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Shima T, Iijima J, Sutoh H, Terashima C, Matsuura Y. Augmented-reality-based multi-person exercise has more beneficial effects on mood state and oxytocin secretion than standard solitary exercise. Physiol Behav 2024; 283:114623. [PMID: 38959990 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exercise has positive effects on psychological well-being, with team sports often associated with superior mental health compared to individual sports. Augmented reality (AR) technology has the potential to convert solitary exercise into multi-person exercise. Given the role of oxytocin in mediating the psychological benefits of exercise and sports, this study aimed to investigate the impact of AR-based multi-person exercise on mood and salivary oxytocin levels. METHODS Fourteen participants underwent three distinct regimens: non-exercise (Rest), standard solitary cycling exercise (Ex), and AR-based multi-person cycling exercise (Ex+AR). In both Ex and Ex+AR conditions, participants engaged in cycling at a self-regulated pace to maintain a Rating of Perceived Exertion of 10. In the Ex+AR condition, participants' avatars were projected onto a tablet screen, allowing them to cycle alongside ten other virtual avatars in an AR environment. Mood states and saliva samples were collected before and immediately after each 10-minute regimen. Subsequently, salivary oxytocin levels were measured. RESULTS Notably, only the Ex+AR condition significantly improved mood states associated with depression-dejection and exhibited a non-significant trend toward suppressing anger-hostility in participants. Moreover, the Ex+AR condition led to a significant elevation in salivary oxytocin levels, while the Ex condition showed a non-significant trend toward an increase. However, changes in salivary oxytocin did not show a significant correlation with changes in mood states. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that Ex+AR enhances mood states and promotes oxytocin release. AR-based multi-person exercise may offer greater psychological benefits compared to standard solitary exercise, although the relationship between oxytocin and mood changes remains inconclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeru Shima
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Cooperative Faculty of Education, Gunma University, 4-2 Aramaki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8510, Japan.
| | - Junpei Iijima
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Cooperative Faculty of Education, Gunma University, 4-2 Aramaki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8510, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Sutoh
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Cooperative Faculty of Education, Gunma University, 4-2 Aramaki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8510, Japan
| | - Chiho Terashima
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Cooperative Faculty of Education, Gunma University, 4-2 Aramaki-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8510, Japan
| | - Yuki Matsuura
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Cooperative Faculty of Education, Utsunomiya University, 350 Mine-machi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 321-8505, Japan
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2
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Rijnders RJP, van Boxtel A, de Wied M, van Honk J, Kempes MM, Bos PA. Revealed masks: Facial mimicry after oxytocin administration in forensic psychopathic patients. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 176:422-429. [PMID: 38959825 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Facial mimicry serves as an evolutionarily rooted important interpersonal communication process that touches on the concepts of socialization and empathy. Facial electromyography (EMG) of the corrugator muscle and the zygomaticus muscle was recorded while male forensic psychopathic patients and controls watched morphed angry or happy facial expressions. We tested the hypothesis that psychopathic patients would show weaker short latency facial mimicry (that is, within 600 ms after stimulus onset) than controls. Exclusively in the group of 20 psychopathic patients, we tested in a placebo-controlled crossover within-subject design the hypothesis that oxytocin would enhance short-latency facial mimicry. Compared with placebo, we found no oxytocin-related significant short-latency responses of the corrugator and the zygomaticus. However, compared with 19 normal controls, psychopathic patients in the placebo condition showed significantly weaker short-latency zygomaticus responses to happy faces, while there was a trend toward significantly weaker short-latency corrugator responses to angry faces. These results are consistent with a recent study of facial EMG responses in adolescents with psychopathic traits. We therefore posit a lifetime developmental deficit in psychopathy pertaining short-latency mimicry of emotional facial expressions. Ultimately, this deficit in mimicking angry and happy expressions may hinder the elicitation of empathy, which is known to be impaired in psychopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald J P Rijnders
- Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Forensic Observation Clinic "Pieter Baan Centrum", Carl Barksweg 3, 1336 ZL, Almere, the Netherlands; Utrecht University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Anton van Boxtel
- Tilburg University, Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Warandelaan 2, 5000 LE, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
| | - Minet de Wied
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Youth and Family, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Jack van Honk
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands; University of Cape Town, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa; University of Cape Town, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Anzio Rd, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Maaike M Kempes
- Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Science and Education, Herman Gorterstraat 5, 3511 EW, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Education and Child Studies, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Peter A Bos
- Leiden University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Education and Child Studies, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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Atila C, Refardt J, Christ-Crain M. Arginine vasopressin deficiency: diagnosis, management and the relevance of oxytocin deficiency. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2024; 20:487-500. [PMID: 38693275 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-024-00985-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Polyuria-polydipsia syndrome can be caused by central diabetes insipidus, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus or primary polydipsia. To avoid confusion with diabetes mellitus, the name 'central diabetes insipidus' was changed in 2022 to arginine vasopressin (AVP) deficiency and 'nephrogenic diabetes insipidus' was renamed as AVP resistance. To differentiate the three entities, various osmotic and non-osmotic copeptin-based stimulation tests have been introduced in the past decade. The hypertonic saline test plus plasma copeptin measurement emerged as the test with highest diagnostic accuracy, replacing the water deprivation test as the gold standard in differential diagnosis of the polyuria-polydipsia syndrome. The mainstay of treatment for AVP deficiency is AVP replacement with desmopressin, a synthetic analogue of AVP specific for AVP receptor 2 (AVPR2), which usually leads to rapid improvements in polyuria and polydipsia. The main adverse effect of desmopressin is dilutional hyponatraemia, which can be reduced by regularly performing the so-called desmopressin escape method. Evidence from the past few years suggests an additional oxytocin deficiency in patients with AVP deficiency. This potential deficiency should be further evaluated in future studies, including feasible provocation tests for clinical practice and interventional trials with oxytocin substitution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cihan Atila
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research University of Basel, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julie Refardt
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research University of Basel, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam Christ-Crain
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Clinical Research University of Basel, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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4
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Lawson EA. Understanding oxytocin in human physiology and pathophysiology: A path towards therapeutics. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2024; 19:100242. [PMID: 38974962 PMCID: PMC11225698 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
•Oxytocin is a multifaceted hypothalamic-pituitary hormone involved in energy homeostasis, mental health, and bone metabolism.•Oxytocin deficiency in energy deficit states and in hypopituitarism is associated with worse mental health and bone health.•Oxytocin modulates appetitive neurocircuitry, improves impulse control, and reduces food intake in humans.•Defining the oxytocin system in human physiology and pathophysiology could lead to novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Lawson
- Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 50 Staniford Street, Suite 750B, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
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5
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Rijnders RJ, van den Hoogen S, van Honk J, Terburg D, Kempes MM. Would you? Effects of oxytocin on moral choices in forensic psychopathic patients. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2024; 19:100245. [PMID: 39040873 PMCID: PMC11262190 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2024.100245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychopaths are suggested to be more likely to favor utilitarian outcomes over non-utilitarian (i.e., deontological) choices. Here we re-test this hypothesis and investigate whether oxytocin, a hormone associated with empathy, can counter this utilitarian effect. Forensic psychopathic patients and non-psychopathic controls participated in a sacrificial moral decision-making paradigm. Psychopathic patients performed the task in a double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled oxytocin administration paradigm. We found no evidence for psychopathic patients to act more utilitarian (or sacrificial) or any effect of oxytocin administration. Psychopathic traits within the control group, particularly traits associated with lack of empathy and failure to consider consequences, were however associated with more utilitarian choices, but only when these actions were low in emotion. In contrast, psychopathy severity in psychopathic patients, particularly impulsivity-related traits, predicts deontological choices, but only in highly emotional actions. Thus, although psychopathic traits do predict utilitarianism when emotional investment is low, this is not the case in full-blown psychopathy. Instead, there is a link between impulsivity and deontological choices in psychopathic patients, but only when emotional investment is high, and self-interest is not at stake. These preliminary results are discussed to whether utilitarian outcomes align with the personal goals of psychopathic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald J.P. Rijnders
- Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Forensic Observation Clinic “Pieter Baan Centrum”, Carl Barksweg 3, 1336, ZL, Almere, the Netherlands
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584, CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sophie van den Hoogen
- Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Forensic Observation Clinic “Pieter Baan Centrum”, Carl Barksweg 3, 1336, ZL, Almere, the Netherlands
| | - Jack van Honk
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584, CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- University of Cape Town, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
- University of Cape Town, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Anzio Rd, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - David Terburg
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584, CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- University of Cape Town, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Anzio Rd, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Maaike M. Kempes
- Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Science and Education, Herman Gorterstraat 5, 3511, EW, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Leiden University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Education and Child Studies, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333, AK, Leiden, the Netherlands
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6
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Caria A. A Hypothalamic Perspective of Human Socioemotional Behavior. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:399-420. [PMID: 36703298 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221149647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Historical evidence from stimulation and lesion studies in animals and humans demonstrated a close association between the hypothalamus and typical and atypical socioemotional behavior. A central hypothalamic contribution to regulation of socioemotional responses was also provided indirectly by studies on oxytocin and arginine vasopressin. However, a limited number of studies have so far directly investigated the contribution of the hypothalamus in human socioemotional behavior. To reconsider the functional role of the evolutionarily conserved hypothalamic region in regulating human social behavior, here I provide a synthesis of neuroimaging investigations showing that the hypothalamus is involved in multiple and diverse facets of human socioemotional behavior through widespread functional interactions with other cortical and subcortical regions. These neuroimaging findings are then integrated with recent optogenetics studies in animals demonstrating that the hypothalamus plays a more active role in eliciting socioemotional responses and is not simply a downstream effector of higher-level brain systems. Building on the aforementioned evidence, the hypothalamus is argued to substantially contribute to a continuum of human socioemotional behaviors promoting survival and preservation of the species that extends from exploratory and approaching responses facilitating social bonding to aggressive and avoidance responses aimed to protect and defend formed relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Caria
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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7
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Procyshyn TL, Dupertuys J, Bartz JA. Neuroimaging and behavioral evidence of sex-specific effects of oxytocin on human sociality. Trends Cogn Sci 2024:S1364-6613(24)00170-0. [PMID: 39054193 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Although the social role of oxytocin came to light due to sex-specific interactions such as mother-offspring bonding, current understanding of sex differences in the effects of oxytocin on human sociality is limited because of the predominance of all-male samples. With the increasing inclusion of females in intranasal oxytocin research, it is now possible to explore such patterns. Neuroimaging studies reveal relatively consistent sex-differential effects of oxytocin on the activation of brain regions associated with processing social stimuli - particularly the amygdala. Findings from behavioral research are varied but suggest that oxytocin more often facilitates social cognition and positive social interactions in males, with context-dependent effects in each sex. We discuss potential biological and psychological mechanisms underlying the reported sex differences, and conclude with considerations for future research and clinical applications of oxytocin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya L Procyshyn
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK.
