction. However, elevated HPA-axis activity may also enhance more elaborate social behavior outside of reproductive contexts, such as alloparental care behavior. In addition, the effect of GCs on social behavior can depend upon the sociality of the stressor (cause of increase in GCs) and the severity of stress (extent of increase in GCs). Our review shows that the while the associations between stress responses and sociality are diverse, the role of HPA-axis activity behind social behavior may shift toward more facilitating and less inhibiting in more social species, providing insight into how stress physiology and social systems may co-evolve.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aura Raulo
- Department of BiosciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Zoology DepartmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
| |
Collapse
|
89
|
McClung JS, Triki Z, Clément F, Bangerter A, Bshary R. Endogenous oxytocin predicts helping and conversation as a function of group membership. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0939. [PMID: 30051832 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans cooperate with unrelated individuals to an extent that far outstrips any other species. We also display extreme variation in decisions about whether to cooperate or not, and the mechanisms driving this variation remain an open question across the behavioural sciences. One candidate mechanism underlying this variation in cooperation is the evolutionary ancient neurohormone oxytocin (OT). As current research focuses on artificial administration of OT in asocial tasks, little is known about how the hormone in its naturally occurring state actually impacts behaviour in social interactions. Using a new optimal foraging paradigm, the 'egg hunt', we assessed the association of endogenous OT with helping behaviour and conversation. We manipulated players' group membership relative to each other prior to an egg hunt, during which they had repeated opportunities to spontaneously help each other. Results show that endogenous baseline OT predicted helping and conversation type, but crucially as a function of group membership. Higher baseline OT predicted increased helping but only between in-group players, as well as decreased discussion about individuals' goals between in-group players but conversely more of such discussion between out-group players. Subsequently, behaviour but not conversation during the hunt predicted change in OT, in that out-group members who did not help showed a decrease in OT from baseline levels. In sum, endogenous OT predicts helping behaviour and conversation, importantly as a function of group membership, and this effect occurs in parallel to uniquely human cognitive processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Susan McClung
- Centre for Cognitive Science, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Zegni Triki
- Centre for Cognitive Science, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Clément
- Centre for Cognitive Science, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Bangerter
- Centre for Cognitive Science, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Centre for Cognitive Science, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
90
|
Liu Y, Wu B, Wang X, Li W, Zhang T, Wu X, Han S. Oxytocin effects on self-referential processing: behavioral and neuroimaging evidence. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:1845-1858. [PMID: 29040763 PMCID: PMC5716198 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) influences other-oriented mental processes (e.g. trust and empathy) and the underlying neural substrates. However, whether and how OT modulates self-oriented processes and the underlying brain activity remains unclear. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled between-subjects design, we manipulated memory encoding and retrieval of trait adjectives related to the self, a friend and a celebrity in a self-referential task in male adults. Experiment 1 (N = 51) found that OT vs placebo treatments reduced response times during encoding self-related trait adjectives but increased recognition scores of self-related information during memory retrieval. Experiment 2 (N = 50) showed similar OT effects on response times during encoding self-related trait adjectives. Moreover, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results revealed that OT vs placebo treatments decreased the activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) involved in encoding of self-related trait adjectives and weakened the coupling between the MPFC activity and a cultural trait (i.e. interdependence). Experiment 3 (N = 52) revealed that OT vs placebo treatments increased the right superior frontal activity during memory retrieval of self-related information. The results provide behavioral and fMRI evidence for OT effects on self-referential processing and suggest distinct patterns of OT modulations of brain activities engaged in encoding and retrieval of self-related information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Wu
- Department of Radiology, PLA Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xuena Wang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenxin Li
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinhuai Wu
- Department of Radiology, PLA Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
91
|
