The DOI matches its Crossref record; 53 of the 53 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Salivary oxytocin concentrations in response to running, sexual self-stimulation, breastfeeding and the TSST: The Regensburg Oxytocin Challenge (ROC) study
Abstract
Intranasal oxytocin (OXT) application is emerging as a potential treatment for socio-emotional disorders associated with abnormalities in OXT system (re-) activity. The crucial identification of patients with such abnormalities could be streamlined by the assessment of basal and stimulus-induced OXT concentrations in saliva, using a simple, stress-free sampling procedure (i.e. an OXT challenge test). We therefore established the Regensburg Oxytocin Challenge (ROC) test to further validate salivary OXT concentrations as a practical, reliable and sensitive biomarker. OXT concentrations were quantified by radioimmunoassay in samples collected at home by healthy adult male and female volunteers before and after running ("Run") or sexual self-stimulation ("Sex"). In lactating women, salivary OXT concentrations were quantified before, during and after breastfeeding. Salivary OXT along with salivary cortisol and heart rate were monitored in healthy adult participants undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The home-based "Run" and "Sex" challenges as well as the laboratory-based TSST caused quantifiable, rapid, and consistent increases in salivary OXT (approximately 2.5-fold after 10-15min), which were similar for men and women. Breastfeeding did not result in measurably increased salivary OXT levels, probably because the short pulses of OXT release characteristic for lactation were missed. Taken together, ROC tests reliably assess the responsiveness of the OXT system (i.e., the increase in salivary OXT concentrations as compared to basal levels) to challenges such as "Run" and "Sex" at home or psychosocial stress (TSST) in the laboratory. Further studies with larger sample numbers are essentially needed in order to reveal individual differences in ROC test outcomes depending on, for example, genetic or environmental factors.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“In a steady‐state, unbound oxytocin and vasopressin should distribute in extravascular fluids, and measurements in saliva might be useful for estimating steady‐state secretion 119, 130, 131.”
From Measuring Oxytocin and Vasopressin: Bioassays, Immunoassays and Random Numbers (2016) · cites this paper as [130]
In the citing paper
“Plasma was extracted and OT levels were measured using an extremely sensitive and specific RIA kit (RIAgnosis, Sinzing, Germany) (Jong et al., 2015, Kagerbauer et al., 2013).”
From Wireless Optogenetic Stimulation of Oxytocin Neurons in a Semi-natural Setup Dynamically Elevates Both Pro-social and Agonistic Behaviors (2020) · cites this paper as Jong et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“we cannot completely rule out interactions between differential endogenous OXT levels in EXP 1 and EXP 2 and treatment.”
From Oxytocin Enhancement of Emotional Empathy: Generalization Across Cultures and Effects on Amygdala Activity (2018) · cites this paper as Jong et al., 2015
Citations
Cites
Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K.-M., & Hellhammer, D. H. (2008) · Neuropsychobiology · doi:10.1159/000119004 · Cited by 6,093
Kirschbaum, C., Kudielka, B. M., Gaab, J., Schommer, N. C., & Hellhammer, D. H. (1999) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-199903000-00006 · Cited by 1,890
Oxytocin and vasopressin in the human brain: social neuropeptides for translational medicine
Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Domes, G., Kirsch, P., & Heinrichs, M. (2011) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3044 · Cited by 1,688
Landgraf, R., & Neumann, I. D. (2004) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2004.05.001 · Cited by 1,059
Self-citationOxytocin: The Great Facilitator of Life
Lee, H.-J., Macbeth, A. H., Pagani, J., & Young, W. S. (2009) · Progress in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2009.04.001 · Cited by 1,037
Neumann, I. D., & Landgraf, R. (2012) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2012.08.004 · Cited by 954
Self-citationDressendörfer, R. A., Kirschbaum, C., Rohde, W., Stahl, F., & Strasburger, C. J. (1992) · The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology · doi:10.1016/0960-0760(92)90294-s · Cited by 882
Plasma oxytocin increases in the human sexual response
CARMICHAEL, M. S., HUMBERT, R., DIXEN, J., PALMISANO, G., GREENLEAF, W., & DAVIDSON, J. M. (1987) · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · doi:10.1210/jcem-64-1-27 · Cited by 554 · cited 3×
“…and interaction effects of time and gender: see Table 1. ignificant difference with corresponding basal value: *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.0 999; Carmichael et al., 1987; Murphy et al., 1987), and psychosoial stress (Kirschbaum et al., 1993; Pierrehumbert et al., 2010) and ost likely reflect…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialOxytocin in general anxiety and social fear: a translational approach
Neumann, I. D., & Slattery, D. A. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.06.004 · Cited by 468
Self-citationProblems with measuring peripheral oxytocin: can the data on oxytocin and human behavior be trusted?
