Breaking the loop: Oxytocin as a potential treatment for drug addiction
Abstract
Drug use typically occurs within a social context, and social factors play an important role in the initiation, maintenance and recovery from addictions. There is now accumulating evidence of an interaction between the neural substrates of affiliative behavior and those of drug reward, with a role for brain oxytocin systems in modulating acute and long-term drug effects. Early research in this field indicated that exogenous oxytocin administration can prevent development of tolerance to ethanol and opiates, the induction of stereotyped, hyperactive behavior by stimulants, and the withdrawal symptoms associated with sudden abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Additionally, stimulation of endogenous oxytocin systems is a key neurochemical substrate underlying the prosocial and empathogenic effects of party drugs such as MDMA (Ecstasy) and GHB (Fantasy). Brain oxytocin systems exhibit profound neuroplasticity and undergo major neuroadaptations as a result of drug exposure. Many drugs, including cocaine, opiates, alcohol, cannabis, MDMA and GHB cause long-term changes in markers of oxytocin function and this may be linked to enduring deficits in social behavior that are commonly observed in laboratory animals repeatedly exposed to these drugs. Very recent preclinical studies have illustrated a remarkable ability of exogenously delivered oxytocin to inhibit stimulant and alcohol self-administration, to alter associated drug-induced changes in dopamine, glutamate and Fos expression i…
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Recent literature suggests oxytocin is a promising candidate to treat AUD through both behavioral and neurobiological pathways.
“Recent literature also suggests that oxytocin is a promising candidate to treat AUD through both behavioral and neurobiological pathways7”
From Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Efficacy of Intranasal Oxytocin to Enhance Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy (2025) · cites this paper as [7]
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“1,2 6 Recent literature also suggests that oxytocin is a promising candidate to treat AUD through both behavioral and neurobiological pathways 7 ; preclinical and preliminary clinical studies indicate that alcohol misuse disrupts the oxytocinergic system, and conversely, exogenous administration…”
- Authors
- McGregor, I. S., & Bowen, M. T.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Venue
- Hormones and Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-03
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 331-339
- ISSN
- 0018-506X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2051346624
- Cited by
- 268
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 2.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Keywords
- oxytocin, drug addiction, social behavior, affiliative behavior, drug reward, ethanol tolerance, opiate tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, MDMA, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis, neuroplasticity, dopamine, glutamate, Fos expression, basal ganglia, relapse, self-administration, intranasal oxytocin, social dysfunction
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Alcoholism, Animals, Drug Tolerance, Hallucinogens, Humans, Oxytocin, Reward, Self Administration, Social Behavior, Social Environment, Substance Withdrawal Syndrome, N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, Substance-Related Disorders
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