Oxytocin News and Research

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

Study provides new insight on neural processes behind our desire for revenge

New insight on the neural processes that drive a desire for revenge during conflict between groups has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.

3 Mar 2020

Optimizing the use of oxytocin to help people overcome social difficulties

Oxytocin is known for its role in childbirth and breastfeeding and it has also been shown to have a wider application in the development and regulation of social behavior in many species.

3 Mar 2020

Stress in kids could have long term genetic consequences finds study

Researchers have found that being separated from parents at a young age could lead to a rise in stress hormones, which could have direct consequences on altering the genetic makeup of the child, which can then be passed on to the future generations. The study titled, "Childcare outside the family for the under-threes: cause for concern?" was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

16 Feb 2020

Parents' behavior can have substantial impact on developing oxytocin systems in babies

Oxytocin is an extremely important hormone, involved in social interaction and bonding in mammals, including humans.

24 Oct 2019

US Government supports Kinoxis Therapeutics to end opioid addiction

Kinoxis Therapeutics has been awarded a grant for a potential of up to $US4.6 million ($6.8 million) under the USA National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Long-Term, or the NIH HEAL Initiative.

30 Sep 2019

Love hormone oxytocin linked to hypersexuality

Sex addiction or hypersexual disorder is a behavior characterized by an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, behaviors, or urges that are hard to control, causing negative effects on one’s health and relationships.

25 Sep 2019

Study uncovers epigenetic origins for hypersexual disorder

A new study has shown that epigenetic changes lead to overactivity of the hormone oxytocin, and this is a key element in hypersexual disorder.

24 Sep 2019

Study reveals possible role of hormone oxytocin in hypersexual disorder

A new study of men and women with hypersexual disorder has revealed a possible role of the hormone oxytocin, according to results published in the journal Epigenetics.

23 Sep 2019

MDMA, or ecstasy, shows promise as a PTSD treatment

The first time Lori Tipton tried MDMA, she was skeptical it would make a difference.

21 Aug 2019

BrainHealth research explores the neurochemistry of social perception

Cues signaling trust and dominance are crucial for social life. Recent research from Dr. Dan Krawczyk's lab at the Center for BrainHealth explored whether administering two chemically similar hormones known to affect social cognition - oxytocin and vasopressin - would influence the perception of trustworthiness and/or social dominance.

9 Aug 2019

Autonomic nervous system of babies functions well regardless of mode of delivery, study finds

Late in pregnancy, the human body carefully prepares fetuses for the rigors of life outside the protection of the womb. Levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, ramp up and spike during labor.

31 Jul 2019

Maternal behavior in mice linked to oxytocin-sensitive cells in the female brain

A startling new study shows that cells that are exquisitely sensitive to oxytocin are found in a tiny region in the brains of female but not male mice. This could be of great importance in explaining maternal behavior in females and eventually in treating social disorders like postpartum depression and autism spectrum disorder.

25 Jul 2019

Targeting antidiuretic hormone vasopressin shows promise for autism

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with no known drug treatment up until now. Researchers have finally found tweaking certain hormones could help patients with autism. There were two independent clinical trials including children and adults with autism that altered the effects of the hormone vasopressin and to assess the effects on social functioning.

2 May 2019

Study: Some women are biologically more resilient than others to PTSD

Childhood trauma is known to increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in adulthood, especially for women, but the biological reasons for this correlation remain largely unknown.

24 Apr 2019

Oxytocin blocks excess drinking in alcohol-dependent rats

The neuropeptide oxytocin blocks enhanced drinking in alcohol-dependent rats, according to a study published April 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Drs. Tunstall, Koob and Vendruscolo of the National Institutes of Health, and Drs. Kirson and Roberto of The Scripps Research Institute.

17 Apr 2019

MDMA has been shown to improve PTSD symptoms, but how?

According to a new study, MDMA can increase the sensitivity of the brain to learning the reward value of social behaviors, which may explain its effects on PTSD.

8 Apr 2019

Research suggests oxytocin as potential new obesity treatment

The hormone oxytocin reduces the communication between different brain areas involved in the cognitive, sensory and emotional processing of food cues that people with obesity demonstrate when they look at high-calorie foods, according to research being presented Monday at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans, La.

25 Mar 2019

Fear center in the brain provides protection against body perception disorders

If functionality of the brain's amygdala is impaired, illusory perceptions arise much faster and more pronounced.

13 Mar 2019

Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Females find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than males, and females are more sensitive to the rewarding actions of oxytocin (OT) than males, according to a research study led by Georgia State University on the brain mechanisms that determine the rewarding properties of social interactions.

30 Jan 2019

Augmentation of labor with higher doses of oxytocin does not reduce rate of cesarean sections

Delayed labor increases the risk of a cesarean section, even among women who receive oxytocin for augmentation of labor. The rate of cesarean section among first-time mothers is not reduced if the administered dose is doubled either, according to a dissertation from Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

29 Jan 2019