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Cited by 139Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorNeuropeptides and Animal PhysiologyStress Responses and Cortisol

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 489 of the 489 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Oxytocin׳s role in anxiety: A critical appraisal

MacDonald, Kai, Feifel, David·2014·Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.01.025
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Abstract

A growing literature suggests that the oxytocin (OT) system may play a role in human anxiety states, anxiety-related traits, and moreover, that this system may be a target for the development of novel anxiolytic treatments. However, studies of OT's acute and chronic effects on various aspects of anxiety have produced mixed results. In this forward-looking review, we discuss the myriad phenomena to which the term "anxiety" is applied in the OT literature and the problem this presents developing a coherent picture of OT's role in anxiety. We then survey several different fields of research that support the role of the OT system in human anxiety, including evolutionary perspectives, translational and neuroimaging research, genetic studies, and clinical trials of intranasal OT. As an outgrowth of this data, we propose a "bowtie" model of OT's role at the interface of social attachment and anxiety. We next direct attention to understudied brain regions and neural circuits which may be important to study in OT experiments in humans anxiety disorders. Finally, we conclude by proposing questions and priorities for studying both the clinical potential of OT in anxiety, as well as mechanisms that may underlie this potential. Crucially, these priorities include targeted proof-of-concept clinical trials of IN OT in certain anxiety disorders, including investigations of individual moderators of OT's anxiolytic effects (i.e. sex, genetic factors, and early experience). This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin and Social Behav.

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Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Blair, 2012, Reduced dorsal anterior cingulate cortical activity during emotional regulation and top-down attentional control in generalized social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and comorbid generalized social phobia/generalized anxiety disorder, Biol. Psychiatry., 72, 476, 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.04.013 · DOI
  2. Bowlby, 1969, vol. 1
  3. Feifel, 2011, A randomized, placebo-controlled investigation of intranasal oxytocin in patients with anxiety, Neuropsychopharmacology, 36, S324
  4. Inoue, 2011, Association between the oxytocin receptor gene and amygdalar volume in healthy adults, Biol. Psychiatry, 68, 1066, 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.07.019 · DOI · Paper page
  5. Wang, 2013, Neural mechanisms of oxytocin receptor gene mediating anxiety-related temperament, Brain Struct. Funct.
  6. Whalen, 2008, A functional magnetic resonance imaging predictor of treatment response to venlafaxine in generalized anxiety disorder, Biol. Psychiatry, 63, 858, 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.08.019 · DOI

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Metadata

Authors
MacDonald, K., & Feifel, D.
Affiliations
University of San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
MacDonald, Kai
ORCID
Feifel, David
Venue
Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-09
Volume
1580
Pages
22-56
ISSN
0006-8993 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.brainres.2014.01.025
OpenAlex
W1968315111
Cited by
139
References
489
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 6
FWCI
24.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
oxytocin, anxiety, anxiolytic effects, intranasal oxytocin, social attachment, anxiety disorders, evolutionary perspective, neuroimaging, genetic factors, sex differences, early life experience, treatment moderators, neural circuits
MeSH terms
Animals, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Brain, Biological Evolution, Humans, Oxytocin

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