| | - Juliette Dupertuys
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Bartz
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada
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8
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Flechsenhar A, Levine SM, Müller LE, Herpertz SC, Bertsch K. Oxytocin and social learning in socially anxious men and women. Neuropharmacology 2024; 251:109930. [PMID: 38537867 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study extended a classic self-referential learning paradigm by investigating the effects of intranasally-administered oxytocin in high and low socially anxious participants during social learning, as a function of social anxiety levels and sex. METHODS In a randomized double-blinded design, 160 participants were either given intranasal oxytocin (24 I.U.) or placebo. Subsequently, while lying in an MR scanner, participants were shown neutral faces that were paired with positively, neutrally, or negatively valenced self-referential sentences, during which we measured self-reported arousal and sympathy of the facial stimuli, pupil dilation, and changes in the brain-oxygen-level dependent signal. Four-factor mixed analyses of variance with the between-subjects factors group (high socially anxious vs. low socially anxious), substance (oxytocin vs. placebo), and sex (male vs. female) and the within-subjects factor sentence valence (positive vs. neutral vs. negative) were conducted for each measure, respectively. RESULTS Administration of intranasal oxytocin yielded an increase in sympathy ratings in high socially anxious compared to low socially anxious individuals and decreased arousal ratings for positively-conditioned faces in low socially anxious participants. As an objective physiological measure of arousal, pupil dilation mirrored the behavioral results. Oxytocin effects on neural activation in the insula interacted with anxiety levels and sex: low socially anxious individuals yielded lower activation under oxytocin than placebo; the converse was observed in high socially anxious individuals. This interaction also differed between sexes, as men yielded higher activation levels than women. These findings were more prominent for positively- and negatively-conditioned faces. Within the amygdala, high socially anxious men yielded higher activation than high socially anxious women in the left hemisphere, and low socially anxious men yielded higher activation than low socially anxious women from positively- and negatively-conditioned faces, though no influence of oxytocin was detected. CONCLUSION These results suggest oxytocin-induced behavioral, physiological, and neural changes as a function of social learning in socially low and high anxious individuals. These findings challenge the amygdalocentric view of the role of emotions in social learning, instead contributing to the growing body of findings implicating the insula therein, revealing an interaction between oxytocin, sex, and emotional valence. Such discoveries raise an interesting set of questions regarding the computational goals of regions such as the insula in emotional learning and how neural activity can play a diagnostic or prognostic role in social anxiety, potentially leading to new treatment opportunities that may combine oxytocin and neurofeedback differentially for men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleya Flechsenhar
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany; NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany
| | - Seth M Levine
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany; NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany
| | - Laura E Müller
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany; NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany; Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany.
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9
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Nakajima D, Yamachi M, Misaka S, Shimomura K, Maejima Y. Sex differences in the effects of aromatherapy on anxiety and salivary oxytocin levels. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1380779. [PMID: 38919481 PMCID: PMC11196605 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1380779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Aromatherapy is a holistic healing method to promote health and well-being by using natural plant extracts. However, its precise mechanism of action and influence on the endocrine system remains unclear. Since recent studies reported that a neuropeptide, oxytocin, can attenuate anxiety, we hypothesized that if oxytocin secretion is promoted through aromatherapy, it may improve mood and anxiety. The present study is aimed to investigate the relationship between oxytocin and the effects of aromatherapy with lavender oil on anxiety level, by measuring salivary oxytocin levels in healthy men and women. Methods We conducted a randomized open crossover trial in 15 men and 10 women. Each participant received a placebo intervention (control group) and aromatherapy with lavender oil (aromatherapy group). For the aromatherapy group, each participant spent a 30-min session in a room with diffused lavender essential oil, followed by a 10-min hand massage using a carrier oil containing lavender oil. Anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before the intervention, 30-min after the start of intervention, and after hand massage, in both groups. Saliva samples were collected at the same time points of the STAI. Results In women, either aromatherapy or hand massage was associated with a reduction in anxiety levels, independently. Moreover, salivary oxytocin levels were increased after aromatherapy. On the other hand, in men, anxiety levels were decreased after aromatherapy, as well as after hand massage, regardless of the use of lavender oil. However, there were no significant differences in changes of salivary oxytocin levels between the control and aromatherapy groups during the intervention period. Interestingly, there was a positive correlation between anxiety levels and salivary oxytocin levels before the intervention, but a negative correlation was observed after hand massage with lavender oil. Conclusion The results of the present study indicate that in women, aromatherapy with lavender oil attenuated anxiety with increase in oxytocin level in women, whereas in men, there was no clear relationship of aromatherapy with anxiety or oxytocin levels but, there was a change in correlation between anxiety and oxytocin. The results of the present study suggest that the effect of aromatherapy can vary depending on sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Nakajima
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
- Medical Division, Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd., Koriyama Fukushima, Japan
| | - Megumi Yamachi
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Shingen Misaka
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Kenju Shimomura
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
- Departments of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yuko Maejima
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
- Departments of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan
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10
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Lan C, Kou J, Liu Q, Qing P, Zhang X, Song X, Xu D, Zhang Y, Chen Y, Zhou X, Kendrick KM, Zhao W. Oral Oxytocin Blurs Sex Differences in Amygdala Responses to Emotional Scenes. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024:S2451-9022(24)00143-5. [PMID: 38852918 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences are shaped both by innate biological differences and the social environment and are frequently observed in human emotional neural responses. Oral administration of oxytocin (OXT), as an alternative and noninvasive intake method, has been shown to produce sex-dependent effects on emotional face processing. However, it is unclear whether oral OXT produces similar sex-dependent effects on processing continuous emotional scenes. METHODS The current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled neuropsychopharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment was conducted in 147 healthy participants (OXT = 74, men/women = 37/37; placebo = 73, men/women = 36/37) to examine the oral OXT effect on plasma OXT concentrations and neural response to emotional scenes in both sexes. RESULTS At the neuroendocrine level, women showed lower endogenous OXT concentrations than men, but oral OXT increased OXT concentrations equally in both sexes. Regarding neural activity, emotional scenes evoked opposite valence-independent effects on right amygdala activation (women > men) and its functional connectivity with the insula (men > women) in men and women in the placebo group. This sex difference was either attenuated (amygdala response) or even completely eliminated (amygdala-insula functional connectivity) in the OXT group. Multivariate pattern analysis confirmed these findings by developing an accurate sex-predictive neural pattern that included the amygdala and the insula under the placebo but not the OXT condition. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study suggest a pronounced sex difference in neural responses to emotional scenes that was eliminated by oral OXT, with OXT having opposite modulatory effects in men and women. This may reflect oral OXT enhancing emotional regulation to continuous emotional stimuli in both sexes by facilitating appropriate changes in sex-specific amygdala-insula circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunmei Lan
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Juan Kou
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi Liu
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Peng Qing
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinwei Song
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Dan Xu
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Yuanshu Chen
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinqi Zhou
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
| | - Weihua Zhao
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Institute of Electronic and Information Engineering of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Guangdong, Dongguan, China.
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11
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Rappeneau V, Castillo Díaz F. Convergence of oxytocin and dopamine signalling in neuronal circuits: Insights into the neurobiology of social interactions across species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105675. [PMID: 38608828 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Social behaviour is essential for animal survival, and the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) critically impacts bonding, parenting, and decision-making. Dopamine (DA), is released by ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic neurons, regulating social cues in the mesolimbic system. Despite extensive exploration of OXT and DA roles in social behaviour independently, limited studies investigate their interplay. This narrative review integrates insights from human and animal studies, particularly rodents, emphasising recent research on pharmacological manipulations of OXT or DA systems in social behaviour. Additionally, we review studies correlating social behaviour with blood/cerebral OXT and DA levels. Behavioural facets include sociability, cooperation, pair bonding and parental care. In addition, we provide insights into OXT-DA interplay in animal models of social stress, autism, and schizophrenia. Emphasis is placed on the complex relationship between the OXT and DA systems and their collective influence on social behaviour across physiological and pathological conditions. Understanding OXT and DA imbalance is fundamental for unravelling the neurobiological underpinnings of social interaction and reward processing deficits observed in psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Rappeneau
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany.
