Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress

Heinrichs, Markus; Baumgärtner, Thomas; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Ehlert, Ulrike

doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00465-7

Cited by 1,742 publications

(1,301 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Given the expression of OTRs within key stress-regulatory regions (e.g., amygdala, PVN), stress-buffering effects of OT (Cardoso et al, 2014; Heinrichs et al, 2003), and OT-induced downregulation of amygdala reactivity (Kirsch et al, 2005), OT might serve a protective role against the development of stress-related disorders such as MDD or PPD. In a recent meta-analysis, OT was shown to not attenuate HPA axis reactivity after stress induction per se but does so after laboratory stress protocols that robustly activate the HPA axis (Cardoso et al, 2014).…”

Section: Ot and Early-life Stress (Els) – Role In Shaping Neural Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin pathways in the intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress

Toepfer

Heim

Entringer

et al. 2017

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Severe stress in early life, such as childhood abuse and neglect, constitutes a major risk factor in the etiology of psychiatric disorders and somatic diseases. Importantly, these long-term effects may impact the next generation. The intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress (ELS) may occur via pre-and postnatal pathways, such as alterations in maternal-fetal-placental stress physiology, maternal depression during pregnancy and postpartum, as well as impaired mother-offspring interactions. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has gained considerable attention for its role in modulating all of these assumed transmission pathways. Moreover, central and peripheral OT signaling pathways are highly sensitive to environmental exposures and may be compromised by ELS with implications for these putative transmission mechanisms. Together, these data suggest that OT pathways play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of maternal ELS in humans. By integrating recent studies on gene-environment interactions and epigenetic modifications in OT pathway genes, the present review aims to develop a conceptual framework of intergenerational transmission of maternal ELS that emphasizes the role of OT.

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Section: Ot and Early-life Stress (Els) – Role In Shaping Neural Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin pathways in the intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress

Toepfer

Heim

Entringer

et al. 2017

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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“…1998) and the presence of social support (de Waal & van Roosmalen 1979; Heinrichs et al. 2003; Kanitz et al. 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural and Hormonal Stress Responses to Social Separation in Ravens, Corvus corax

et al. 2016

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Social life is profitable, but it facilitates conflicts over resources and creates interdependence between individuals. Separating highly social animals triggers intense reactions aimed at re‐establishing lost connections. Less is known, however, about behavioural and physiological responses to separation in socially facultative species, where individuals temporarily form groups and may subsequently leave them. Non‐breeding common ravens (Corvus corax) gather in large numbers at feeding and roosting sites, but otherwise spend time seemingly solitary or in small subgroups. We here studied how ravens cope with being socially isolated, and investigated the life characteristics that might explain potential individual differences. For this, we individually separated captive subadult ravens (n = 25) and housed them in physical and visual isolation from their group members across 4 d. During the separation period, we collected behavioural data and measured the amount of immunoreactive corticosterone metabolites from bird droppings to assess the ravens’ physiological stress response. We found behavioural indicators of stress at the start of the separation, when ravens showed higher levels of tension than of comfort – a pattern that reversed at the end of the separation. Furthermore, we found that the upbringing of ravens affected their behaviour during separation. Hand‐raised birds produced more vocalisations in the beginning of the separation, and were less active at the end, while the reverse pattern occurred with parent‐raised ravens. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find differences in hormonal responses between the beginning and end of the separation period or any link between hormonal responses and behaviours. Ravens’ behavioural responses to social separation stress seem to be dependent on their arousal states, although possible links with hormonal reactions remain unclear. Our results show that behavioural reactions are not always linked with hormonal responses to stress, and further emphasise the importance of investigating effects of early‐life experiences.

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“…Studies with other peptides (e.g., vasopressin) administered intranasally have found that they are absorbed within 30 min, as assessed by peptide levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (Born et al, 2002). Other experimental work with intranasal oxytocin in humans has consistently utilized an absorption period ranging between 40 and 50 min (Heinrichs et al, 2003;Kosfeld et al, 2005;Shamay-Tsoory et al, 2009). In our study, behavioral testing did not begin until at least 45 min post-administration and continued for approximately 45 additional minutes.…”

Section: Arrival and Nasal Spray Administrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, individuals with more supportive family backgrounds have more positive social responses to OT administration (e.g., Bartz et al, 2010b;Van IJzendoorn et al, 2011). Further, individuals in a more supportive social context experience greater stress-reducing effects after OT administration (Heinrichs et al, 2003) and those lower in loneliness demonstrate better cardiac control after receiving OT administration (Norman et al, 2011). There is also evidence that OT administration can have adverse consequences for those who tend to experience more negative emotional states, such as those with elevated levels of depression and major depressive disorder (MacDonald et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining oxytocin administration and positive emotion inductions: Examining social perception and analytical performance

Human

Thorson

Woolley

et al. 2017

Hormones and Behavior

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oIntranasal administration of the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has, in some studies, been associated with positive effects on social perception and cognition. Similarly, positive emotion inductions can improve a range of perceptual and performance-based behaviors. In this exploratory study, we examined how OT administration and positive emotion inductions interact in their associations with social and analytical performance. Participants (N = 124) were randomly assigned to receive an intranasal spray of OT (40 IU) or placebo and then viewed one of three videos designed to engender one of the following emotion states: social warmth, pride, or an affectively neutral state. Following the emotion induction, participants completed social perception and analytical tasks. There were no significant main effects of OT condition on social perception tasks, failing to replicate prior research, or on analytical performance. Further, OT condition and positive emotion inductions did not interact with each other in their associations with social perception performance. However, OT condition and positive emotion manipulations did significantly interact in their associations with analytical performance. Specifically, combining positive emotion inductions with OT administration was associated with worse analytical performance, with the pride induction no longer benefiting performance and the warmth induction resulting in worse performance. In sum, we found little evidence for main or interactive effects of OT on social perception but preliminary evidence that OT administration may impair analytical performance when paired with positive emotion inductions.

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Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress

Cited by 1,742 publications

References 90 publications

Oxytocin pathways in the intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress

Oxytocin pathways in the intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress

Behavioural and Hormonal Stress Responses to Social Separation in Ravens, Corvus corax

Combining oxytocin administration and positive emotion inductions: Examining social perception and analytical performance

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