Glucocorticoid-mediated effects of systemic oxytocin upon memory retrieval

Oliveira, Lucas Fürstenau de; Camboim, Clarissa; Diehl, Felipe; Consiglio, Angélica Rosat; Quillfeldt, Jorge Alberto

doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2006.05.006

Cited by 28 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Peripheral and central injections of oxytocin in rats and mice reduce anxiety in a number of tests when stress is high or induced (Rotzinger et al, 2010). Subcutaneous injections of oxytocin and oxytocin fragments in rats reduce retention of passive avoidance (Boccia and Baratti, 2000;de Oliveira et al, 2007;de Wied et al, 1987). Rats given low subcutaneous doses (1-4 mg/kg) of oxytocin spent more time in the center of an open field, similar to the behavior of rats given the anxiolytic benzodiazepine drug midazolam (Uvnäs-Moberg et al, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin Reduces Background Anxiety in a Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigm

Missig

Ayers

Schulkin

et al. 2010

Neuropsychopharmacol

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Oxytocin reportedly decreases anxious feelings in humans and may therefore have therapeutic value for anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As PTSD patients have exaggerated startle responses, a fear-potentiated startle paradigm in rats may have face validity as an animal model to examine the efficacy of oxytocin in treating these symptoms. Oxytocin (0, 0.01, 0.1, or 1.0 mg, subcutaneously) was given either 30 min before fear conditioning, immediately after fear conditioning, or 30 min before fear-potentiated startle testing to assess its effects on acquisition, consolidation, and expression of conditioned fear, respectively. Startle both in the presence and absence of the fear-conditioned light was significantly diminished by oxytocin when administered at acquisition, consolidation, or expression. There was no specific effect of oxytocin on light fear-potentiated startle. In an additional experiment, oxytocin had no effects on acoustic startle without previous fear conditioning. Further, in a context-conditioned test, previous light-shock fear conditioning did not increase acoustic startle during testing when the fear-conditioned light was not presented. The data suggest that oxytocin did not diminish cue-specific conditioned nor contextually conditioned fear, but reduced background anxiety. This suggests that oxytocin has unique effects of decreasing background anxiety without affecting learning and memory of a specific traumatic event. Oxytocin may have antianxiety properties that are particularly germane to the hypervigilance and exaggerated startle typically seen in PTSD patients.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin Reduces Background Anxiety in a Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigm

Missig

Ayers

Schulkin

et al. 2010

Neuropsychopharmacol

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“…The submicrogram range effective in our studies is similar to those used in many intracerebroventricular and intracerebral infusion studies (Rotzinger et al,20 10). However, our doses are similar to those used in studies of peripherally administered oxytocin on inhibitory avoidance in rats (de Oliveira et al, 2007;de Wied et al, 1987;Kovacs et al, 1978) and post-training administration in mice (Boccia et al, 1998). Thus, startle appears to be as sensitive behavioral measure as passive avoidance for peripherally administered oxytocin, but does not answer the question of whether the site(s) of action are peripheral or central.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…In the periphery, oxytocin might possibly be acting by modulating glucocorticoid release at the adrenal glands (de Oliveira et al, 2007) or at the heart and vasculature to influence heart rate and blood pressure, as oxytocin receptors are located in these organs (Kiss and Mikkelsen, 2005). Clearly, much more research is needed before the sites of action and mechanisms of oxytocin on background anxiety are known.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Peripheral and central injections of oxytocin in rats and mice reduce anxiety in a number of tests when stress is high or induced (Rotzinger et al, 2010 ). Subcutaneous injections of oxytocin and oxytocin fragments in rats reduce retention of passive avoidance (Boccia and Baratti, 2000;de Oliveira et al, 2007;de Wied et al, 1987). Rats given low subcutaneous doses (1-4 ~tg/kg) of oxytocin spent more time in the center of an open field, similar to the behavior of rats given the anxiolytic benzodiazepine drug midazolam (Uvnas-Moberg et al, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Oxytocin and Social Support as Synergistic Inhibitors of Aversive Fear Conditioning and Fear-Potentiated Startle in Male Rats

Rosen¹

2010

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Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 30-09-2010 REPORT TYPE Annual DATES COVERED (From -To) TITLE AND SUBTITLE Oxytocin and Social Support as PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) AND ADDRESS(ES) PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBERUniversity of Delaware Newark, Delaware 19716 SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S) U.S. Army Medical Research And Materiel Command Fort Detrick, Maryland SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT 21702-5012 NUMBER(S) DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENTApproved for public release; distribution unlimited SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ABSTRACTThe purpose of the grant is to test whether exogenous oxytocin acts as an antianxiety agent and whether social support facilitates its antianxiety effects in a fear-potentiated startle paradigm. Oxytocin given systemically (0.1 µg/kg, sc) effectively reduced background anxiety, but not specific cue-potentiated fear. This was found when oxytocin was given either before fear conditioning (acquisition), immediately after fear conditioning (consolidation), or before retrieval/expression of conditioned fear-potentiated startle. Social isolation for 3 weeks potentiated startle; this was reversed by oxytocin. Intracerebroventricular infusion of oxytocin only reduced background anxiety with a very large dose (20 µg), suggesting indirect action in brain. It is concluded that oxytocin has unique antianxiety properties that reduce background and social-isolation anxiety -anxiety states not directly related to cue-specific fear, but are sustained beyond the immediate threat. Oxytocin might be promising as a drug with novel benefits for patients with PTSD. Two additional experiments demonstrated that oxtyocin did not merely reduce the ability to startle and that oxtyocin's effect was not due to reduction of contextually conditioned fear. We concluded oxytocin has a novel antianxiety profile that targets background anxiety -an anxiety state not directly related to cue--specific or contextual fear, but sustained beyond the immediate threat. Preliminary forms of this research were also presented at two meetings. The abstracts are in Appendix...

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“…A single dose of OXT can specifically impair memory retention [26], and further study indicates that exogenous OXT inhibits cholinergic mechanisms that are necessary for memory retention [27]. Another mechanism implicated in the amnesiac effects of OXT is glucocorticoid release, as dexamethasone is able to reverse the effects of OXT on memory [28]. While OXT may facilitate memory and social interactions in certain contexts such as pair bonds at certain levels, robust levels of OXT may impair social memory due to substantial glucocorticoid release or impaired cholinergic activity.…”

Section: Oxt and Male Animal Learning And Memorymentioning

confidence: 98%

Behavioral Roles of Oxytocin and Vasopressin

Nephew¹

2012

Neuroendocrinology and Behavior

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Glucocorticoid-mediated effects of systemic oxytocin upon memory retrieval

Cited by 28 publications

References 28 publications

Oxytocin Reduces Background Anxiety in a Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigm

Oxytocin Reduces Background Anxiety in a Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigm

Oxytocin and Social Support as Synergistic Inhibitors of Aversive Fear Conditioning and Fear-Potentiated Startle in Male Rats

Behavioral Roles of Oxytocin and Vasopressin

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