| | - Fernando Castillo Díaz
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
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12
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Tam LM, Hocker K, David T, Williams EM. The Influence of Social Dynamics on Biological Aging and the Health of Historically Marginalized Populations: A Biopsychosocial Model for Health Disparities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:554. [PMID: 38791769 PMCID: PMC11121718 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21050554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Historically marginalized populations are susceptible to social isolation resulting from their unique social dynamics; thus, they incur a higher risk of developing chronic diseases across the course of life. Research has suggested that the cumulative effect of aging trajectories per se, across the lifespan, determines later-in-life disease risks. Emerging evidence has shown the biopsychosocial effects of social stress and social support on one's wellbeing in terms of inflammation. Built upon previous multidisciplinary findings, here, we provide an overarching model that explains how the social dynamics of marginalized populations shape their rate of biological aging through the inflammatory process. Under the framework of social stress and social support theories, this model aims to facilitate our understanding of the biopsychosocial impacts of social dynamics on the wellbeing of historically marginalized individuals, with a special emphasis on biological aging. We leverage this model to advance our mechanistic understanding of the health disparity observed in historically marginalized populations and inform future remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lok Ming Tam
- Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
| | - Kristin Hocker
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
| | - Tamala David
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA;
- Department of Nursing, State University of New York Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420, USA
| | - Edith Marie Williams
- Office of Health Equity Research, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Center for Community Health and Prevention, University of Rochester, 46 Prince St Ste 1001, Rochester, NY 14607, USA
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13
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Lake AA, Trainor BC. Leveraging the unique social organization of California mice to study circuit-specific effects of oxytocin on behavior. Horm Behav 2024; 160:105487. [PMID: 38281444 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a versatile neuropeptide that modulates many different forms of social behavior. Recent hypotheses pose that oxytocin enhances the salience of rewarding and aversive social experiences, and the field has been working to identify mechanisms that allow oxytocin to have diverse effects on behavior. Here we review studies conducted on the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) that shed light on how oxytocin modulates social behavior following stressful experiences. In this species, both males and females exhibit high levels of aggression, which has facilitated the study of how social stress impacts both sexes. We review findings of short- and long-term effects of social stress on the reactivity of oxytocin neurons. We also consider the results of pharmacological studies which show that oxytocin receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and nucleus accumbens have distinct but overlapping effects on social approach behaviors. These findings help explain how social stress can have different behavioral effects in males and females, and how oxytocin can have such divergent effects on behavior. Finally, we consider how new technological developments and innovative research programs take advantage of the unique social organization of California mice to address questions that can be difficult to study in conventional rodent model species. These new methods and questions have opened new avenues for studying the neurobiology of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa A Lake
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America.
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14
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Santiago AF, Kosilo M, Cogoni C, Diogo V, Jerónimo R, Prata D. Oxytocin modulates neural activity during early perceptual salience attribution. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 161:106950. [PMID: 38194846 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Leading hypotheses of oxytocin's (OT) role in human cognition posit that it enhances salience attribution. However, whether OT exerts its effects predominantly in social (vs non-social) contexts remains debatable, and the time-course of intranasal OT's effects' on salience attribution processing is still unknown. We used the social Salience Attribution Task modified (sSAT) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled intranasal OT (inOT) administration, between-subjects design, with 54 male participants, to test existing theories of OT's role in cognition. Namely, we aimed to test whether inOT would differently affect salience attribution processing of social stimuli (expressing fearfulness) and non-social stimuli (fruits) made relevant via monetary reinforcement, and its neural processing time-course. During electroencephalography (EEG) recording, participants made speeded responses to emotional social (fearful faces) and non-emotional non-social (fruits) stimuli - which were matched for task-relevant motivational salience through their (color-dependent) probability of monetary reinforcement. InOT affected early (rather than late, P3b and LPP) EEG components, increasing N170 amplitude (p = .041) and P2b latency (p .001; albeit not of P1), regardless of stimuli's (emotional) socialness or reinforcement probability. Fear-related socialness affected salience attribution processing EEG (p .05) across time (N170, P2b and P3b), being later modulated by reinforcement probability (LPP). Our data suggest that OT's effects on neural activity during early perception, may exist irrespective of fear-related social- or reward-contexts. This partially supports the tri-phasic model of OT (which posits OT enhances salience attribution in an early perception stage regardless of socialness), and not the social salience nor the general approach-withdrawal hypotheses of OT, for early salience processing event-related potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia F Santiago
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maciej Kosilo
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlotta Cogoni
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Vasco Diogo
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rita Jerónimo
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Diana Prata
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK.
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15
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Moses E, Nelson N, Taubert J, Pegna AJ. Oxytocin differentially modulates the early neural responses to faces and non-social stimuli. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae010. [PMID: 38372627 PMCID: PMC10876073 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) alters social cognition partly through effects on the processing and appraisal of faces. It is debated whether the hormone also impacts the processing of other, non-social, visual stimuli. To this end, we conducted a randomized, counter-balanced, double-blind, placebo (PL)-controlled within-subjects' electro-encephalography (EEG) study with cismale participants (to control for gender dimorphic hormonal effects; n = 37). Participants received intranasal OT (24IU) and completed a one-back task viewing emotional (fearful/ happy) and neutral faces, and threat (snakes/spiders) and non-threat (mushrooms/flowers) non-social stimuli. OT differentially impacted event-related potentials (ERP)s to faces and non-social stimuli. For faces regardless of emotion, OT evoked greater occipital N1 and anterior P1 amplitudes at ∼155 ms than after PL, and lead to sustained differences over anterior, bilateral parietal and occipital sites from 205 ms onwards. For all non-social stimuli, OT evoked greater right parietal N1 amplitudes, and later only impacted threat stimuli over right parietal and occipital sites. None of these OT-induced modulations was related to individual anxiety levels. This pattern of results indicates that OT differentially modulates the processing of faces and non-social stimuli, and that the hormone's effect on visual processing and cognition does not occur as a function of non-clinical levels of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Moses
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Nicole Nelson
- School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Jessica Taubert
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Alan J Pegna
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
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16
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Norred MA, Zuschlag ZD, Hamner MB. A Neuroanatomic and Pathophysiologic Framework for Novel Pharmacological Approaches to the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Drugs 2024; 84:149-164. [PMID: 38413493 DOI: 10.1007/s40265-023-01983-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder inflicting high degrees of symptomatic and socioeconomic burdens. The development of PTSD results from a cascade of events with contributions from multiple processes and the underlying pathophysiology is complex, involving neurotransmitters, neurocircuitry, and neuroanatomical pathways. Presently, only two medications are US FDA-approved for the treatment of PTSD, both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, the complex underlying pathophysiology suggests a number of alternative pathways and mechanisms that may be targets for potential drug development. Indeed, investigations and drug development are proceeding in a number of these alternative, non-serotonergic pathways in an effort to improve the management of PTSD. In this manuscript, the authors introduce novel and emerging treatments for PTSD, including drugs in various stages of development and clinical testing (BI 1358894, BNC-210, PRAX-114, JZP-150, LU AG06466, NYV-783, PH-94B, SRX246, TNX-102), established agents and known compounds being investigated for their utility in PTSD (brexpiprazole, cannabidiol, doxasoin, ganaxolone, intranasal neuropeptide Y, intranasal oxytocin, tianeptine oxalate, verucerfont), and emerging psychedelic interventions (ketamine, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy), with an aim to examine and integrate these agents into the underlying pathophysiological frameworks of trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Norred
- Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Zachary D Zuschlag
- Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Mark B Hamner
- Behavioral Health Service, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, 109 Bee Street, Charleston, SC, 29401, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
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Pongrácz P, Lugosi CA, Szávai L, Gengeliczky A, Jégh-Czinege N, Faragó T. Alarm or emotion? intranasal oxytocin helps determine information conveyed by dog barks for adult male human listeners. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:8. [PMID: 38221611 PMCID: PMC10789012 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02198-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Barks play an important role in interspecific communication between dogs and humans, by allowing a reliable perception of the inner state of dogs for human listeners. However, there is growing concern in society regarding the nuisance that barking dogs cause to the surrounding inhabitants. We assumed that at least in part, this nuisance effect can be explained by particular communicative functions of dog barks. In this study we experimentally tested two separate hypotheses concerning how the content of dog barks could affect human listeners. According to the first hypothesis, barks that convey negative inner states, would especially cause stress in human listeners due to the process called interspecific empathy. Based on the second hypothesis, alarm-type dog barks cause particularly strong stress in the listener, by capitalizing on their specific acoustic makeup (high pitch, low tonality) that resembles to the parameters of a baby's cry. We tested 40 healthy, young adult males in a double-blind placebo controlled experiment, where participants received either intranasal oxytocin or placebo treatment. After an incubation period, they had to evaluate the (1) perceived emotions (happiness, fear and aggression), that specifically created dog bark sequences conveyed to them; and (2) score the annoyance level these dog barks elicited in them. RESULTS We found that oxytocin treatment had a sensitizing effect on the participants' reactions to negative valence emotions conveyed by dog barks, as they evaluated low fundamental frequency barks with higher aggression scores than the placebo-treated participants did. On the other hand, oxytocin treatment attenuated the annoyance that noisy (atonal) barks elicited from the participants. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, we provide first-hand evidence that dog barks provide information to humans (which may also cause stress) in a dual way: through specific attention-grabbing functions and through emotional understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Pongrácz
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
| | - Csenge Anna Lugosi
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Luca Szávai
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Atina Gengeliczky
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Nikolett Jégh-Czinege
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Tamás Faragó
- Neuroethology of Communication Lab, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Mulc D, Smilović D, Krsnik Ž, Junaković-Munjas A, Kopić J, Kostović I, Šimić G, Vukšić M. Fetal development of the human amygdala. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25580. [PMID: 38289194 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
