Oxytocin secretion is pulsatile in men and is related to social-emotional functioning
Open accessAbstract
The hypothalamic hormone oxytocin (OXT) plays an important role in a range of physiological processes and social-emotional functioning in both sexes. In women, physiological stimuli, such as suckling and parturition, result in pulsatile release of OXT into the peripheral circulation via the posterior pituitary gland. However, data regarding OXT secretory patterns in men during a state of rest are limited. Further, the relationship between secretory dynamics of OXT and emotional measures has never been evaluated. We hypothesized a pulsatile pattern of OXT secretion in men, and explored the relationship between OXT secretory patterns and social-emotional functioning.Methods Deconvolution analysis was performed on serum OXT levels obtained every 5min over a period of 10h in 5 healthy normal weight men. Area under the curve (AUC), average OXT values, and pulse characteristics [pulse number, inter-pulse interval, pulse height and mass (area under each pulse)] were calculated. State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM) assessed types of human attachment. Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) assessed perception of social support. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) measured the ability to express and identify one's own emotions.Results Mean age was 22.8±1.2years, and BMI was 21.7±0.4kg/m 2 (mean±SEM). Assuming a basal secretion of zero and a half life of five to seven minutes, we demonstrated the following: OXT AUC: 5421±1331pg/ml, mean OXT level: 9.1pg/ml, mean pulse number: 22±3/10hr, mean pulse height: 1.81±0.48pg/ml, mean pulse mass: 30.34±10.29pg/ml and mean inter-pulse interval: 27±4min. The SAAM Avoidant scale correlated negatively with mean OXT pulse height (r=-0.90, p=0.04) and pulse mass (r=-0.95, p=0.01). The ISEL Belonging score correlated positively with OXT AUC (r=0.89, p=0.04) and average OXT (r=0.93, p=0.02). ISEL Appraisal score also had a positive association with mean OXT pulse height (r=0.99, p=0.0006) and pulse mass (r=0.98, p=0.003). Finally, ISEL total score had a significant correlation with average OXT values (r=0.90, p=0.04). While none of the subjects had a score in the alexithymia range, TAS-20 Difficulty describing feelings score had an inverse correlation with OXT pulse height (r=-0.96, p=0.01) and pulse mass (r=-0.99, p=0.001). TAS-20 total score also had an inverse correlation with OXT pulse height (r=-0.94, p=0.02) and pulse mass (r=-0.96, p=0.009).Conclusion We demonstrate a pulsatile pattern of peripheral OXT secretion in healthy men at rest. Subjects with lower OXT pulse height and pulse mass had a more avoidant style of attachment, felt less supported, and expressed greater difficulty in describing their feelings. Our findings support the concept that OXT is a key mediator of social-emotional functioning. Future studies to determine causality are warranted.
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In the circulation, OXT follows a pulsatile release pattern, and pulse characteristics are strongly linked with baseline socio-emotional functioning.
“In the circulation, OXT follows a pulsatile release pattern, and pulse characteristics are strongly linked with baseline socio-emotional functioning.”
From Music's context-dependent influence on oxytocin, social bonding, and emotion regulation: a systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Baskaran et al., 2017
The Discussion reports pulsatile serum OXT secretion at rest and robust correlations with social-emotional measures, but the Methods show the study included only five healthy men. The Results also say that the remaining social-emotional measures had no significant correlations with pulse characteristics. The claim omits these limits and presents the findings as general to circulating OXT and socio-emotional functioning. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPre-post changes of OXT often fail to predict subjective outcomes, which are heavily influenced by placebo effects, expectations, and the infeasibility of blinding in music-based interventions.
“Since OXT secretory dynamics (e.g., pulse characteristics) are more likely to reflect subjective socio-emotional functioning than a single measurement or pre-post change (Baskaran et al., 2017), pre-post changes of OXT often fail to predict subjective outcomes, which are heavily influenced by placebo effects, expectations, and the infeasibility of blinding in music-based interventions.”
From Music's context-dependent influence on oxytocin, social bonding, and emotion regulation: a systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Baskaran et al., 2017
The Discussion (page not available) says that attachment and interoception measures were associated with OXT pulse characteristics but not average OXT levels. That supports the citation’s comparison with an average measurement, but this exploratory study of five healthy men did not compare pulse characteristics with pre-post changes. The later statements about placebo effects and blinding in music interventions follow the citation and are not attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA primary concern is the reliance on pre-post measurements of peripheral OXT, which may not reflect central OXT activity or be correlated with attachment style, perceived social support, and emotional awareness.
“A primary concern is the reliance on pre-post measurements of peripheral OXT, which may not reflect central OXT activity (Kagerbauer et al., 2013; Valstad et al., 2017) or be correlated with attachment style, perceived social support, and emotional awareness (Baskaran et al., 2017).”
From Music's context-dependent influence on oxytocin, social bonding, and emotion regulation: a systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Baskaran et al., 2017
The Discussion (page unavailable) says attachment and emotional-awareness measures were associated with OXT pulse characteristics, not average OXT levels, supporting the concern that limited measurements could miss those associations. But the Results (page unavailable) report significant correlations between average peripheral OXT and perceived social support. The study sampled OXT repeatedly rather than testing pre-post measurements, so it does not directly establish what pre-post measurements would show. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMean OXT pulse height and pulse mass were negatively correlated with avoidant attachment and positively correlated with perceived social support.
“Mean OXT pulse height and pulse mass were negatively correlated with avoidant attachment and positively correlated with perceived social support (Baskaran et al., 2017).”
From Music's context-dependent influence on oxytocin, social bonding, and emotion regulation: a systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Baskaran et al., 2017
Salivary OXT can provide more stable measurements than plasma OXT because it has a longer half-life, whereas plasma OXT fluctuates rapidly due to its 7-min half-life and pulsatile release pattern.
“Unlike plasma OXT, which fluctuates rapidly due to its 7-min half-life (Shafer et al., 2025) and pulsatile release pattern (Baskaran et al., 2017), salivary OXT can provide more stable measurements since it has a longer half-life (Quintana et al., 2018).”
From Music's context-dependent influence on oxytocin, social bonding, and emotion regulation: a systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Baskaran et al., 2017
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Self-citationArginine Vasopressin Deficiency and Oxytocin Deficiency in the Endocrine Clinic
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- Authors
- Baskaran, C., Plessow, F., Silva, L., Asanza, E., Marengi, D., Eddy, K. T., Sluss, P. M., Johnson, M. L., Misra, M., & Lawson, E. A.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Virginia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Baskaran, Charumathi
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-11
- Volume
- 85
- Pages
- 28-34
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5636187
- OpenAlex
- W2737268488
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 4.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH092560)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T32DK007028)
- National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR025758)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › 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
- oxytocin, pulsatile secretion, men, social-emotional functioning, attachment, social support, alexithymia, hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, deconvolution, interpulse interval, attachment avoidance, sense of belonging, emotional awareness
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Humans, Male, Object Attachment, Oxytocin, Social Support, Time Factors, Young Adult, Interoception, Social Skills
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