Oxytocin News and Research

RSS

Oxytocin is a small but potent nine-amino acid hormone secreted within the brain, from the hypothalamus.

Study suggests a deeply conserved role for oxytocin in emotional contagion

Oxytocin plays an essential role in the spread of fear in zebrafish, according to a new study, the results of which suggest a deeply conserved role for the hormone in emotional contagion – the basal form of empathy – among vertebrates like fish.

23 Mar 2023

Voles can form enduring attachments with mates and provide parental care without oxytocin receptors

The vital role of oxytocin-;the "love hormone"-;for social attachments is being called into question. More than forty years of pharmacological and behavioral research has pointed to oxytocin receptor signaling as an essential pathway for the development of social behaviors in prairie voles, humans, and other species, but a genetic study publishing in the journal Neuron on January 27 shows that voles can form enduring attachments with mates and provide parental care without oxytocin receptor signaling.

29 Jan 2023

Biology underlying pair bonding and parenting may not be dictated by oxytocin receptors, study shows

Turning a decades-old dogma on its head, new research from scientists at UC San Francisco and Stanford Medicine shows that the receptor for oxytocin, a hormone considered essential to forming social bonds, may not play the critical role that scientists have assigned to it for the past 30 years.

27 Jan 2023

Artificial light affects glucose metabolism

Researchers assess the hypothalamus as a possible mediator of the effect of light on metabolism.

24 Jan 2023

How salt appetite differs between males and females

A recent Nutrients study reviews differences in salt intake based on sex.

16 Jan 2023

How could probiotics be used in the management of gingivitis and periodontitis?

New research explores how probiotic-based therapy in conjunction with established treatment regimens can be an effective approach for combating gingivitis and periodontitis.

28 Dec 2022

A Montana addiction clinic wants to motivate people with rewards. Then came a Medicaid fraud probe.

A Montana addiction clinic's plan to give people with substance use disorders as much as $1,966.50 in gift cards and vouchers to follow its treatment program is raising questions about the use of financial incentives with patients.

19 Dec 2022

What are the implications of microbial ecosystems for female reproductive health?

Researchers reviewed the current understanding of the composition and temporal dynamics of microbial niches in the female reproductive tract.

31 Oct 2022

Does maternal obesity impact fetal brain development?

In a new study, researchers assessed the impact of maternal obesity on brain development in the fetus.

31 Oct 2022

Novel oxytocin derivative can reverse Aβ25-35-induced cognitive impairment in mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by an accumulation of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) in brain tissue, is a leading cause of dementia.

24 Oct 2022

Wearable soft robot can improve patient experience during unpleasant medical procedures

While most of us are never without our smartphones, robots may also soon become indispensable companions.

21 Oct 2022

How the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin may have heart-healing properties

In this interview, News Medical speaks to Dr. Aitor Aguirre, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University, about how the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin may provide heart-healing properties.

17 Oct 2022

Oxytocin induces epicardial cell proliferation, study finds

The neurohormone oxytocin is well-known for promoting social bonds and generating pleasurable feelings, for example from art, exercise, or sex. But the hormone has many other functions, such as the regulation of lactation and uterine contractions in females, and the regulation of ejaculation, sperm transport, and testosterone production in males.

30 Sep 2022

Love hormone can activate heart repair mechanisms after cardiac injury, study finds

Researchers show for the first time that the neurohormone oxytocin has a previously unsuspected function in both zebrafish and human cell cultures: it stimulates mature cells in the epicardium of the heart to become stem-like cells, which can replace heart cells lost after damage.

30 Sep 2022

A psychedelic drug plus psychotherapy could help improve PTSD symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects millions of people each year, mostly survivors and witnesses of terrifying or shocking events, such as warfare, assaults or disasters. Because existing treatments don't work for everyone, new therapies are urgently needed.

22 Mar 2022

Oxytocin News and Research

Further Reading

Study suggests a deeply conserved role for oxytocin in emotional contagion

Voles can form enduring attachments with mates and provide parental care without oxytocin receptors

Biology underlying pair bonding and parenting may not be dictated by oxytocin receptors, study shows

Artificial light affects glucose metabolism

How salt appetite differs between males and females

How could probiotics be used in the management of gingivitis and periodontitis?

A Montana addiction clinic wants to motivate people with rewards. Then came a Medicaid fraud probe.

What are the implications of microbial ecosystems for female reproductive health?

Does maternal obesity impact fetal brain development?

Novel oxytocin derivative can reverse Aβ25-35-induced cognitive impairment in mice

Wearable soft robot can improve patient experience during unpleasant medical procedures

How the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin may have heart-healing properties

Oxytocin induces epicardial cell proliferation, study finds

Love hormone can activate heart repair mechanisms after cardiac injury, study finds

A psychedelic drug plus psychotherapy could help improve PTSD symptoms

Study finds higher levels of oxytocin in men with hypersexual disorder

Music therapy can be an attractive option to manage menopause symptoms and depressed mood

Study: Pregnant women with disabilities have increased risk for birth complications and death

Previous trauma can affect patients during pregnancy, childbirth and after

Maternal exposure to flame retardants linked with ASD-relevant behavioral traits in offspring

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

Latest News