The intricate development of the human amygdala involves a complex interplay of diverse processes, varying in speed and duration. In humans, transient cytoarchitectural structures deliquesce, leading to the formation of functionally distinct nuclei as a result of multiple interdependent developmental events. This study compares the amygdala's cytoarchitectural development in conjunction with specific antibody reactivity for neuronal, glial, neuropil, and radial glial fibers, synaptic, extracellular matrix, and myelin components in 39 fetal human brains. We recognized that the early fetal period, as a continuation of the embryonic period, is still dominated by relatively uniform histogenetic processes. The typical appearance of ovoid cell clusters in the lateral nucleus during midfetal period is most likely associated with the cell migration and axonal growth processes in the developing human brain. Notably, synaptic markers are firstly detected in the corticomedial group of nuclei, while immunoreactivity for the panaxonal neurofilament marker SMI 312 is found dorsally. The late fetal period is characterized by a protracted migration process evidenced by the presence of doublecortin and SOX-2 immunoreactivity ventrally, in the prospective paralaminar nucleus, reinforced by vimentin immunoreactivity in the last remaining radial glial fibers. Nearing the term period, SMI 99 immunoreactivity indicates that perinatal myelination becomes prominent primarily along major axonal pathways, laying the foundation for more pronounced functional maturation. This study comprehensively elucidates the rate and sequence of maturational events in the amygdala, highlighting the key role of prenatal development in its behavioral, autonomic, and endocrine regulation, with subsequent implications for both normal functioning and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damir Mulc
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dinko Smilović
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Željka Krsnik
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Alisa Junaković-Munjas
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Janja Kopić
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivica Kostović
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Goran Šimić
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mario Vukšić
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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Zhang S, Zhang YD, Shi DD, Wang Z. Therapeutic uses of oxytocin in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:216. [PMID: 38017588 PMCID: PMC10683256 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01173-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT), produced and secreted in the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus of magnocellular and parvocellular neurons. The diverse presence and activity of oxytocin suggests a potential for this neuropeptide in the pathogenesis and treatment of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)). For a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of OXT's anti-stress action, the signaling cascade of OXT binding to targeting stress were summarized. Then the advance of OXT treatment in depression, anxiety, PTSD and the major projection region of OXT neuron were discussed. Further, the efficacy of endogenous and exogenous OXT in stress responses were highlighted in this review. To augment the level of OXT in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, current biological strategies were summarized to shed a light on the treatment of stress-induced psychiatric disorders. We also conclude some of the major puzzles in the therapeutic uses of OXT in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Although some questions remain to be resolved, OXT has an enormous potential therapeutic use as a hormone that regulates stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Zhang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China
- College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying-Dan Zhang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Dong-Dong Shi
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhen Wang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
- Institute of Psychological and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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Moerkerke M, Daniels N, Van der Donck S, Tibermont L, Tang T, Debbaut E, Bamps A, Prinsen J, Steyaert J, Alaerts K, Boets B. Can repeated intranasal oxytocin administration affect reduced neural sensitivity towards expressive faces in autism? A randomized controlled trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:1583-1595. [PMID: 37278339 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication and interaction. Crucial for efficient social interaction is the ability to quickly and accurately extract information from a person's face. Frequency-tagging electroencephalography (EEG) is a novel tool to quantify face-processing sensitivity in a robust and implicit manner. In terms of intervention approaches, intranasal administration of oxytocin (OT) is increasingly considered as a potential pharmacological approach for improving socio-communicative difficulties in ASD, through enhancing social salience and/or reducing (social) stress and anxiety. METHODS In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, mechanistic pharmaco-neuroimaging clinical trial, we implemented frequency-tagging EEG to conduct an exploratory investigation into the impact of repeated OT administration (4 weeks, 12 IU, twice daily) on neural sensitivity towards happy and fearful facial expressions in children with ASD (8-12 years old; OT: n = 29; placebo: n = 32). Neural effects were assessed at baseline, post-nasal spray (24 hr after the last nasal spray) and at a follow-up session, 4 weeks after the OT administration period. At baseline, neural assessments of children with ASD were compared with those of an age- and gender-matched cohort of neurotypical (NT) children (n = 39). RESULTS Children with ASD demonstrated reduced neural sensitivity towards expressive faces, as compared to NT children. Upon nasal spray administration, children with ASD displayed a significant increase in neural sensitivity at the post- and follow-up sessions, but only in the placebo group, likely reflecting an implicit learning effect. Strikingly, in the OT group, neural sensitivity remained unaffected from the baseline to the post-session, likely reflecting a dampening of an otherwise typically occurring implicit learning effect. CONCLUSIONS First, we validated the robustness of the frequency-tagging EEG approach to assess reduced neural sensitivity towards expressive faces in children with ASD. Furthermore, in contrast to social salience effects observed after single-dose administrations, repeated OT administration dampened typically occurring learning effects in neural sensitivity. In line with OT's social anxiolytic account, these observations possibly reflect a predominant (social) stress regulatory effect towards emotionally evocative faces after repeated OT administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthijs Moerkerke
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicky Daniels
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stephanie Van der Donck
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Tibermont
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tiffany Tang
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Edward Debbaut
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annelies Bamps
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jellina Prinsen
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kaat Alaerts
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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21
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Kraus J, Výborová E, Silani G. The effect of intranasal oxytocin on social reward processing in humans: a systematic review. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1244027. [PMID: 37779612 PMCID: PMC10536251 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the neurobiology of social reward processing is fundamental, holding promises for reducing maladaptive/dysfunctional social behaviors and boosting the benefits associated with a healthy social life. Current research shows that processing of social (vs. non-social) rewards may be driven by oxytocinergic signaling. However, studies in humans often led to mixed results. This review aimed to systematically summarize available experimental results that assessed the modulation of social reward processing by intranasal oxytocin (IN-OXY) administration in humans. The literature search yielded 385 results, of which 19 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The effects of IN-OXY on subjective, behavioral, and (neuro)physiological output variables are discussed in relation to moderating variables-reward phase, reward type, onset and dosage, participants' sex/gender, and clinical condition. Results indicate that IN-OXY is mostly effective during the consumption ("liking") of social rewards. These effects are likely exerted by modulating the activity of the prefrontal cortex, insula, precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and striatum. Finally, we provide suggestions for designing future oxytocin studies. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021278945, identifier CRD42021278945.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Kraus
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Eliška Výborová
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Giorgia Silani
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Wright KA, Polk R, Lin T, Feifel D, Ebner NC. Four-week intranasal oxytocin administration reduces attachment avoidance in older women. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105413. [PMID: 37659357 PMCID: PMC10961710 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) serves as a critical modulator of social cognition and social behavior. Adult attachment is an affiliative process crucial for social interaction across adulthood. Insecure adult attachment comprises two broad dimensions, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Both these dimensions of attachment are currently understudied regarding OT modulation, and especially in older adults. The present study determined the effects of chronic intranasal OT administration on adult attachment in generally healthy older women and men (aged 55-95 years). Embedded in a larger project, participants were randomly assigned to self-administer 24 international units of either OT or a placebo (P) intranasally twice daily for four weeks. The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale assessed adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) pre- and post-treatment. There was no significant pre- to post-treatment change in attachment avoidance overall, but the treatment x timepoint x sex interaction was significant, in that women (but not men) in the OT (vs. P) group reported decreased attachment avoidance. No comparable effects were observed for attachment anxiety. Results suggest that older women may benefit from chronic intranasal OT treatment by experiencing less attachment avoidance in their adult relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylie A Wright
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.
| | - Rebecca Polk
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - David Feifel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America; Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America; Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.
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23
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Dong W, Ding Z, Wu X, Wan R, Liu Y, Pei L, Zhu W. The association between neuropeptide oxytocin and neuropsychiatric disorders after orthopedic surgery stress in older patients. BMC Geriatr 2023; 23:416. [PMID: 37420191 PMCID: PMC10329356 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-03989-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The health outcomes of geriatric patients exposed to surgery were found to be enhanced by social support and stress management. The aim of this study was to characterise the relationship between oxytocin and neuropsychiatric disorders after surgery. METHODS A total of 132 geriatric patients aged ≥ 60 years received orthopedic surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (Harbin, China) were enrolled in the present study. The salivary levels of stress hormone cortisol and oxytocin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the screening of the stress state and oxytocin function. Moreover, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were conducted to identify the severity of anxiety and depression. The association between oxytocin and mental health was performed by linear regression analyses in older patients receiving orthopedic surgery. Finally, the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI) was selected to measure the social support and the potential link to mental outcomes. RESULTS The scores from questionnaires showed that female patients with higher social support and higher levels of oxytocin demonstrated better stress-reducing responses as reflected by lower cortisol and decreased anxiety and depression symptoms. Regression analyses revealed that there was a significant association between oxytocin and scores in DASS, GAI, GDS, MADRS and DSSI, suggesting a potential link between peripheral oxytocin function and mood outcomes after orthopedic surgery. CONCLUSIONS Our findings reveal that oxytocin enhances the stress-protective effects of social support and reduces anxiety and depression states under stressful circumstances, particularly in older women receiving orthopedic surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanru Dong
- Drug Safety Evaluation Center, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Zengbo Ding
- National Institute On Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xiao Wu
- National Institute On Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ran Wan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Ying Liu
- College of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, 570100, China
| | - Liubao Pei
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Weili Zhu
- National Institute On Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
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Opposing and emotion-specific associations between frontal activation with depression and anxiety symptoms during facial emotion processing in generalized anxiety and depression. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 123:110716. [PMID: 36623581 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Major depression (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have become one of the leading global causes of disability and both are characterized by marked interpersonal and social impairments. However, despite high comorbidity and overlapping social-emotional deficits, it remains unclear whether MDD and GAD share a common neural basis during interpersonal processing. In the present study, we combined an emotional face processing paradigm with fMRI and dimensional and categorical analyses in a sample of unmedicated MDD and GAD patients (N = 72) as well as healthy controls (N = 35). No group differences were found in categorical analyses. However, the dimensional analyses revealed that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) reactivity to sad facial expressions was positively associated with depression symptom load, yet negatively associated with anxiety symptom load in the entire sample. On the network level depression symptom load was positively associated with functional connectivity between the bilateral amygdala and a widespread network including the anterior cingulate and insular cortex. Together, these findings suggest that the dlPFC - engaged in cognitive and emotional processing - exhibits symptom- and emotion-specific alteration during interpersonal processing. Dysregulated communication between the amygdala and core regions of the salience network may represent depression-specific neural dysregulations.
