Associations between alcohol use and peripheral, genetic, and epigenetic markers of oxytocin in a general sample of young and older adults

Single dose intranasal oxytocin administration: Data from healthy younger and older adults

Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide critically involved in social cognition and behavior. Intranasal administration of OT has modulatory effects on both the brain and behavior with potential for therapeutic benefit, especially in individuals with deficits in socioemotional functions. Intranasal OT effects have been well-investigated in younger adults as well as in a variety of clinical populations (e.g., autism, schizophrenia), but there is comparatively less investigation of its function in older adults. To foster more research on OT and aging, the following dataset was made publicly available, which includes data from generally healthy younger (n = 44, age range = 18-31 years [M(SD) = 22.4 (3.0)], 48% female) and older adults (n = 43, age range = 63-81 years [M(SD)= 71.1 (5.3)], 56% female) who self-administered a single dose (24 international units) of either intranasal OT or a placebo (IND 100,860; NCT01823146). The study adopted a randomized, double-blind, between-subject design. The dataset consists of anatomical and functional resting-state neuroimaging scans acquired after nasal spray administration as well as study-specific phenotypic and demographic data. This dataset using both OT administration and neuroimaging is unique in its size and inclusion of both younger and older adults as well as women and men. This data has resulted in published work on OT modulation of cognition, behavior, and neural activation/connectivity. Open access to this data will provide the scientific community with the opportunity to investigate individual differences in the neurocognitive effects of single-dose OT in younger and older adults.

Elevated Oxytocin Receptor Blood Concentrations Predict Higher Risk for, More, and Earlier 24-Month Hospital Readmissions after In-Patient Detoxification in Males with Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major global mental health challenge. Knowledge concerning mechanisms underlying AUD and predictive biomarkers of AUD progression and relapse are insufficient. Recently, addiction research is focusing attention on the oxytocin system. However, to our knowledge, blood concentrations of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) have not yet been studied in AUD. Here, in sex-separated analyses, OXTR serum concentrations were compared between early-abstinent in-patients with AUD (113 men, 87 women) and age-matched healthy controls (133 men, 107 women). The OXTR concentrations were correlated with sex hormone and oxytocin concentrations and alcohol-related hospital readmissions during a 24-month follow-up. In male patients with AUD, higher OXTR concentrations were found in those with an alcohol-related readmission than in those without (143%; p = 0.004), and they correlated with more prospective readmissions (ρ = 0.249; p = 0.008) and fewer days to the first readmission (ρ = −0.268; p = 0.004). In men and women, OXTR concentrations did not significantly differ between patients with AUD and controls. We found lower OXTR concentrations in smokers versus non-smokers in female patients (61%; p = 0.001) and controls (51%; p = 0.003). In controls, OXTR concentrations correlated with dihydrotestosterone (men, ρ = 0.189; p = 0.030) and testosterone concentrations (women, ρ = 0.281; p = 0.003). This clinical study provides novel insight into the role of serum OXTR levels in AUD. Future studies are encouraged to add to the available knowledge and investigate clinical implications of OXTR blood concentrations.