Influs M, Pratt M, Masalha S, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R. A social neuroscience approach to conflict resolution: Dialogue intervention to Israeli and Palestinian youth impacts oxytocin and empathy. Soc Neurosci 2018; 14:378-389. [PMID: 29799332 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2018.1479983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The rapid increase in terror-related activities, shift of battlefield into civilian locations, and participation of youth in acts of violence underscore the need to find novel frameworks for youth interventions. Building on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and social neuroscience models we developed an eight-week dialogue group-intervention for youth growing up amidst intractable conflict. Eighty-eight Israeli-Jewish and Arab-Palestinian adolescents (16-18years) were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Before (T1) and after (T2) intervention, one-on-one conflict interaction with outgroup member were videotaped, oxytocin levels assayed, attitudes self-reported, and youth interviewed regarding national conflict. We tested the hypothesis that dialogue intervention would enhance empathic behavior and increase oxytocin levels following interaction with outgroup member. Intervention increased youth perspective-taking on national conflict. Oxytocin increased from T1 to T2 only for adolescents undergoing intervention who improved perspective taking in the process. Structural equation modelling charted three pathways to behavioral empathy toward outgroup member at T2; via endogenous oxytocin, empathic cognitions, and dialogue intervention; however, an alternative model without the intervention arm was non-significant. Our findings highlight the important role of empathy in programs for inter-group reconciliation and support evolutionary models on the precarious balance between the neurobiology of affiliation and the neurobiology of outgroup derogation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moran Influs
- a Department of Psychology , Bar Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.,b Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology , Interdisciplinary Center , Herzlia , Isreal
| | - Maayan Pratt
- a Department of Psychology , Bar Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.,b Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology , Interdisciplinary Center , Herzlia , Isreal
| | - Shafiq Masalha
- c Cegla Center for Interdisciplinary Research , Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Orna Zagoory-Sharon
- b Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology , Interdisciplinary Center , Herzlia , Isreal
| | - Ruth Feldman
- b Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology , Interdisciplinary Center , Herzlia , Isreal.,d Child Study Center , Yale University , New Haven , CT , USA
| |
Collapse
|
92
|
Rogers CN, Ross AP, Sahu SP, Siegel ER, Dooyema JM, Cree MA, Stopa EG, Young LJ, Rilling JK, Albers HE, Preuss TM. Oxytocin- and arginine vasopressin-containing fibers in the cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22875. [PMID: 29797339 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) are involved in the regulation of complex social behaviors across a wide range of taxa. Despite this, little is known about the neuroanatomy of the OT and AVP systems in most non-human primates, and less in humans. The effects of OT and AVP on social behavior, including aggression, mating, and parental behavior, may be mediated primarily by the extensive connections of OT- and AVP-producing neurons located in the hypothalamus with the basal forebrain and amygdala, as well as with the hypothalamus itself. However, OT and AVP also influence social cognition, including effects on social recognition, cooperation, communication, and in-group altruism, which suggests connectivity with cortical structures. While OT and AVP V1a receptors have been demonstrated in the cortex of rodents and primates, and intranasal administration of OT and AVP has been shown to modulate cortical activity, there is to date little evidence that OT-and AVP-containing neurons project into the cortex. Here, we demonstrate the existence of OT- and AVP-containing fibers in cortical regions relevant to social cognition using immunohistochemistry in humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. OT-immunoreactive fibers were found in the straight gyrus of the orbitofrontal cortex as well as the anterior cingulate gyrus in human and chimpanzee brains, while no OT-immunoreactive fibers were found in macaque cortex. AVP-immunoreactive fibers were observed in the anterior cingulate gyrus in all species, as well as in the insular cortex in humans, and in a more restricted distribution in chimpanzees. This is the first report of OT and AVP fibers in the cortex in human and non-human primates. Our findings provide a potential mechanism by which OT and AVP might exert effects on brain regions far from their production site in the hypothalamus, as well as potential species differences in the behavioral functions of these target regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina N Rogers
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Amy P Ross
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, Georgia.,Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Shweta P Sahu
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ethan R Siegel
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Mary Ann Cree
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Edward G Stopa
- Department of Pathology and Neurosurgery, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Larry J Young
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Atlanta, Georgia.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, Georgia.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - James K Rilling
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Atlanta, Georgia.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, Georgia.,Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Todd M Preuss
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
93
|
Benítez ME, Sosnowski MJ, Tomeo OB, Brosnan SF. Urinary oxytocin in capuchin monkeys: Validation and the influence of social behavior. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22877. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcela E. Benítez