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25
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Wilke MR, Broschmann D, Sandek A, Wachter R, Edelmann F, Herrmann-Lingen C. Longitudinal association between N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide, anxiety and social support in patients with HFpEF: results from the multicentre randomized controlled Aldo-DHF trial. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2023; 23:184. [PMID: 37020188 PMCID: PMC10077758 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-023-03136-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Higher plasma levels of natriuretic peptides (NPs) have been associated with reduced anxiety in experimental research and a number of patient samples. As NP levels are elevated in heart failure patients, we investigate whether this elevation is related to anxiety in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). METHODS Post-hoc regression and mediation analyses were conducted, using data of 422 patients with HFpEF from the randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, two-armed, multicentre aldosterone in diastolic heart failure trial, testing associations and their mediators between the N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and anxiety at baseline and over 12-month follow-up. Anxiety was measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), social support by the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory and physical functioning by the Short Form 36 Health Survey. RESULTS The mean age of the study population was 66.8 ± 7.6 years, 47.6% were male and 86.0% had NYHA class II. NT-proBNP showed a weak negative correlation with HADS anxiety scores at baseline (r = - 0.087; p = 0.092), which was significant (r = - 0.165; p = 0.028) in men but not in women. NT-proBNP also tended to predict lower anxiety at 12-months in men. On the other hand, higher anxiety at baseline was associated with lower NT-proBNP scores 12 months later (r = - 0.116; p = 0.026). All associations lost significance in multivariate regression for age, perceived social support (ESSI), physical function (SF-36) and study arm. Mediation analyses revealed that social support acts as a full mediator for the link between NT-proBNP levels and anxiety. CONCLUSION The mechanisms linking NT-proBNP to anxiety may be more complex than originally assumed. While effects of NT-proBNP on anxiety may be mediated by perceived social support, there may be an additional negative effect of anxiety on NT-proBNP. Future research should consider this possible bi-directionality of the association and assess the potential influence of gender, social support, oxytocin and vagal tone on the interaction of anxiety and natriuretic peptide levels. Trial Registration http://www.controlled-trials.com (ISRCTN94726526) on 07/11/2006. Eudra-CT-number: 2006-002,605-31.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke R Wilke
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Broschmann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anja Sandek
- Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, Haus 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Wachter
- Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, Haus 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Frank Edelmann
- Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Mittelallee 11, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Berlin, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Herrmann-Lingen
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
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26
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Jeung-Maarse H, Schmitgen MM, Schmitt R, Bertsch K, Herpertz SC. Oxytocin effects on amygdala reactivity to angry faces in males and females with antisocial personality disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:946-953. [PMID: 36941365 PMCID: PMC10156793 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01549-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a key region in current neurocircuitry models of reactive aggression as it is crucially involved in detecting social threat and provocation. An increased amygdala reactivity to angry faces has been reported in aggression-prone individuals and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) could dampen anger-related amygdala reactivity in a number of mental disorders. One example is the antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) which has so far only been studied in limited numbers. To address the question whether OT can normalize amygdala hyperreactivity to emotional faces, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment with 20 men and 18 women with ASPD and 20 male and 20 female healthy control (HC) participants in a double-blind, randomized, placebo (PLC)-controlled within-subject design. Participants were exposed to an emotion classification task (fearful, angry, and happy faces) after receiving an intranasal dose (24 IU) of synthetic OT or PLC. We found OT to attenuate right amygdala hyperactivity to angry faces in participants with ASPD to such an extent that the intensity of amygdala activity in the ASPD group in the OT condition decreased to the level of amygdala activity in the PLC condition in the HC group. There was also a trend that OT effects were generally larger in women than in men. These findings suggest that OT differentially modulates the amygdala following social threatening or provoking cues in dependence of psychopathology (ASPD vs. HC) and sex (male vs. female). Particularly female ASPD patients could benefit from OT in the treatment of reactive aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haang Jeung-Maarse
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (EvKB), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
- Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Mike M Schmitgen
- Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ruth Schmitt
- Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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27
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Effects of exogenous oxytocin and estradiol on resting-state functional connectivity in women and men. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3113. [PMID: 36813823 PMCID: PMC9947123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29754-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Possible interactions of the neuropeptide oxytocin and the sex hormone estradiol may contribute to previously observed sex-specific effects of oxytocin on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala and hippocampus. Therefore, we used a placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel-group functional magnetic resonance imaging study design and measured amygdala and hippocampus rsFC in healthy men (n = 116) and free-cycling women (n = 111), who received estradiol gel (2 mg) or placebo before the intranasal administration of oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo. Our results reveal significant interaction effects of sex and treatments on rsFC of the amygdala and hippocampus in a seed-to-voxel analysis. In men, both oxytocin and estradiol significantly decreased rsFC between the left amygdala and the right and left lingual gyrus, the right calcarine fissure, and the right superior parietal gyrus compared to placebo, while the combined treatment produced a significant increase in rsFC. In women, the single treatments significantly increased the rsFC between the right hippocampus and the left anterior cingulate gyrus, whereas the combined treatment had the opposite effect. Collectively, our study indicates that exogenous oxytocin and estradiol have different region-specific effects on rsFC in women and men and that the combined treatment may produce antagonistic effects.
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28
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Wang Y, Wang R, Wu H. The role of oxytocin in modulating self-other distinction in human brain: a pharmacological fMRI study. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1708-1725. [PMID: 35483708 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-other distinction is crucial for human interaction. Although with conflicting results, studies have found that oxytocin (OT) sharpens the self-other perceptual boundary. However, little is known about the effect of OT on self-other perception, especially its neural basis. Moreover, it is unclear whether OT influences self-other discrimination when the other is a child or an adult. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the effect of OT on self-face perception at the behavioral and neural levels. For the stimuli, we morphed participants' faces and child or adult strangers' faces, resulting in 4 conditions. After treatment with either OT or placebo, participants reported whether a stimulus resembled themselves while being scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Behavioral results showed that people judged adult-morphed faces better than child-morphed faces. Moreover, fMRI results showed that the OT group exhibited increased activity in visual areas and the inferior frontal gyrus for self-faces. This difference was more pronounced in the adult-face condition. In multivariate fMRI and region of interest analyses, better performance in the OT group indicated that OT increased self-other distinction, especially for adult faces and in the left hemisphere. Our study shows a significant effect of OT on self-referential processes, proving the potential effect of OT on a left hemisphere self-network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanchen Wang
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, N21 Research Building, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR 999078 , China.,Department of Psychology, E21B Humanities and Social Sciences Building, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR 999078, China.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ruien Wang
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, N21 Research Building, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR 999078 , China.,Department of Psychology, E21B Humanities and Social Sciences Building, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, N21 Research Building, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR 999078 , China.,Department of Psychology, E21B Humanities and Social Sciences Building, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR 999078, China
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29
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Melby K, Spigset O, Gråwe RW, Aamo TO, Quintana DS. The effect of intranasal oxytocin on processing emotional stimuli during alcohol withdrawal: A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105268. [PMID: 36242831 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol dependence is associated with difficulties in processing emotional stimuli, which can lead to interpersonal problems. The neuropeptide oxytocin has been shown to modulate the processing of emotional stimuli, however, oxytocin treatment has not yet been examined in patients with withdrawal symptoms during alcohol detoxification. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of oxytocin on the reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET), which indexes theory of mind ability, during a three-day period of alcohol detoxification at an addiction treatment centre in Norway. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 39 patients fulfilling criteria for ICD-10 diagnosis of alcohol dependence admitted for alcohol detoxification and withdrawal treatment. Participants were randomized to receive either intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo, twice daily for three days. We evaluated RMET performance on day 2 and day 3 of detoxification and differences in RMET scores between day 2 and day 3 of detoxification. Frequentist and Bayesian statistical inference suggested that oxytocin administration during alcohol withdrawal in alcohol-dependent patients did not improve RMET performance. However, exploratory analyses provided preliminary evidence that oxytocin might improve performance on the RMET negative emotion subscale (uncorrected p value = 0.038), and that oxytocin treatment might show the most promise for those with high levels of alcohol consumption (i.e., ≥20 alcohol units per day; uncorrected p value = 0.023). Moreover, alcohol consumption levels significantly predicted RMET performance on day 2, but not on day 3, of withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrine Melby
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Olav Spigset
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Rolf W Gråwe
- Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Research and Development, Division of Psychiatry, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Trond O Aamo
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Blue Cross Lade Addiction Treatment Centre, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Daniel S Quintana
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT) and KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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30
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Cerami C, Perini G, Panzavolta A, Cotta Ramusino M, Costa A. A Call for Drug Therapies for the Treatment of Social Behavior Disorders in Dementia: Systematic Review of Evidence and State of the Art. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911550. [PMID: 36232852 PMCID: PMC9569533 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence supports the presence of social cognition deficits and social behavior alterations in major and minor neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). Even though the ability to identify socio-emotional changes has significantly improved in recent years, there is still no specific treatment available. Thus, we explored evidence of drug therapies targeting social cognition alterations in NCDs. Papers were selected according to PRISMA guidelines by searching on the PubMed and Scopus databases. Only papers reporting information on pharmacological interventions for the treatment of social cognition and/or social behavioral changes in major and/or minor NCDs were included. Among the 171 articles entered in the paper selection, only 9 papers were eligible for the scope of the review. Trials testing pharmacological treatments for socio-emotional alterations in NCDs are poor and of low-medium quality. A few attempts with neuroprotective, psychoactive, or immunomodulating drugs have been made. Oxytocin is the only drug specifically targeting the social brain that has been tested with promising results in frontotemporal dementia. Its beneficial effects in long-term use have yet to be evaluated. No recommendation can currently be provided. There is a long way to go to identify and test effective targets to treat social cognition changes in NCDs for the ultimate benefit of patients and caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Cerami
