The DOI matches its Crossref record; 125 of the 125 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Social touch-like tactile stimulation activates a tachykinin 1-oxytocin pathway to promote social interactions
Open accessAbstract
It is well known that affective and pleasant touch promotes individual well-being and facilitates affiliative social communication, although the neural circuit that mediates this process is largely unknown. Here, we show that social-touch-like tactile stimulation (ST) enhances firing of oxytocin neurons in the mouse paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) and promotes social interactions and positively reinforcing place preference. These results link pleasant somatosensory stimulation to increased social interactions and positive affective valence. We further show that tachykinin 1 (Tac1+) neurons in the lateral and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (l/vlPAG) send monosynaptic excitatory projections to PVH oxytocin neurons. Functionally, activation of PVH-projecting Tac1+ neurons increases firing of oxytocin neurons, promotes social interactions, and increases preference for the social touch context, whereas reducing activity of Tac1+ neurons abolishes ST-induced oxytocin neuronal firing. Together, these results identify a dipeptidergic pathway from l/vlPAG Tac1+ neurons to PVH oxytocin neurons, through which pleasant sensory experience promotes social behavior.
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“Social touch also leads to the release of OT, from the PVN, and DA, from the VTA, to the NAc, resulting in conditioned place preference for social touch contexts and suggesting reinforcing properties of social tactile stimulation [95,96].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [95]
In the citing paper
“In rats and mice, several regions provide input to PVN OXT-expressing cells, including the brainstem, thalamic, hypothalamic, and cortical cell populations (56-58)”
From Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities (2022) · cites this paper as [58]
In the citing paper
“Similarly, in mice, social touch during early life increases both PVN OXT neuronal firing and social approach later in adulthood through interaction with substance P systems within the periaqueductal gray (58).”
From Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities (2022) · cites this paper as [58]
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“mediated social behaviors in mice (Yu et al., 2022).”
BackgroundPackheiser, J., Hartmann, H., Fredriksen, K., Gazzola, V., Keysers, C., & Michon, F. (2024) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-024-01841-8 · Cited by 166
Social isolation and the brain: effects and mechanisms
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Metadata
- Authors
- Yu, H., Miao, W., Ji, E., Huang, S., Jin, S., Zhu, X., Liu, M.-Z., Sun, Y.-G., Xu, F., & Yu, X.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Yu, Xiang
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-03
- Volume
- 110
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1051-1067.e7
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4205166062
- Semantic Scholar
- 8f383396e483b8ae6f8d9b1f571cccfeb4704641
- Cited by
- 144
- References
- 125
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 22
- FWCI
- 28.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (vor, 380 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (31530030, 31771158)
- Shanghai Municipal Government
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB32000000)
- People's Government of Guangdong Province (2019B030335001)
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (2018SHZDZX05)
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology
- Special Project for Research and Development in Key areas of Guangdong Province
- 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 › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Keywords
- social touch, tactile stimulation, oxytocin neurons, TAC1, paraventricular hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, social interaction, positive reinforcement, place preference, social behavior, monosynaptic projection
- MeSH terms
- Social Interaction, Animals, Oxytocin, Touch, Tachykinins, Mice, Touch Perception
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