- Department of Psychology; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Language Research Center; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
| | - Meghan J. Sosnowski
- Department of Psychology; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Language Research Center; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
| | - Olivia B. Tomeo
- Department of Psychology; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Language Research Center; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
| | - Sarah F. Brosnan
- Department of Psychology; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Language Research Center; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
- Neuroscience Institute; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
94
|
Wang D, Yan X, Li M, Ma Y. Neural substrates underlying the effects of oxytocin: a quantitative meta-analysis of pharmaco-imaging studies. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:1565-1573. [PMID: 29048602 PMCID: PMC5647800 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OT) is crucial in social adaptation and used to treat emotional and social deficits. Here, we conducted a systematic, quantitative meta-analysis of functional-MRI studies intranasally administering OT (IN-OT) to uncover neural substrates underlying the IN-OT effects and to elucidate differential IN-OT effects between healthy and clinical populations. Meta-analyses were conducted on 66 IN-OT fMRI studies, stratified by psychopathology, valence and sex. IN-OT increased bilateral amygdala, caudate head, and superior temporal activity in healthy individuals and increased dorsal anterior cingulate activity in patients. Moreover, IN-OT decreased amygdala activity in both patients and healthy individuals but did so to a greater degree in patients than healthy individuals. The OT-increased amygdala activity was only found on the negative social and affective processes, whereas the OT-decreased amygdala activity was mainly contributed by contrasts on negative-valenced processes. IN-OT increased parahippocampal activity and decreased amygdala activity during negative socio-affective processing. During positive socio-affective processes, IN-OT increased caudate head activity. This study indicates convergent neural substrates and the underlying neuropsychological mechanisms for IN-OT effects on social and affective processes. The common and different effects of IN-OT on patients and healthy individuals and the modulation of OT effects by valence have critical implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xinyuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Yina Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| |
Collapse
|
95
|
Torres N, Martins D, Santos AJ, Prata D, Veríssimo M. How do hypothalamic nonapeptides shape youth's sociality? A systematic review on oxytocin, vasopressin and human socio-emotional development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 90:309-331. [PMID: 29738796 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic nonapeptides oxytocin and vasopressin are important modulators of socio-affective behaviours in a wide variety of animal species, including humans. Nevertheless, there is little research addressing their possible roles on socio-affective dimensions of human behaviour across development, during which considerable behavioural and physiological change occurs. Questions still remain about the extent to which findings from adults may directly apply to earlier phases of human development. In this article, we systematically summarize and discuss all existing studies investigating the developmental association of endogenous levels of hypothalamic neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin with human social behaviour or on its disruption in paediatric populations. Evidence is sparse insofar as there are still relatively few developmental studies and limited due to correlational research designs and unreliability of methods currently used for neuropeptide measurements in biological fluids. The findings to date generally converge with adult evidence, but also suggest that important differences between age stages may exist. Further studies focusing these differences may prove critical for informing drug development for socio-affective deficits in paediatric populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Torres
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Daniel Martins
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - António J Santos
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Diana Prata
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Manuela Veríssimo
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
96
|
Abstract
Research shows that individuals with liberal and conservative ideological orientations display different value positions concerning the acceptance of social change and inequality. Research also links the expression of different values to a number of biological factors, including heredity. In light of these biological influences, I investigate whether differences in social values associated with liberal and conservative ideologies reflect alternative strategies to maximize returns from social interactions. Using an American sample of Democrats and Republicans, I test whether information about shared and unshared social values in the form of implicit social attitudes have a disproportionate effect on the willingness of Democrats and Republicans to trust an anonymous social partner. I find evidence that knowledge of shared values significantly increases levels of trust among Democrats but not Republicans. I further find that knowledge of unshared values significantly decreases trust among Republicans but not Democrats. These findings are consistent with studies indicating that differences in ideological orientation are linked to differences in cognition and decision-making.