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Giulia Perini
- Unit of Behavioral Neurology and Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias (CDCD), IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Dementia Research Center (DRC), IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Panzavolta
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Cotta Ramusino
- Unit of Behavioral Neurology and Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias (CDCD), IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Dementia Research Center (DRC), IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Alfredo Costa
- Unit of Behavioral Neurology and Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias (CDCD), IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Dementia Research Center (DRC), IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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31
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Mouchlianitis ED, Tracy DK, Wigton R, Vanes LD, Fett AK, Shergill SS. Neuroimaging oxytocin modulation of social reward learning in schizophrenia. BJPsych Open 2022; 8:e175. [PMID: 36156189 PMCID: PMC9534925 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2022.577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conventional pharmacological approaches have limited effectiveness for schizophrenia. There is interest in the application of oxytocin, which is involved in social cognition. Clinical trials have yielded mixed results, with a gap in understanding neural mechanisms. AIMS To evaluate the behavioural impact of oxytocin administration on a social learning task in individuals with schizophrenia, and elucidate any differential neural activity produced. METHOD We recruited 20 clinically stable right-handed men diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. In a double-blind cross-over randomised controlled study, 40 IU of oxytocin or placebo were administered before functional magnetic resonance imaging of participants playing a multi-round economic exchange game of trust. Participants had the role of investors (investment trials) receiving repayment on their investments (repayment trials), playing one session against a computer and a second against a player believed to be human. RESULTS During investment trials, oxytocin increased neural signalling in the right lateral parietal cortex for both human and computer player trials, and attenuated signalling in the right insula for human player trials. For repayment trials, oxytocin elicited signal increases in left insula and left ventral caudate, and a signal decrease in right amygdala during the human player trials; conversely it resulted in right dorsal caudate activation during the computer player trials. We did not find a significant change in behavioural performance associated with oxytocin administration, or any associations with symptoms. CONCLUSIONS During a social learning task oxytocin modulates cortical and limbic substrates of the reward-processing network. These perturbations can be putatively linked to the pathoaetiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias D Mouchlianitis
- Cognition, Schizophrenia and Imaging Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and School of Psychology, University of East London, UK
| | - Derek K Tracy
- Cognition, Schizophrenia and Imaging Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and West London NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Rebekah Wigton
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lucy D Vanes
- Cognition, Schizophrenia and Imaging Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | | | - Sukhi S Shergill
- Cognition, Schizophrenia and Imaging Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Kent and Medway Medical School, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; and Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, Gillingham, UK
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32
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Fan P, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Xiong Y. Parent-Performed Infant Massage for Improving Parental Mental State Within 18 Months Postpartum: A Systematic Review. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2022; 61:52-59. [PMID: 36099486 DOI: 10.3928/02793695-20220906-04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the current review was to assess whether parent-performed infant massage (PPIM) could effectively improve the mental state of parents during the postpartum period. Several international electronic databases were thoroughly searched for relevant articles. Included studies observed the influence of PPIM on the mental state of parents of healthy full-term infants within 18 months postpartum or medically stable preterm infants during hospitalization after birth. Nine studies were included, which observed one or more aspects of parental mental state, including depression, anxiety, parental stress, or general mood state. Characteristics of participants, massage protocols, and outcome measures were heterogenous; hence, results regarding the influence of PPIM on parental mental state were inconsistent. Upon further investigation, 10-minute, home-based PPIM for at least 4 weeks is advisable for maternal depression within 5 months postpartum. Moreover, PPIM in a neonatal intensive care unit is advisable for improving the general mood of mothers of preterm infants. Additional methodologically rigorous studies are needed to provide stronger evidence. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(4), 52-59.].
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Osório FDL, Espitia-Rojas GV, Aguiar-Ricz LN. Effects of intranasal oxytocin on the self-perception and anxiety of singers during a simulated public singing performance: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:943578. [PMID: 36033618 PMCID: PMC9403236 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.943578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Professional musicians experience intense social exposure and high levels of preoccupation with their performance and potential negative reactions from the audience, which favor anxiety. Considering that oxytocin (OXT) has a potential therapeutic effect on anxiety, cognitive processes, and decreased psychosocial stress, this study's objective was to assess the effects of a single dose of 24 UI of intranasal OXT among professional singers, during a public singing simulation test, on self-rated performance and mood. This crossover, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial addressed 54 male singers with different levels of musical performance anxiety (42% high). The participants took part in different phases of a simulated public singing performance and completed instruments rating their performances (Self Statements During Public Performance- State version) and mood (Visual Analogue Mood Scale). Data were analyzed using ANOVA 2 × 2 for crossover trials. The results show that the use of OXT during the performance and immediate post-stress favored more positive (effect size: d > 1.04) and less negative assessments of musical performance (effect size: d > 1.86) than when placebo was used. No treatment effects were found in any VAMS subscales, indicating no direct anxiolytic effects. The conclusion is that OXT can minimizes social stress, especially during performances. This finding is exploratory and, if confirmed in future studies, may have relevance for musicians, especially those who constantly experience and recognize the impact of negative and catastrophic thoughts on performance and professional activities. Clinical Trial Registration [https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-5r5sc5], identifier [RBR-5r5sc5].
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávia de Lima Osório
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo University, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology, Brasília, Brazil
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Shou Q, Yamada J, Nishina K, Matsunaga M, Matsuda T, Takagishi H. Association between salivary oxytocin levels and the amygdala and hippocampal volumes. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2503-2511. [PMID: 35943580 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02543-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Salivary oxytocin levels have been widely measured and studied in relation to social behavior because of procedural simplicity and noninvasiveness. Although the relationship between oxytocin levels in the blood and the hippocampus and amygdala is now becoming clear with reliable blood oxytocin studies, few studies have examined the relationship between salivary oxytocin and the brain function and structure. This study aimed to investigate whether the salivary oxytocin level is associated with the volume of the amygdala and hippocampus in 178 adults (92 women and 86 men) in their third to seventh decade of life. We performed volumetric analysis of the amygdala and hippocampus using FreeSurfer and measured salivary oxytocin levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed contradictory effects of the salivary oxytocin level on the amygdala volume by sex and no significant effect on the hippocampal volume. Specifically, men showed a positive correlation between the salivary oxytocin level and amygdala volume, whereas women showed a negative correlation between the salivary oxytocin level and amygdala volume. The present study's finding of sex differences in the association between salivary oxytocin and brain structure supports previous findings that there are sex differences in the oxytocin system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiulu Shou
- Graduate School of Brain Sciences, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junko Yamada
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
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35
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Marazziti D, Diep PT, Carter S, Carbone MG. Oxytocin: An Old Hormone, A Novel Psychotropic Drug And Possible Use In Treating Psychiatric Disorders. Curr Med Chem 2022; 29:5615-5687. [PMID: 35894453 DOI: 10.2174/0929867329666220727120646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxytocin is a nonapeptide synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Historically, this molecule has been involved as a key factor in the formation of infant attachment, maternal behavior and pair bonding and, more generally, in linking social signals with cognition, behaviors and reward. In the last decades, the whole oxytocin system has gained a growing interest as it was proposed to be implicated in etiopathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. METHODS With the main goal of an in-depth understanding of the oxytocin role in the regulation of different functions and complex behaviors as well as its intriguing implications in different neuropsychiatric disorders, we performed a critical review of the current state of art. We carried out this work through PubMed database up to June 2021 with the search terms: 1) "oxytocin and neuropsychiatric disorders"; 2) "oxytocin and neurodevelopmental disorders"; 3) "oxytocin and anorexia"; 4) "oxytocin and eating disorders"; 5) "oxytocin and obsessive-compulsive disorder"; 6) "oxytocin and schizophrenia"; 7) "oxytocin and depression"; 8) "oxytocin and bipolar disorder"; 9) "oxytocin and psychosis"; 10) "oxytocin and anxiety"; 11) "oxytocin and personality disorder"; 12) "oxytocin and PTSD". RESULTS Biological, genetic, and epigenetic studies highlighted quality and quantity modifications in the expression of oxytocin peptide or in oxytocin receptor isoforms. These alterations would seem to be correlated with a higher risk of presenting several neuropsychiatric disorders belonging to different psychopathological spectra. Collaterally, the exogenous oxytocin administration has shown to ameliorate many neuropsychiatric clinical conditions. CONCLUSION Finally, we briefly analyzed the potential pharmacological use of oxytocin in patient with severe symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and immunoregulatory properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Marazziti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.,Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Phuoc-Tan Diep
- Department of Histopathology, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Carter
- Director Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Manuel G Carbone
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Division of Psychiatry, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
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36
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Möhler E. Personality Disorders and Development. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12080983. [PMID: 35892424 PMCID: PMC9332276 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12080983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Möhler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, G-66421 Homburg, Germany
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37
