Why social attachment and oxytocin protect against addiction and stress: Insights from the dynamics between ventral and dorsal corticostriatal systems

Tops, Mattie; Koole, Sander L.; IJzerman, Hans; Buisman-Pijlman, Femke

doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2013.07.015

Cited by 140 publications

(157 citation statements)

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“…As drug tolerance and self-administration are related to addiction, the aforementioned findings may imply that oxytocin has effects against opioid dependence. In addition, cumulative evidence has indicated that oxytocin may protect against stress-induced reinstatement of addiction behavior [6, 7]. Although an association between heroin addiction and oxytocin was indicated by the results of animal studies [1, 4], for example, oxytocin was found to attenuate morphine withdrawal and heroin self-administration, related evidence from clinical studies remains scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This potential interaction might be an underlying mechanism of the role of oxytocin in the mitigation of opioid dependence. The effect of oxytocin on the dopaminergic system may also facilitate social interaction, which exerts a protective effect against addiction [6, 15]. Although it is as yet unclear whether oxytocin and dopamine have a direct association, accumulating evidence has suggested that oxytocin may have a positive effect on treatment for alcohol use disorders and other problematic substance abuse [16, 17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Association between the Level of Plasma Oxytocin and Craving among Former Heroin Users

et al. 2018

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Background: Animal studies have demonstrated that oxytocin can influence addiction behaviors and might interact with the dopaminergic system, which is a key component of addiction behaviors. However, related evidence from clinical studies is scarce. The aim of our study was to explore the relationship between plasma oxytocin level and heroin craving among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment, and to ascertain whether this relationship is moderated by novelty-seeking. Methods: The study was conducted in a methadone maintenance therapy clinic of a medical center in Taiwan. Seventy-seven patients with heroin addiction were enrolled. Plasma oxytocin was measured using an ELISA kit. Craving was assessed using an established instrument, the Chinese Craving Scale. Results: A significant negative association was found between the plasma oxytocin level and craving score, which remained robust after controlling the effects of social support and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. An interaction between oxytocin and novelty-seeking indicated that this relationship was stronger among patients with a lower level of novelty-seeking. Conclusion: This finding may be taken into account in future studies and may provide a basis for the development of potential treatment for addiction. The effect of oxytocin for the treatment of opioid dependence might be modulated by some psychological factors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association between the Level of Plasma Oxytocin and Craving among Former Heroin Users

et al. 2018

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“…It is also evidence for the presence of the reward neurocircuitry. The reward system is a complex neurocircuitry which has been described as a dichotomy of two systems: the novelty seeking system and the familiarity system (Tops, Koole, IJzerman, & Buisman-Pijlman, 2014). The ventral striatal pathway is involved in novelty seeking as a reward.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Neurobiology of Attachment: From Infancy to Clinical Outcomes

Chambers

2017

Psychodynamic Psychiatry

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Attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby in the 1950s. He defined attachment as a specific neurobiological system that resulted in the infant connecting to the primary caretaker in such a way to create an inner working model of relationships that continues throughout life and affects the future mental health and physical health of the infant. Given the significance of this inner working model, there has been a tremendous amount of research done in animals as well as humans to better understand the neurobiology. In this article the neurobiology of early development will be outlined with respect to the formation of attachment. This article will review what we have begun to understand as the neurobiology of attachment and will describe how the relationship with the primary caretaker affects the infant in a way leading to neurobiological changes that later in life affect emotional responses, reward, and perception difficulties that we recognize as psychiatric illness and medical morbidity.Keywords: attachment theory, neurodevelopment, oxytocin, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis ATTACHMENT THEORY: A BRIEF HISTORYThe parent-infant bond has arguably been the most important process for human survival. While the importance of the mother-infant attachment has been understood for centuries, it was not studied until John Bowlby developed attachment theory in the 1950s. In order to put attachment theory in proper context, one must begin with a reminder of Sigmund Freud's drive theory. According to drive theory, we attached to our mothers because they fed us and gratified our oral yearn- NEUROBIOLOGY OF ATTACHMENT 543ings (Freud, 1923). In other words, our attachments were derived from our libidinal drives and did not exist independently. Drive theory was largely a one-person psychology focusing on the drives and conflicts of the individual; our mother was simply an instigator who either gratified or displeased our internal drives and wishes.Melanie Klein led us to a two-person psychology where the other person was more than an instigator of drives and wishes. The mother, in particular, shaped the psychology of the infant through representations of the good and the bad breast, the merger of the two, and the hope for reparation that allows us to stay attached to our mothers. Klein introduced the idea that we need to feel hope for reparation to stay connected to our loved ones in spite of our own aggressive drives (Kristeva, 2001). For the first time, the object had relevance in our psychology, though Klein believed that the emotional problems of children still came largely from the fantasies generated by internal conflict related to the object.John Bowlby was a supervisee of Melanie Klein and was influenced by her, however he argued that children's emotional problems do not stem from their own internal conflicts based on a fantasy of the caretaker, but rather their emotional problems stem from actual experiences with their caretakers (Bretherton, 1992). Furthermore, Bowlby suggested that the need for social b...

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“…We think they are likely slow in updating, and based on what we have reasoned there should be an important role for thermal cues (the content of our knowledge about relationships) through reactive control systems into predictive control systems-including the predictive model that provides us with a report of the social "weather, " which can both be longer term (predictive) or help us respond in the here and now (reactive). In making our model even more detailed, we further explain how Tops et al 's (2010Tops et al 's ( , 2014a theory of PARCS can explain some of the earlier evidence that has been collected.…”

Section: Formation Of the Predictive Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…PARCS does not describe just two systems (one being reactive and the other being predictive), nor does it only include systems that are either purely reactive or purely predictive (Tops et al, 2010(Tops et al, , 2014aTops and Boksem, 2011). 17 As Barsalou (1999Barsalou ( , 2008 stated, these simulations are not likely to function like a complete simulation of the original perceptual state, but are likely to be incomplete (and function much like a Gestalt), while specific goals are likely to call on activating different parts of the convergence zones we have alluded to.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of Social Thermoregulation in Human Primates

IJzerman¹,

Coan²,

Wagemans³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Beyond breathing, the regulation of body temperature-thermoregulation-is one of the most pressing concerns for many animals. A dysregulated body temperature has dire consequences for survival and development. Despite the high frequency of social thermoregulation occurring across many species, little is known about the role of social thermoregulation in human (social) psychological functioning. We outline a theory of social thermoregulation and reconsider earlier research on people's expectations of their social world (i.e., attachment) and their prediction of the social world. We provide support and outline a research agenda that includes consequences for individual variation in self-regulatory strategies and capabilities. In our paper, we discuss physiological, neural, and social processes surrounding thermoregulation. Emphasizing social thermoregulation in particular, we appeal to the economy of action principle and the hierarchical organization of human thermoregulatory systems. We close with future directions of a crucial aspect of human functioning: the social regulation of body temperature.

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Why social attachment and oxytocin protect against addiction and stress: Insights from the dynamics between ventral and dorsal corticostriatal systems

Cited by 140 publications

References 96 publications

The Association between the Level of Plasma Oxytocin and Craving among Former Heroin Users

The Association between the Level of Plasma Oxytocin and Craving among Former Heroin Users

The Neurobiology of Attachment: From Infancy to Clinical Outcomes

A Theory of Social Thermoregulation in Human Primates

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