Collapse
|
97
|
Jaeggi AV, Trumble BC, Brown M. Group-level competition influences urinary steroid hormones among wild red-tailed monkeys, indicating energetic costs. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22757. [PMID: 29635811 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Various theories emphasize that intergroup competition should affect intragroup cooperation and social relationships, especially if the cost of intergroup competition outweighs that of intragroup competition. This cost of intergroup competition may be quantified by changes in physiological status, such as in the steroid hormones cortisol (C) and testosterone (T), which rise or are depressed during periods of energetic stress, respectively. Here we tested for changes in urinary C and T after intergroup encounters (IGEs) among wild red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), a species that experiences frequent intergroup feeding competition, at the Ngogo station in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We assayed 108 urine samples, of which 36 were collected after IGEs, from 23 individuals in four social groups. Bayesian multilevel models controlling for various confounds revealed that IGEs increased C and decreased T relative to baseline, consistent with an energetic cost to IGEs. The C change was more apparent in samples collected early after IGEs, suggesting an anticipatory increase, whereas the T change was stronger in later samples, suggesting sustained energetic trade-offs. Hormone responses were not affected by the IGE outcome. This cost to intergroup competition, together with little evidence for intragroup competition in redtails and other guenons, establishes an interesting test case for theories emphasizing the effect of intergroup competition on intragroup cooperation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian V Jaeggi
- Departmentof Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Michelle Brown
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| |
Collapse
|
98
|
Terris ET, Beavin LE, Barraza JA, Schloss J, Zak PJ. Endogenous Oxytocin Release Eliminates In-Group Bias in Monetary Transfers With Perspective-Taking. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:35. [PMID: 29556181 PMCID: PMC5845013 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) has been shown to facilitate trust, empathy and other prosocial behaviors. At the same time, there is evidence that exogenous OT infusion may not result in prosocial behaviors in all contexts, increasing in-group biases in a number of studies. The current investigation seeks to resolve this inconsistency by examining if endogenous OT release is associated with in-group bias. We studied a large group of participants (N = 399) in existing groups and randomly formed groups. Participants provided two blood samples to measure the change in OT after a group salience task and then made computer-mediated monetary transfer decisions to in-group and out-group members. Our results show that participants with an increase in endogenous OT showed no bias in monetary offers in the ultimatum game (UG) to out-group members compared to in-groups. There was also no bias in accepting UG offers, though in-group bias persisted for a unilateral monetary transfer. Our analysis shows that the strength of identification with one's group diminished the effects that an increase in OT had on reducing bias, but bias only recurred when group identification reached 87% of its maximum value. Our results indicate that the endogenous OT system appears to reduce in-group bias in some contexts, particularly those that require perspective-taking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth T. Terris
- Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Laura E. Beavin
- Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Jorge A. Barraza
- Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Jeff Schloss
- Department of Biology, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Paul J. Zak
- Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
99
|
Christensen C, Radford AN. Dear enemies or nasty neighbors? Causes and consequences of variation in the responses of group-living species to territorial intrusions. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| |
Collapse
|
100
|
Rilling JK, Chen X, Chen X, Haroon E. Intranasal oxytocin modulates neural functional connectivity during human social interaction. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22740. [PMID: 29427292 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) modulates social behavior in primates and many other vertebrate species. Studies in non-primate animals have demonstrated that, in addition to influencing activity within individual brain areas, OT influences functional connectivity across networks of areas involved in social behavior. Previously, we used fMRI to image brain function in human subjects during a dyadic social interaction task following administration of either intranasal oxytocin (INOT) or placebo, and analyzed the data with a standard general linear model. Here, we conduct an extensive re-analysis of these data to explore how OT modulates functional connectivity across a neural network that animal studies implicate in social behavior. OT induced widespread increases in functional connectivity in response to positive social interactions among men and widespread decreases in functional connectivity in response to negative social interactions among women. Nucleus basalis of Meynert, an important regulator of selective attention and motivation with a particularly high density of OT receptors, had the largest number of OT-modulated connections. Regions known to receive mesolimbic dopamine projections such as the nucleus accumbens and lateral septum were also hubs for OT effects on functional connectivity. Our results suggest that the neural mechanism by which OT influences primate social cognition may include changes in patterns of activity across neural networks that regulate social behavior in other animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James K Rilling
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xiangchuan Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Ebrahim Haroon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| |
Collapse
|