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Oxytocin

About: Oxytocin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8250 publications have been published within this topic receiving 304776 citations. The topic is also known as: uniprot:P01178 & Orasthin.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The regulation by gonadal and adrenal steroids is one of the most remarkable features of the OT system and is, unfortunately, the least understood.
Abstract: The neurohypophysial peptide oxytocin (OT) and OT-like hormones facilitate reproduction in all vertebrates at several levels. The major site of OT gene expression is the magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. In response to a variety of stimuli such as suckling, parturition, or certain kinds of stress, the processed OT peptide is released from the posterior pituitary into the systemic circulation. Such stimuli also lead to an intranuclear release of OT. Moreover, oxytocinergic neurons display widespread projections throughout the central nervous system. However, OT is also synthesized in peripheral tissues, e.g., uterus, placenta, amnion, corpus luteum, testis, and heart. The OT receptor is a typical class I G protein-coupled receptor that is primarily coupled via Gq proteins to phospholipase C-β. The high-affinity receptor state requires both Mg2+ and cholesterol, which probably function as allosteric modulators. The agonist-binding region of the receptor has bee...

2,691 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Oxytocin seems to enhance the buffering effect of social support on stress responsiveness, concur with data from animal research suggesting an important role of oxytocin as an underlying biological mechanism for stress-protective effects of positive social interactions.

1,760 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that human amygdala function is strongly modulated by oxytocin, and this results indicate a neural mechanism for the effects of Oxytocin in social cognition in the human brain and provide a methodology and rationale for exploring therapeutic strategies in disorders in which abnormal amygdala function has been implicated, such as social phobia or autism.
Abstract: In non-human mammals, the neuropeptide oxytocin is a key mediator of complex emotional and social behaviors, including attachment, social recognition, and aggression. Oxytocin reduces anxiety and impacts on fear conditioning and extinction. Recently, oxytocin administration in humans was shown to increase trust, suggesting involvement of the amygdala, a central component of the neurocircuitry of fear and social cognition that has been linked to trust and highly expresses oxytocin receptors in many mammals. However, no human data on the effects of this peptide on brain function were available. Here, we show that human amygdala function is strongly modulated by oxytocin. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to image amygdala activation by fear-inducing visual stimuli in 15 healthy males after double-blind crossover intranasal application of placebo or oxytocin. Compared with placebo, oxytocin potently reduced activation of the amygdala and reduced coupling of the amygdala to brainstem regions implicated in autonomic and behavioral manifestations of fear. Our results indicate a neural mechanism for the effects of oxytocin in social cognition in the human brain and provide a methodology and rationale for exploring therapeutic strategies in disorders in which abnormal amygdala function has been implicated, such as social phobia or autism.

1,477 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that both oxytocin‐ and vasopressin‐stained cells in the PVH project to the spinal cord and to the dorsal vagal complex, although about three times as many oxytocinstained cells were doubly labeled after injections centered in either terminal field, suggesting that additional neuroactive substances are contained within these pathways.
Abstract: A method that allows the concurrent localization of an antigen and a retrogradely transported fluorescent dye (true blue) was used to identify, immunohistochemically, cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) that project to autonomic centers in the brainstem or in the spinal cord of the adult albino rat. After placing injections of true blue in the dorsal vagal complex or in upper thoracic segments of the spinal cord, series of evenly spaced sections through the PVH were stained with antisera directed against oxytocin, vasopressin, somatostatin, methionine-enkephalin, or leucine-encephalin. The results indicate that both oxytocin- and vasopressin-stained cells in the PVH project to the spinal cord and (or) to the dorsal vagal complex, although about three times as many oxytocinstained cells were doubly labeled after injections centered in either terminal field. The oxytocin- and vasopressin-stained cells that give rise to these long descending projections were found primarily in caudal parts of the parvo cellular division of the PVH, where immunoreactive cells were shown to be significantly smaller than oxytocin- and vasopressin-stained cells in parts of the nucleus that project to the posterior pituitary. Small populations of cells in the PVH that cross-react with antisera against somatostatin, leucine-enkephalin, or methionine-enkephalin were also shown to project directly to the region of the dorsal vagal complex and to the spinal cord, and to have a unique distribution within the PVH. Collectively, the total number of doubly labeled cells that were identified in these experiments accounts for only about one-fourth of the total number of PVH neurons with long descending projections, thus suggesting that additional neuroactive substances are contained within these pathways.

1,103 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Perfusion of rat brain followed by immersion fixation with 2.5% glutaraldehyde-1% paraformaldehyde, purification of the first antisera and application of the unlabelled antibody enzyme method were used to specifically identify vasopressin and oxytocin containing cells and fibres.
Abstract: Vasopressin and oxytocin pathways were specifically localized in glutaraldehyde-paraformaldehyde fixed rat brains, with the use of the unlabelled antibody enzyme method and purification of the first antiserum. Vasopressin and oxytocin containing pathways were traced from the paraventricular nucleus towards the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, the nuclei of the amygdala, substantia nigra and substantia grisea, nucleus tractus solitarius, nucleus ambiguus and to the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord. In addition, a vasopressin containing pathway between the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the lateral habenular nucleus was demonstrated. The possible nature (axons or dendrites) and role of these extrahypothalamic fibres is discussed in relation to water balance, milk ejection and avoidance behaviour.

1,038 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023436
2022934
2021190
2020190
2019196
2018168