Oxytocin and the salience of social cues
Open accessAbstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is rapidly moving from a molecule with interesting effects in model systems to an important mediator of a range of human social behaviors. In this issue of PNAS, Gamer et al. (1) report on a study in which they show that subjects given OT, relative to subjects given placebo, are more likely to make eye movements toward the eye region when viewing images of human faces, which replicates and extends previous work (2, 3). Gamer et al. (1) also use functional brain imaging to show that the amygdala is an important brain area mediating this effect. These findings have broad implications for understanding the role of OT in normal social behavior as well as the possible therapeutic impact of OT in brain disorders characterized by social dysfunction.
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Oxytocin's ability to influence behavioral responses to social stimuli is at least partially mediated by its capacity to increase the salience of social cues.
“Several groups of researchers have posited that oxytocin’s ability to influence behavioral responses to social stimuli is at least partially mediated by its capacity to increase the salience of social cues (Averbeck, 2010, Bartz et al., 2011, Burkett and Young, 2012, Gordon et al., 2011, Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2009).”
From Oxytocin, motivation and the role of dopamine (2014) · cites this paper as Averbeck, 2010
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Cites
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“(1) report on a study in which they show that subjects given OT, relative to subjects given placebo, are more likely to make eye movements toward the eye region when viewing images of human faces, which replicates and extends previous work (2, 3).”
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“Still, these findings have indicated the possibility of a modified form of the salience hypothesis, in which OT increases the salience of positive social cues and decreases the salience of negative social cues (Averbeck, 2010).”
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- Authors
- Averbeck, B. B.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Averbeck, Bruno B.
- ORCID
- Averbeck, Bruno B.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2010-05-06
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 9033-9034
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC2889126
- OpenAlex
- W2061545958
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 6.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Keywords
- oxytocin, social cues, gaze, amygdala, social behavior, face perception, social dysfunction, neuropeptides
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain Diseases, Cues, Emotions, Homeostasis, Humans, Hypothalamus, Oxytocin, Social Behavior, Recognition, Psychology, Rats
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