The animal and human neuroendocrinology of social cognition, motivation and behavior

Abstract

Extensive animal and recent human research have helped inform neuroendocrinological models of social cognition, motivation and behavior. In this review, we first summarize important findings regarding oxytocin, arginine vasopressin and testosterone in the domains of affiliation, social cognition, aggression and stress/anxiety. We then suggest ways in which human research can continue to profit from animal research, particularly by exploring the interactive nature of neuromodulatory effects at neurochemical, organismic and contextual levels. We further propose methods inspired by the animal literature for the ecologically valid assessment of affiliative behavior in humans. We conclude with suggestions for how human research could advance by directly assessing specific social cognitive and motivational mechanisms as intermediate variables. We advocate a more comprehensive look at the distinct networks identified by social neuroscience and the importance of a motivational state, in addition to approach and avoidance, associated with quiescence and homeostatic regulation.

Women's hormone levels modulate the motivational salience of facial attractiveness and sexual dimorphism

“…Our results then suggest that women's testosterone levels modulate the motivational salience of facial attractiveness, consistent with the results of studies in which administering testosterone to women increased responses to financial incentives in brain regions implicated in motivation and reward processing (Hermans et al, 2010). Consequently, our data present new, converging evidence that testosterone plays a potentially important role in reward sensitivity (McCall & Singer, 2012). Some prior work suggests that viewing faces in general is rewarding (e.g., Kawabata & Zeki, 2008).…”

“…Some prior work suggests that viewing faces in general is rewarding (e.g., Kawabata & Zeki, 2008). This being the case, that we found the motivational salience of faces in general to be greater when testosterone levels were high also supports McCall and Singer's (2012) proposal.…”

Differential effects of global versus local testosterone on singing behavior and its underlying neural substrate

“…Steroids can also modify cognitive processes ranging from attention (38) to learning (2, 3) that affect the probability and quality of a particular behavioral response. Our studies of the neural basis of how T regulates song behavior illustrate two important principles.…”

Oxytocin, the peptide that bonds the sexes also divides them

“…Recent studies in both monkeys and humans have suggested that it has not only evolved a more extensive role in social cognition in female primates but also become progressively used by males in this domain (3). Although OXT appears to facilitate both salience and motivational aspects of social cues in both sexes (3,4), there is increasing evidence that it may often produce opposite effects in these domains in men and women (5)(6)(7), raising the intriguing possibility that it has evolved some sex-specific functions at both neural and behavioral levels.…”

“…Recent studies in both monkeys and humans have suggested that it has not only evolved a more extensive role in social cognition in female primates but also become progressively used by males in this domain (3). Although OXT appears to facilitate both salience and motivational aspects of social cues in both sexes (3,4), there is increasing evidence that it may often produce opposite effects in these domains in men and women (5)(6)(7), raising the intriguing possibility that it has evolved some sex-specific functions at both neural and behavioral levels. In particular, behavioral studies have reported that whereas OXT tends to facilitate positive social judgments (7), social approach (8), kinship recognition (5), and altruism (9) in women, in men it can facilitate negative social judgments (7), social avoidance (10), competitor recognition (5), and selfishness (9).…”