McCullough, M. E., Churchland, P. S., & Mendez, A. J. (2013) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.04.018 · Cited by 416
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–250 of 250
Burns, A., Toker, S., Berson, Y., & Gordon, I. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2409708122 · Cited by 1
Exploring the role of oxytocin in communication processes: A test of the post sex disclosures model
Denes, A., Crowley, J. P., Dhillon, A., Bennett‐Brown, M., Stebbins, J. L., & Granger, S. W. (2021) · Communication Monographs · doi:10.1080/03637751.2021.1957490 · Cited by 2
Salivary Oxytocin Is Negatively Associated With Religious Faith in Japanese Non-Abrahamic People
Yamada, J., Nakawake, Y., Shou, Q., Nishina, K., Matsunaga, M., & Takagishi, H. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705781 · Cited by 3
Leeds, A., Dennis, P. M., Lukas, K. E., Stoinski, T. S., Willis, M. A., & Schook, M. W. (2018) · Primates · doi:10.1007/s10329-018-0651-1 · Cited by 2
RetractedMartins, D., Gabay, A. S., Mehta, M. A., & Paloyelis, Y. (2020) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2020.07.14.202622 · Cited by 2
Wilkinson, M., & Imran, S. A. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108149938.010 · Cited by 1
Changes in peripheral oxytocin and vasopressin during a silent month-long Insight meditation retreat
Conklin, Q. A., Zanesco, A. P., King, B. G., Epel, E. S., & Saron, C. D. (2024) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2024.1345527 · Cited by 4
Oxytocin dynamics in interpersonal sensorimotor synchrony: Controlled experiments in humans
Сергеевна, Ц. Э., Mararitsa, L. V., Gorina, Y. V., Avliyakulyeva, A. M., Kindyakova, E., Koltsova, O. Y., & Lopatina, O. L. (2025) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105817 · Cited by 1
Schmitt, O., Truong, S., Otten, W., Volkmann, H., Greiner, J., Dolezal, M., Hummel, K., Rocchi, A., & Rault, J. (2025) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107678 · Cited by 1
Us against them: oxytocin response to competition in a small-scale human society
Debras, C. C., Colby, A. E., Martin, J. S., Baettig, V., Jud, D. C., Ista, A. C., Tayo, L. C., Trumble, B., Scaff, C., & Jaeggi, A. V. (2026) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2026.0242 · Cited by 1
Siebers, M. J., Canales-Romero, D., & Fuß, J. (2026) · The Neuroscientist · doi:10.1177/10738584261440907 · Cited by 1
Multilevel dynamics of the brain, hormones, mind, and behavior in social human-robot interaction
Topoglu, Y., Krüeger, F., Joshi, S., Rothstein, N. J., Franke, A. A., Li, X., Gratch, J. S., de Visser, E. J., & Ayaz, H. (2026) · Science Robotics · doi:10.1126/scirobotics.aec1762 · Cited by 1
Stoffel, N., Ansede‐Bermejo, J. J., Concetti, C., Carracedo, Á., & Aybek, S. (2026) · Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2026.100376 · Cited by 1
Charting Salivary Oxytocin Across an Episode of Naturally Occurring Partnered Sex
Denes, A., Bennett‐Brown, M., Crowley, J. P., Dhillon, A., Cornelius, T. M., Stebbins, J. L., & Granger, S. W. (2025) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-025-03144-z · Cited by 9
Stötter, A., Harrer, M. E., Mosgoeller, W., Endler, P. C., & Häring, C. (2018) · Complementary Medicine Research · doi:10.1159/000492060 · Cited by 1
Linge-Dahl, L., Heintz, S., Ruch, W., Bley, M., von Hirschhausen, E., & Radbruch, L. (2023) · Palliative Medicine Reports · doi:10.1089/pmr.2023.0014 · Cited by 1
Moscovice, L. R., Sobczak, B., Gimsa, U., & Kanitz, E. (2021) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2021.06.11.448025 · Cited by 1
Nagahashi-Araki, M., Tasaka, M., Takamura, T., Eto, H., Sasaki, N., Fujita, W., Miyazaki, A., Morifuji, K., Honda, N., Miyamura, T., et al. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1421477/v1 · Cited by 1
Sharma, K. (2020) · Louisiana State University · doi:10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.5408
The Physiological Effects of Therapy Dogs During Exercise for Sedentary Adults
Mazzone, J. L. (2021)
Maternal Physical Activity at Term and Spontaneous Labor: A Case-Crossover Study
Brinson, A., Bovbjerg, M. L., Savitz, D. A., Herring, A. H., Bradley, C., & Evenson, K. R. (2022) · Journal of Physical Activity and Health · doi:10.1123/jpah.2021-0160
Salivary oxytocin after play with parents predicts behavioral problems in preschool childrenPreprint
Torres, N., Martins, D., Monteiro, L., dos Santos, A. J., Vaughn, B. E., & Veríssimo, M. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-220873/v1
