Oxytocin Affects the Connectivity of the Precuneus and the Amygdala: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Neuroimaging Trial

Kumar, Jyothika; Völlm, Birgit; Palaniyappan, Lena

doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyu051

Cited by 28 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Resting state MRI data showed increased connectivity between the posterior cingulate and brainstem in response to oxytocin treatment (Riem et al, 2013 ). Others have shown that oxytocin reduced connectivity between the amygdala and precuneus (Kumar et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Functional Neuroimagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin and vasopressin: linking pituitary neuropeptides and their receptors to social neurocircuits

2015

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Oxytocin and vasopressin are pituitary neuropeptides that have been shown to affect social processes in mammals. There is growing interest in these molecules and their receptors as potential precipitants of, and/or treatments for, social deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. Numerous behavioral-genetic studies suggest that there is an association between these peptides and individual social abilities; however, an explanatory model that links hormonal activity at the receptor level to complex human behavior remains elusive. The following review summarizes the known associations between the oxytocin and vasopressin neuropeptide systems and social neurocircuits in the brain. Following a micro- to macro- level trajectory, current literature on the synthesis and secretion of these peptides, and the structure, function and distribution of their respective receptors is first surveyed. Next, current models regarding the mechanism of action of these peptides on microcircuitry and other neurotransmitter systems are discussed. Functional neuroimaging evidence on the acute effects of exogenous administration of these peptides on brain activity is then reviewed. Overall, a model in which the local neuromodulatory effects of pituitary neuropeptides on brainstem and basal forebrain regions strengthen signaling within social neurocircuits proves appealing. However, these findings are derived from animal models; more research is needed to clarify the relevance of these mechanisms to human behavior and treatment of social deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Section: Functional Neuroimagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin and vasopressin: linking pituitary neuropeptides and their receptors to social neurocircuits

2015

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“…Task-free assessment of brain connectivity can be particularly useful for investigation of the fundamental neurocircuitry of the brain without the confounding influence of task load or learning effects. Still little is known about oxytocin's effects on neural connectedness at rest and the existing evidence is mixed (see Table 1): some studies suggest increased resting-state coupling between amygdala and cortical regions (Dodhia et al, 2014; Kovács and Kéri, 2015; Sripada et al, 2013) while other studies suggest decreased coupling (Kumar et al, 2015), or no modulation among these regions (Fan et al, 2014; Riem et al, 2013). Sripada et al examined resting-state functional connectivity in healthy men after a single-dose of oxytocin vs. placebo administration in a cross-over design.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin’s effect on resting-state functional connectivity varies by age and sex

Ebner

Chen

Porges

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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The neuropeptide oxytocin plays a role in social cognition and affective processing. The neural processes underlying these effects are not well understood. Modulation of connectivity strength between subcortical and cortical regions has been suggested as one possible mechanism. The current study investigated effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on resting-state functional connectivity between amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), as two central regions involved in social-cognitive and affective processing. Going beyond previous work that largely examined young male participants, our study comprised young and older men and women to identify age and sex variations in oxytocin's central processes. This approach was based on known hormonal differences among these groups and emerging evidence of sex differences in oxytocin's effects on amygdala reactivity and age-by-sex-modulated effects of oxytocin in affective processing. In a double-blind design, 79 participants were randomly assigned to self-administer either intranasal oxytocin or placebo before undergoing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Using a targeted region-to-region approach, resting-state functional connectivity strength between bilateral amygdala and mPFC was examined. Participants in the oxytocin compared to the placebo group and men compared to women had overall greater amygdala mPFC connectivity strength at rest. These main effects were qualified by a significant three-way interaction: while oxytocin compared to placebo administration increased resting-state amygdala mPFC connectivity for young women, oxytocin did not significantly modulate connectivity in the other age-by-sex subgroups. This study provides novel evidence of age-by-sex differences in how oxytocin modulates resting-state brain connectivity, furthering our understanding of how oxytocin affects brain networks at rest.

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“…OT administration also influences intrinsic brain connectivity in men, with unknown effects in women. For men, OT is reported to reduce amygdalaprecuneus connectivity (Kumar et al, 2015) or to enhance amygdala-prefrontal connectivity (Sripada et al, 2013). AVP administration effects are also sex dependent, with AVP having opposite effects on temporal-limbic and insular activity during cooperative interactions, with increased activation in men (Lee et al, 2013;Rilling et al, 2014) and decreased activation in women (Rilling et al, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in associations of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin with resting‐state functional brain connectivity

Rubin

Yao

Keedy

et al. 2016

J of Neuroscience Research

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Oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) exert robust and sexually dimorphic influences on cognition and emotion. How these hormones regulate relevant functional brain systems is not well understood. OT and AVP serum concentrations were assayed in 60 healthy individuals (36 women). Brain functional networks assessed with resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) were constructed using graph theory-based approaches that characterize brain networks as connected nodes. Sex differences were demonstrated in rs-fMRI. Men showed higher nodal degree (connectedness) and efficiency (information propagation capacity) in left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) and higher nodal degree in left rolandic operculum. Women showed higher nodal betweenness (being part of paths between nodes) in right putamen and left inferior parietal gyrus (IPG). Higher hormone levels were associated with less intrinsic connectivity. In men, higher AV P was associated with lower nodal degree and efficiency in left IFG (pars orbitalis) and left STG, and less efficiency in left IFG (pars triangularis). In women, higher AVP was associated with lower betweenness in left IPG and higher OT was associated with lower nodal degree in left IFG (pars orbitalis). Hormones differentially correlate with brain networks important for emotion processing and cognition in men and women. AVP in men and OT in women may regulate orbital frontal cortex connectivity, which is important in emotion processing. Hormone associations with STG and pars triangularis in men and parietal cortex in women may account respectively for well-established sex differences in verbal and visuospatial abilities.

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Oxytocin Affects the Connectivity of the Precuneus and the Amygdala: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Neuroimaging Trial

Cited by 28 publications

References 55 publications

Oxytocin and vasopressin: linking pituitary neuropeptides and their receptors to social neurocircuits

Oxytocin and vasopressin: linking pituitary neuropeptides and their receptors to social neurocircuits

Oxytocin’s effect on resting-state functional connectivity varies by age and sex

Sex differences in associations of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin with resting‐state functional brain connectivity

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