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Vizeli P, Straumann I, Duthaler U, Varghese N, Eckert A, Paulus MP, Risbrough V, Liechti ME. Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Conditioned Fear Extinction and Retention in a Crossover Study in Healthy Subjects. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:906639. [PMID: 35910354 PMCID: PMC9326355 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.906639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has shown initial promise as an adjunct in psychotherapy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Its efficacy and safety have been demonstrated across phase I-III studies. However, the mechanism underlying the potential utility of MDMA to treat PTSD in humans has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Preliminary evidence suggests that MDMA may facilitate fear extinction recall, which may be through the release of oxytocin. To test this hypothesis, we examined the efficacy of acute MDMA treatment to enhance fear extinction learning and recall. Methods: We used a two-period, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design in 30 healthy male subjects who received a placebo and a single dose of MDMA (125 mg). Fear extinction was tested using two separate Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms, one using skin conductance response (SCR), and the other fear-potentiated startle (FPS) to conditioned cues. MDMA treatment occurred after fear conditioning and 2 h before extinction learning. Extinction recall was tested 23 h after MDMA intake. Additional outcome measures included subjective effects, emotion recognition tasks, plasma levels of oxytocin, and pharmacokinetics. Results: Fear conditioning and extinction learning were successful in both fear extinction paradigms (generalized eta-squared [ges] for SCR: 0.08; FPS: 0.07). Compared to placebo treatment, MDMA treatment significantly reduced SCRs to the reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS+) during extinction learning (ges = 0.03) and recall (ges = 0.06). Intensity of the subjective effects of MDMA (good effect, trust, and openness) during extinction learning negatively correlated with the discrimination between CS+ and the safety stimulus (CS-) during recall. MDMA did not influence FPS to conditioned cues. Oxytocin concentration was increased fourfold on average by MDMA during acute effects but was not associated with fear extinction outcomes. Conclusions: MDMA treatment facilitated rapid fear extinction and retention of extinction as measured by SCR to fear cues, in line with animal studies of MDMA facilitation of extinction. However, this effect may be limited to certain forms of learned fear responses, as it was not observed in the extinction model using startle reactivity as the outcome. This study provides further evidence for the facilitation of extinction with MDMA treatment and suggests this may be a component of its efficacy when paired with psychotherapy. Clinical Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03527316.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Vizeli
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Patrick Vizeli, ; Matthias E. Liechti,
| | - Isabelle Straumann
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Urs Duthaler
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nimmy Varghese
- Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anne Eckert
- Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Victoria Risbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States,Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Matthias E. Liechti
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland,*Correspondence: Patrick Vizeli, ; Matthias E. Liechti,
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38
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Kou J, Zhang Y, Zhou F, Sindermann C, Montag C, Becker B, Kendrick KM. A randomized trial shows dose-frequency and genotype may determine the therapeutic efficacy of intranasal oxytocin. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1959-1968. [PMID: 33272333 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720003803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The neuropeptide oxytocin is proposed as a promising therapy for social dysfunction by modulating amygdala-mediated social-emotional behavior. Although clinical trials report some benefits of chronic treatment, it is unclear whether efficacy may be influenced by dose frequency or genotype. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmaco-functional magnetic resonance imaging trial (150 male subjects), we investigated acute and different chronic (every day or on alternate days for 5 days) intranasal oxytocin (24 international units) effects and oxytocin receptor genotype-mediated treatment sensitivity on amygdala responses to face emotions. We also investigated similar effects on resting-state functional connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. RESULTS A single dose of oxytocin-reduced amygdala responses to all face emotions but for threatening (fear and anger) and happy faces, this effect was abolished after daily doses for 5 days but maintained by doses given every other day. The latter dose regime also enhanced associated anxious-arousal attenuation for fear faces. Oxytocin effects on reducing amygdala responses to face emotions only occurred in AA homozygotes of rs53576 and A carriers of rs2254298. The effects of oxytocin on resting-state functional connectivity were not influenced by either dose-frequency or receptor genotype. CONCLUSIONS Infrequent chronic oxytocin administration may be therapeutically most efficient and its anxiolytic neural and behavioral actions are highly genotype-dependent in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Kou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 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 611731, China
| | - Cornelia Sindermann
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christian Montag
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 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 611731, China
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39
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Witte AM, Riem MME, van der Knaap N, de Moor MHM, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. The effects of oxytocin and vasopressin administration on fathers' neural responses to infant crying: A randomized controlled within-subject study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 140:105731. [PMID: 35334388 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In a randomized double-blind within-subject control study we investigated the effects of oxytocin and vasopressin administration on neural reactivity to infant cry sounds in 70 first-time fathers in the first year of fatherhood. Additionally, we examined whether effects of oxytocin and vasopressin administration on neural reactivity were moderated by fathers' early childhood experiences. Neural reactivity to infant cry sounds (versus control sounds) was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Furthermore, participants reported on their childhood experiences of parental harsh discipline and parental love withdrawal. Whole brain analyses revealed no significant effect of vasopressin or oxytocin administration on neural activation in response to infant cry sounds. Region of interest analyses showed decreased amygdala activation in both the oxytocin condition and the vasopressin condition as compared to placebo. We found no moderating effects of fathers' early childhood experiences. Our findings suggest that oxytocin administration may decrease feelings of anxiety or aversion to a crying infant. Whether decreased amygdala activation after vasopressin administration might be explained by contextual factors (e.g., absence of high levels of threat, unfamiliarity of the infant) or represents an affiliative response to infant distress warrants further investigation. Findings of the present study showed that oxytocin and vasopressin are important hormones implicated in neural models of infant cry perception in fatherhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemieke M Witte
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Madelon M E Riem
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University, the Netherlands
| | - N van der Knaap
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marleen H M de Moor
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Research Department of Clinical, Education and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, London, UK
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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40
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Duque-Wilckens N, Trainor BC. Oxytocin release in stressful times. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 140:105709. [PMID: 35272915 PMCID: PMC8885083 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Duque-Wilckens
- Departments of Physiology and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Brian C. Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA,Corresponding author
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41
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Caria A, Dall’Ò GM. Functional Neuroimaging of Human Hypothalamus in Socioemotional Behavior: A Systematic Review. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060707. [PMID: 35741594 PMCID: PMC9221465 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
There exist extensive animal research and lesion studies in humans demonstrating a tight association between the hypothalamus and socioemotional behavior. However, human neuroimaging literature in this direction is still rather limited. In order to reexamine the functional role of this region in regulating human social behavior, we here provided a synthesis of neuroimaging studies showing hypothalamic activation during affiliative, cooperative interactions, and in relation to ticklish laughter and humor. In addition, studies reporting involvement of the hypothalamus during aggressive and antisocial interactions were also considered. Our systematic review revealed a growing number of investigations demonstrating that the evolutionary conserved hypothalamic neural circuity is involved in multiple and diverse aspects of human socioemotional behavior. On the basis of the observed heterogeneity of hypothalamus-mediated socioemotional responses, we concluded that the hypothalamus might play an extended functional role for species survival and preservation, ranging from exploratory and approaching behaviors promoting social interactions to aggressive and avoidance responses protecting and defending the established social bonds.
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42
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Shou Q, Yamada J, Nishina K, Matsunaga M, Kiyonari T, Takagishi H. Is oxytocin a trust hormone? Salivary oxytocin is associated with caution but not with general trust. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267988. [PMID: 35522616 PMCID: PMC9075672 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on the association between trust and oxytocin, a neuropeptide of the central nervous system, have not reached a consensus, thereby challenging the possibility of a direct association between the two. However, previous studies have not examined how oxytocin is correlated with trust, based on its categorization into different factors in the field of social science. For instance, based on Yamagishi’s trust theory, trust can be categorized into two factors: general trust and caution. General trust refers to beliefs about the trustworthiness of others, whereas caution refers to the belief that caution is needed when dealing with high social uncertainty. In this study, to examine the relationship between these two factors and oxytocin, we analyzed data of 197 adults (men = 98, women = 99; mean age = 41.7 years; standard deviation for age = 10.4 years) and examined the relationships between these two factors of trust and endogenous salivary oxytocin levels. We found that oxytocin was positively correlated with caution rather than with general trust thereby suggesting that oxytocin plays a role in regulating caution rather than general trust among the components of trust. The present study demonstrated that salivary oxytocin level can act as a biomarker that partially predicts one’s trust, especially as reflected by caution.
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Vitale EM, Smith AS. Neurobiology of Loneliness, Isolation, and Loss: Integrating Human and Animal Perspectives. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:846315. [PMID: 35464141 PMCID: PMC9029604 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.846315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In social species such as humans, non-human primates, and even many rodent species, social interaction and the maintenance of social bonds are necessary for mental and physical health and wellbeing. In humans, perceived isolation, or loneliness, is not only characterized by physical isolation from peers or loved ones, but also involves negative perceptions about social interactions and connectedness that reinforce the feelings of isolation and anxiety. As a complex behavioral state, it is no surprise that loneliness and isolation are associated with dysfunction within the ventral striatum and the limbic system - brain regions that regulate motivation and stress responsiveness, respectively. Accompanying these neural changes are physiological symptoms such as increased plasma and urinary cortisol levels and an increase in stress responsivity. Although studies using animal models are not perfectly analogous to the uniquely human state of loneliness, studies on the effects of social isolation in animals have observed similar physiological symptoms such as increased corticosterone, the rodent analog to human cortisol, and also display altered motivation, increased stress responsiveness, and dysregulation of the mesocortical dopamine and limbic systems. This review will discuss behavioral and neuropsychological components of loneliness in humans, social isolation in rodent models, and the neurochemical regulators of these behavioral phenotypes with a neuroanatomical focus on the corticostriatal and limbic systems. We will also discuss social loss as a unique form of social isolation, and the consequences of bond disruption on stress-related behavior and neurophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika M. Vitale
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Adam S. Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
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Intranasal Oxytocin Modulates the Salience Network in Aging. Neuroimage 2022; 253:119045. [PMID: 35259525 PMCID: PMC9450112 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence supports a role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in promoting social cognition and prosocial behavior, possibly via modulation of the salience of social information. The effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on the salience network, however, is not well understood, including in the aging brain. To address this research gap, 42 young (22.52 ± 3.02 years; 24 in the oxytocin group) and 43 older (71.12 ± 5.25 years; 21 in the oxytocin group) participants were randomized to either self-administer intranasal oxytocin or placebo prior to resting-state functional imaging. The salience network was identified using independent component analysis (ICA). Independent t-tests showed that individuals in the oxytocin compared to the placebo group had lower within-network resting-state functional connectivity, both for left amygdala (MNI coordinates: x = −18, y = 0, z = −15; corrected p < 0.05) within a more ventral salience network and for right insula (MNI coordinates: x = 39, y = 6, z = −6; corrected p < 0.05) within a more dorsal salience network. Age moderation analysis furthermore demonstrated that the oxytocin-reduced functional connectivity between the ventral salience network and the left amygdala was only present in older participants. These findings suggest a modulatory role of exogenous oxytocin on resting-state functional connectivity within the salience network and support age-differential effects of acute intranasal oxytocin administration on this network.
