Plasma oxytocin and vasopressin levels in young and older men and women: Functional relationships with attachment and cognition

Plasencia, Gabriela; Luedicke, Joerg; Pournajafi-Nazarloo, Hossein; Carter, C. Sue; Ebner, Natalie C.

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104419

Cited by 51 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Comparatively low levels of vasopressin (but not oxytocin) measured in neonatal cerebrospinal fluid have been associated with a subsequent diagnosis of autism (Oztan et al, 2020). In another recent example, relative concentrations of endogenous oxytocin and vasopressin in plasma were associated with sex, age, anxiety, attachment behaviors, and cognition (Plasencia et al, 2019). These studies support the usefulness of measurements of both oxytocin and vasopressin but leave many empirical questions unresolved.…”

Section: E Can Endogenous Hormone Levels In Bodily Fluids Be Useful mentioning

confidence: 80%

“…As discussed above, the production of oxytocin varies among individuals, between males and females (Borland et al, 2019), and across the lifespan as well as in the capacity to respond to either endogenous or exogenous hormones (Plasencia et al, 2019). For example, studies of the effects of oxytocin on neural responses measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging have revealed marked sex differences in the effects of even a single intranasal treatment (Domes et al, 2010).…”

Section: B Individual and Sex Differences Are To Be Expected In Bothmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is Oxytocin “Nature’s Medicine”?

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Section: E Can Endogenous Hormone Levels In Bodily Fluids Be Useful mentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: B Individual and Sex Differences Are To Be Expected In Bothmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Oxytocin “Nature’s Medicine”?

et al. 2020

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“…Additionally, there was no age-related decline, or sex differences, in the number of PVN OT neurons in post-mortem brains from 20 individuals ranging between 15 and 90 years (Wierda et al, 1991). A more recent study, in 51 younger and 54 older healthy adults, suggested differences in circulatory OT levels, with women in general having higher blood plasma OT levels than men (Plasencia et al, 2019). Although the study did not find a significant age effect for OT plasma levels, numerically younger women had the highest circulatory OT levels and older men the lowest.…”

Section: Age-related Changes In the Oxytocin Systemmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…That is, it is currently not known whether there are age differences in the OT system of the CNS in regions outside of these previously investigated in humans. Knowledge of aging effects in the CNS has become particularly relevant in light of recent evidence of circulatory OT's role in muscle regeneration in an animal model (Elabd et al, 2014) and possible age-by-sex related differences in circulatory OT in humans (Plasencia et al, 2019).…”

Section: Age-related Changes In the Oxytocin Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musculoskeletal Pain and Brain Morphology: Oxytocin’s Potential as a Treatment for Chronic Pain in Aging

Lussier

Cruz-Almeida

Ebner

2019

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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Chronic pain disproportionately affects older adults, severely impacting quality of life and independent living, with musculoskeletal pain most prevalent. Chronic musculoskeletal pain is associated with specific structural alterations in the brain and interindividual variability in brain structure is likely an important contributor to susceptibility for the development of chronic pain. However, understanding of age-related structural changes in the brain and their associations with chronic musculoskeletal pain is currently limited. Oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide present in the periphery and central nervous system, has been implicated in pain attenuation. Variation of the endogenous OT system (e.g., OT receptor genotype, blood, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid OT levels) is associated with morphology in brain regions involved in pain processing and modulation. Intranasal OT administration has been shown to attenuate pain. Yet, studies investigating the efficacy of OT for management of chronic musculoskeletal pain are lacking, including among older individuals who are particularly susceptible to the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain. The goal of this focused narrative review was to synthesize previously parallel lines of work on the relationships between chronic pain, brain morphology, and OT in the context of aging. Based on the existing evidence, we propose that research on the use of intranasal OT administration as an intervention for chronic pain in older adults is needed and constitutes a promising future direction for this field. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research in the emerging field, guided by our proposed Model of Oxytocin's Anagelsic and Brain Structural Effects in Aging.

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“…A recent neuroimaging study examining the effect of OXTR alleles on resting-state networks reported that receptor genotype affected connectivity between the right hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, basal ganglia and thalamus (Luo et al, 2020 ). The functional impact that alleles of OXTR have on social behavior is however complex and not always consistent across studies, and is affected by factors such as gender, age, upbringing, and culture (Tost et al, 2010 ; Feldman et al, 2016 ; Fujiwara et al, 2019 ; Plasencia et al, 2019 ; Poore and Waldman, 2020 ). Environmental epigenetic influences on the OXTR function that influence social interactions must also be considered (Chen et al, 2020 ), and as described earlier there may be differential interactions with other neuromodulatory systems such as AVP, the opioids, steroids, and various catecholamines.…”

Section: Oxytocin In Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Links Between the Neurobiology of Oxytocin and Human Musicality

Harvey

2020

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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The human species possesses two complementary, yet distinct, universal communication systems—language and music. Functional imaging studies have revealed that some core elements of these two systems are processed in closely related brain regions, but there are also clear differences in brain circuitry that likely underlie differences in functionality. Music affects many aspects of human behavior, especially in encouraging prosocial interactions and promoting trust and cooperation within groups of culturally compatible but not necessarily genetically related individuals. Music, presumably via its impact on the limbic system, is also rewarding and motivating, and music can facilitate aspects of learning and memory. In this review these special characteristics of music are considered in light of recent research on the neuroscience of the peptide oxytocin, a hormone that has both peripheral and central actions, that plays a role in many complex human behaviors, and whose expression has recently been reported to be affected by music-related activities. I will first briefly discuss what is currently known about the peptide’s physiological actions on neurons and its interactions with other neuromodulator systems, then summarize recent advances in our knowledge of the distribution of oxytocin and its receptor (OXTR) in the human brain. Next, the complex links between oxytocin and various social behaviors in humans are considered. First, how endogenous oxytocin levels relate to individual personality traits, and then how exogenous, intranasal application of oxytocin affects behaviors such as trust, empathy, reciprocity, group conformity, anxiety, and overall social decision making under different environmental conditions. It is argued that many of these characteristics of oxytocin biology closely mirror the diverse effects that music has on human cognition and emotion, providing a link to the important role music has played throughout human evolutionary history and helping to explain why music remains a special prosocial human asset. Finally, it is suggested that there is a potential synergy in combining oxytocin- and music-based strategies to improve general health and aid in the treatment of various neurological dysfunctions.

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Plasma oxytocin and vasopressin levels in young and older men and women: Functional relationships with attachment and cognition

Cited by 51 publications

References 76 publications

Is Oxytocin “Nature’s Medicine”?

Is Oxytocin “Nature’s Medicine”?

Musculoskeletal Pain and Brain Morphology: Oxytocin’s Potential as a Treatment for Chronic Pain in Aging

Links Between the Neurobiology of Oxytocin and Human Musicality

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