Haaf, R., Brandi, M., Albantakis, L., Lahnakoski, J. M., Henco, L., & Schilbach, L. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2007632/v1
Torres, N., Santos, C., & Monteiro, L. (2022) · Psicologia · doi:10.17575/psicologia.1762
Reciprocal interactions between the oxytocin and somatosensory systems
Küppers, S., Lefèvre, A., & Grinevich, V. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-820480-1.00085-1
Oxytocinerge Modulation von Sprachproduktion
Vogt, C. E. C. (2024) · Publication Server of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Goethe University Frankfurt) · doi:10.21248/gups.86538
Exploring Oxytocin and Compassion among Prelicensure Nursing Students: A Simulation Study
Price, S., & Johnson, E. A. (2025) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.1011033
Kapteijn, C. M., Vinke, C. M., van Lith, H. A., Endenburg, N., Rodenburg, T. B., & Rault, J. (2025) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106826
Altered association of plasmatic oxytocin with affective stress response in alcohol use disorder
Mayer, A. V., Schwarze, Y., Stierand, J., Voges, J. F., Schröder, A., von der Gablentz, J., Junghanns, K., Voß, O., Krach, S., Paulus, F. M., et al. (2025) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-025-03522-0
A pilot study: saliva oxytocin and testosterone in empathic stress respondingPreprint
Heilmann, K., Walter, M., & Engert, V. (2025) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2025.11.28.25341194
de Almeida, M. F. R., Quattrocchi, L., Perroud, N. A., & Brakha, T. A. (2025) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2025.12.18.25342546
Nagahashi-Araki, M., Tasaka, M., Takamura, T., Eto, H., Sasaki, N., Fujita, W., Miyazaki, A., Morifuji, K., Honda, N., Miyamura, T., et al. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.21152849
Goetz, L., Jarvers, I., Schleicher, D., Mikan, K., Brunner, R., & Kandsperger, S. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14490385
Jumriani, J., Idris, I., Aminuddin, A., Syakri, S., Erniawati, E., & Sumarni, S. (2025) · Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology · doi:10.52711/0974-360x.2025.00652
Tully, J., & Hind, E. (2026) · Aggression and Violent Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.avb.2026.102144
Omaru, M., Fujita, F., Kajiwara, S., Wakamatsu, E., Kuroishi, S., Ochiai, Y., & Morokuma, S. (2026) · Early Human Development · doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2026.106539
Circuits neuronaux sous-tendant la régulation émotionnelle par le système ocytocinergique
Goyon, S. (2018) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/c8c9bec0z7b79z4826z862az93b128e1ada6
In vivo analysis of the antihyperalgesic activity of innovative compounds
Hilfiger, L. (2022) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/75d118c6zbe5ez4d20z9c25zd658f8cf399a
Oxytocin Modulates Inhibitory Control via Neural‐Temporal Mechanisms
Yi, W., Lin, H., Xu, X., Fan, J., Chen, Q., & Xin, F. (2026) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.70342
Collection of Saliva Samples for Non-Invasive Hormone Measurement
Moscovice, L. R., & Gimsa, U. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-24899-2_4
Winters, C., Gorssen, W., Ulbrich, S. E., & Goumon, S. (2026) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107950
Jacob, R. G., Jarvers, I., Otto, A., Kandsperger, S., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Malloni, W. M., Neumann, I., & Brunner, R. M. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10421744/v1
Self-citationSalivary oxytocin and testosterone in empathic stress responding: a pilot study
Heilmann, K., Walter, M., & Engert, V. (2026) · Stress · doi:10.1080/10253890.2026.2720481
Metadata
- Authors
- Jong, T. R. D., Menon, R., Bludau, A., Grund, T., Biermeier, V., Klampfl, S. M., Jurek, B., Bosch, O. J., Hellhammer, J., & Neumann, I. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Regensburg (DE)
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-12
- Volume
- 62
- Pages
- 381-388
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2113173770
- Cited by
- 250
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 32.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Keywords
- salivary oxytocin, oxytocin challenge test, intranasal oxytocin, running, breastfeeding, Trier Social Stress Test, psychosocial stress, salivary cortisol, heart rate, biomarker validation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Breast Feeding, Female, Humans, Male, Masturbation, Middle Aged, Oxytocin, Running, Saliva, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