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Wigton R, Tracy DK, Verneuil TM, Johns M, White T, Michalopoulou PG, Averbeck B, Shergill S. The importance of pro-social processing, and ameliorating dysfunction in schizophrenia. An FMRI study of oxytocin. Schizophr Res Cogn 2022; 27:100221. [PMID: 34660212 PMCID: PMC8503903 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2021.100221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is often a severe and debilitating mental illness, frequently associated with impairments in social cognition that hinder individuals' abilities to relate to others and integrate effectively in society. Oxytocin has emerged as a putative therapeutic agent for treating social deficits in schizophrenia, but the mode of action remains unclear. This placebo-controlled crossover study aimed to elucidate the neural underpinnings of oxytocin administration in patients with schizophrenia. 20 patients with schizophrenia were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging under oxytocin (40 IU) or placebo nasal spray. Participants performed a stochastically rewarded decision-making task that incorporated elements of social valence provided by different facial expressions, i.e. happy, angry and neutral. Oxytocin attenuated the normal bias in selecting the happy face accompanied by reduced activation in a network of brain regions that support mentalising, processing of facial emotion, salience, aversion, uncertainty and ambiguity in social stimuli, including amygdala, temporo-parietal junction, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus and insula. These pro-social effects may contribute to the facilitation of social engagement and social interactions in patients with schizophrenia and warrant further investigation in future clinical trials for social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah Wigton
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA, USA
| | - Derek K. Tracy
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
- West London NHS Trust, London, UK
- Corresponding author at: West London NHS Trust, 1 Armstrong Way, Southall, London UB2 4SD, UK.
| | - Tess M. Verneuil
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Michaela Johns
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Thomas White
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
- Computational Cognitive Neuroimaging Group, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Panayiota G. Michalopoulou
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Bruno Averbeck
- Unit on Learning and Decision Making, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sukhwinder Shergill
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Cognition and Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, De Crespigny Park Rd., Denmark Hill SE5 8AF, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Van der Donck S, Moerkerke M, Dlhosova T, Vettori S, Dzhelyova M, Alaerts K, Boets B. Monitoring the effect of oxytocin on the neural sensitivity to emotional faces via frequency-tagging EEG: A double-blind, cross-over study. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14026. [PMID: 35150446 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is suggested to exert an important role in human social behaviors by modulating the salience of social cues. To date, however, there is mixed evidence whether a single dose of OXT can improve the behavioral and neural sensitivity for emotional face processing. To overcome difficulties encountered with classic event-related potential studies assessing stimulus-saliency, we applied frequency-tagging EEG to implicitly assess the effect of a single dose of OXT (24 IU) on the neural sensitivity for positive and negative facial emotions. Neutral faces with different identities were presented at 6 Hz, periodically interleaved with an expressive face (angry, fearful, and happy, in separate sequences) every fifth image (i.e., 1.2 Hz oddball frequency). These distinctive frequency tags for neutral and expressive stimuli allowed direct and objective quantification of the neural expression-categorization responses. The study involved a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial with 31 healthy adult men. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find an effect of OXT on facial emotion processing, neither at the neural, nor at the behavioral level. A single dose of OXT did not evoke social enhancement in general, nor did it affect social approach-avoidance tendencies. Possibly ceiling performances in facial emotion processing might have hampered further improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Van der Donck
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthijs Moerkerke
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tereza Dlhosova
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sofie Vettori
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Milena Dzhelyova
- Institute of Research in Psychological Sciences, Université de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.,Institute of Neuroscience, Université de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Kaat Alaerts
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Neurorehabilitation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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The Role of OXT, OXTR, AVP, and AVPR1a Gene Expression in the Course of Schizophrenia. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:336-349. [PMID: 35723404 PMCID: PMC8929099 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44010025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic mental illness, the symptoms of which usually appear for the first time in late adolescence or early adulthood. To date, much research has been conducted on the etiology of schizophrenia; however, it is still not fully understood. Oxytocin and vasopressin as neuromodulators that regulate social and emotional behavior are promising candidates for determining the vulnerability to schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of OXT, OXTR, AVP, and AVPR1a genes at the mRNA and protein levels in patients with schizophrenia. Due to the neurodegenerative nature of schizophrenia, the study group was divided into two subgroups, namely, G1 with a diagnosis that was made between 10 and 15 years after the onset of the illness, and G2 with a diagnosis made up to two years after the onset of the illness. Moreover, the relationship between the examined genes and the severity of schizophrenia symptoms, assessed using PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and CDSS scales (Clinical Depression Scale for Schizophrenia) was evaluated. The analysis of the expression of the studied genes at the mRNA and protein levels showed statistically significant differences in the expression of all the investigated genes. OXT and AVPR1a gene expression at both the mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower in the schizophrenia group, and OXTR and AVP gene expression at both the mRNA and protein levels was higher in the schizophrenia subjects than in the controls. Furthermore, a significant correlation of OXT gene expression at the mRNA and protein levels with the severity of depressive symptoms in schizophrenia as assessed by CDSS was found.
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Takayanagi Y, Onaka T. Roles of Oxytocin in Stress Responses, Allostasis and Resilience. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010150. [PMID: 35008574 PMCID: PMC8745417 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin has been revealed to work for anxiety suppression and anti-stress as well as for psychosocial behavior and reproductive functions. Oxytocin neurons are activated by various stressful stimuli. The oxytocin receptor is widely distributed within the brain, and oxytocin that is released or diffused affects behavioral and neuroendocrine stress responses. On the other hand, there has been an increasing number of reports on the role of oxytocin in allostasis and resilience. It has been shown that oxytocin maintains homeostasis, shifts the set point for adaptation to a changing environment (allostasis) and contributes to recovery from the shifted set point by inducing active coping responses to stressful stimuli (resilience). Recent studies have suggested that oxytocin is also involved in stress-related disorders, and it has been shown in clinical trials that oxytocin provides therapeutic benefits for patients diagnosed with stress-related disorders. This review includes the latest information on the role of oxytocin in stress responses and adaptation.
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Ma Y, Liu G, Hu Y, Long W. Adult attachment style moderates the effect of oxytocin on neural responses to infant emotional faces. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 171:38-47. [PMID: 34919983 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is known for its positive influence on maternal motivation and behavior, however, the effects of intranasal oxytocin (IN-OT) on neural activity during the perception of infant stimuli are often inconsistent. These discrepancies further reveal the need to take into account individual differences in IN-OT research. The present study aims to examine whether the effects of IN-OT on maternal-related neural responses to infant faces were moderated by participants' attachment style. Using a between-groups, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 65 nulliparous females were randomly assigned to groups receiving a single dose of 24 IU oxytocin or a placebo via intranasal administration. The neural responses of participants were assessed during a facial recognition task with joy, neutral, and crying infant faces. The results indicated that females with high levels of attachment anxiety exhibited decreased right amygdala activity in response to infant joy faces and decreased bilateral insula activity in response to infant crying faces following IN-OT. Meanwhile, IN-OT enhanced bilateral amygdala and left inferior orbital frontal cortex (OFC) activity in response to infant crying faces in females with high levels of attachment avoidance. In addition, some beneficial effects of IN-OT were also observed in females with low levels of attachment avoidance or anxiety. Our findings demonstrated that the beneficial effects of IN-OT on neural responses to infant faces may depend on individual differences in adult attachment style, thereby contributing to our understanding of the role of OT in maternal caregiving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxiao Ma
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210024, China.
| | - Guangzeng Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yuting Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Wenshuang Long
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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Romero-Martínez Á, Sarrate-Costa C, Moya-Albiol L. A Systematic Review of the Role of Oxytocin, Cortisol, and Testosterone in Facial Emotional Processing. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:1334. [PMID: 34943249 PMCID: PMC8698823 DOI: 10.3390/biology10121334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A topic of interest is the way decoding and interpreting facial emotional expressions can lead to mutual understanding. Facial emotional expression is a basic source of information that guarantees the functioning of other higher cognitive processes (e.g., empathy, cooperativity, prosociality, or decision-making, among others). In this regard, hormones such as oxytocin, cortisol, and/or testosterone have been found to be important in modifying facial emotion processing. In fact, brain structures that participate in facial emotion processing have been shown to be rich in receptors for these hormones. Nonetheless, much of this research has been based on correlational designs. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have tried to carry out controlled laboratory manipulation of these hormones by administering synthetic forms of these hormones. The main objective of this study was to carry out a systematic review of studies that assess whether manipulation of these three hormones effectively promotes significant alterations in facial emotional processing. To carry out this review, PRISMA quality criteria for reviews were followed, using the following digital databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Dialnet, Psicodoc, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library, and focusing on manuscripts with a robust research design (e.g., randomized, single- or double-blind, and/or placebo-controlled) to increase the value of this systematic review. An initial identification of 6340 abstracts and retrieval of 910 full texts led to the final inclusion of 101 papers that met all the inclusion criteria. Only about 18% of the manuscripts included reported a direct effect of hormone manipulation. In fact, emotional accuracy seemed to be enhanced after oxytocin increases, but it diminished when cortisol and/or testosterone increased. Nonetheless, when emotional valence and participants' gender were included, hormonal manipulation reached significance (in around 53% of the articles). In fact, these studies offered a heterogeneous pattern in the way these hormones altered speed processing, attention, and memory. This study reinforces the idea that these hormones are important, but not the main modulators of facial emotion processing. As our comprehension of hormonal effects on emotional processing improves, the potential to design good treatments to improve this ability will be greater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Romero-Martínez
- Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Avenida Blasco Ibañez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (C.S.-C.); (L.M.-A.)
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