Cited by 564Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorAction Observation and Synchronization

A common allele in the oxytocin receptor gene ( OXTR ) impacts prosocial temperament and human hypothalamic-limbic structure and function

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Tost, Heike, Kolachana, Bhaskar, Hakimi, Shabnam, Lemaitre, Herve, Verchinski, Beth A., Mattay, Venkata S., Weinberger, Daniel R., Meyer–Lindenberg, Andreas·2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The evolutionarily highly conserved neuropeptide oxytocin is a key mediator of social and emotional behavior in mammals, including humans. A common variant (rs53576) in the oxytocin receptor gene ( OXTR ) has been implicated in social-behavioral phenotypes, such as maternal sensitivity and empathy, and with neuropsychiatric disorders associated with social impairment, but the intermediate neural mechanisms are unknown. Here, we used multimodal neuroimaging in a large sample of healthy human subjects to identify structural and functional alterations in OXTR risk allele carriers and their link to temperament. Activation and interregional coupling of the amygdala during the processing of emotionally salient social cues was significantly affected by genotype. In addition, evidence for structural alterations in key oxytocinergic regions emerged, particularly in the hypothalamus. These neural characteristics predicted lower levels of reward dependence, specifically in male risk allele carriers. Our findings identify sex-dependent mechanisms impacting the structure and function of hypothalamic-limbic circuits that are of potential clinical and translational significance.

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Authors
Tost, H., Kolachana, B., Hakimi, S., Lemaitre, H., Verchinski, B. A., Mattay, V. S., Weinberger, D. R., & Meyer–Lindenberg, A.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes, Cognition, and Psychosis Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892; and
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2010-07-20
Volume
107
Issue
31
Pages
13936-13941
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2074783654
Cited by
564
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 62 · 2017: 53 · 2016: 59 · 2015: 51 · 2014: 48 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 44
FWCI
51.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
Keywords
oxytocin receptor gene, oxytocin receptor, rs53576, oxytocin, reward dependence, amygdala activation, hypothalamus, sex differences, social behavior, genotype-phenotype correlation, neural coupling
MeSH terms
Adult, Alleles, Brain Mapping, Emotions, Female, Humans, Hypothalamus, Male, Sex Characteristics, Social Behavior, Temperament, Receptors, Oxytocin

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