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Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face
Open accessAbstract
The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) has been identified as a key modulator of pair-bonding in men, but its effects in women are still elusive. Moreover, there is substantial evidence that hormonal contraception (HC) influences partner preferences and sexual satisfaction, which constitute core domains of OXT function. We thus hypothesized that OXT effects on partner-related behavioral and neural responses could be significantly altered in women using HC. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study involving 40 pair-bonded women, 21 of whom were using HC, we investigated whether a 24-IU nasal dose of OXT would modulate brain reward responses evoked by the romantic partner's face relative to the faces of familiar and unfamiliar people. Treatment with OXT increased the perceived attractiveness of the partner relative to other men, which was paralleled by elevated responses in reward-associated regions, including the nucleus accumbens. These effects of OXT were absent in women using HC. Our results confirm and extend previous findings in men that OXT interacts with the brain reward system to reinforce partner value representations, indicating a common OXT-dependent mechanism underlying partner attraction in both sexes. This mechanism may be disturbed in women using HC, suggesting that gonadal steroids could alter partner-specific OXT effects.
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Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
In 40 pair-bonded women, intranasal oxytocin increased the perceived attractiveness of the partner and partner-specific nucleus accumbens/ventral tegmental area responses in freely cycling women, but not in women using hormonal contraception. The findings suggest hormonal contraceptives may suppress oxytocin’s partner-specific reward effects.
Key findings
- Oxytocin (24 IU) enhanced the positive attractiveness bias for the partner in freely cycling women (t(16) = 2.56, P = 0.02, d = 0.37) but not in women using hormonal contraception (t(16) = 0.66, P = 0.52, d = 0.11); the repeated-measures ANOVA showed a main effect of treatment (F(1,32) = 5.53, P = 0.03, η² = 0.15), no main effect of HC (F(1,32) = 0.07, P = 0.79), and a non-significant treatment × HC interaction (F(1,32) = 2.18, P = 0.15).
- Oxytocin increased partner-specific NAcc and VTA responses in freely cycling women (NAcc left t(136) = 3.60, P_FWE < 0.01; right t(136) = 3.68, P_FWE < 0.01; VTA left t(136) = 3.71, P_FWE < 0.01; right t(136) = 4.06, P_FWE < 0.01), and this effect was significantly stronger than in women using HC (NAcc left t(37) = 3.20, P_FWE = 0.04; right t(37) = 4.32, P_FWE < 0.01; VTA left t(37) = 3.24, P_FWE = 0.04; right t(37) = 3.12, P_FWE = 0.057).
- Baseline endogenous oxytocin concentrations positively correlated with partner-specific striatal responses across all women, including left NAcc (t(36) = 3.50, P_FWE = 0.03) and right NAcc (t(36) = 3.48, P_FWE = 0.03); there was no main effect of HC and no significant group difference in the partner-specific contrast [Partner_PLC > Familiar_PLC].
- Oxytocin increased bilateral precuneus activity across all stimuli (left t(38) = 3.94 and 3.76, P_FWE < 0.01; right t(38) = 4.01 and 3.99, P_FWE = 0.03), with no significant deactivations under oxytocin compared with placebo.
Methods
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject randomized fMRI study of 40 healthy right-handed adult women (mean age 24.38 ± 3.26 years), 21 using hormonal contraception and 19 not using HC; all were in a heterosexual romantic relationship (mean duration 33.58 ± 28.09 months).
- Participants received intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo 30 min before fMRI and passively viewed photographs of their partner, matched unknown men, a familiar woman, and matched unknown women; after scanning they rated all photographs for attractiveness and arousal, and saliva samples were collected before spray administration and after the experiment.
- fMRI data were analyzed with SPM8; whole-brain analyses used P < 0.05 FWE-corrected, and region-of-interest analyses used 10-mm-radius masks for NAcc and VTA with P < 0.05 FWE-corrected; a flexible factorial model included treatment (OXT vs PLC) and bond (partner, unfamiliar, familiar) factors.
Limitations
- The paper states that the sample size did not allow differentiation between different types or generations of hormonal contraception, that women were not tested during ovulation, that exploratory menstrual-cycle-phase analyses were limited by small subgroup sizes, and that the interval between treatment sessions was not constant (minimum 1 day, maximum 127 days/4 months).
- The paper notes that the behavioral treatment × HC interaction did not reach significance, suggesting larger samples may be needed to detect behavioral partner-specific oxytocin effects in women using HC.
- Evident from the text: fMRI data were unavailable for one subject in the no-HC group and behavioral data were unavailable for three participants in each group; the study used an acute single-dose oxytocin design, so it cannot directly address chronic mechanisms or long-term consequences of HC use.
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Claims the paper makes
40 Own result · 14 Own method · 13 Own interpretation · 11 No full text of the sources · 4 Supported · 4 Partly supported · 2 Supported so far · 2 Sources not found · 1 Not checked yet · 1 No basis given · accuracy not yet measured
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Importantly, HC use alters women's pair-bonding behavior, evident in decreased attractiveness ratings of masculine faces (Little et al., 2013), reduced neural response to the expectation of erotic stimuli (Abler et al., 2013), a preference shift towards olfactory cues of genetic similarity (Roberts et al., 2008) and increased sexual jealousy (Geary et al., 2001).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Little et al., 2013 source
- Supportedcites Abler et al., 2013 source
The Results (section 2, fMRI Results: Group Comparisons; page unavailable) report significantly greater activation during expectation of erotic pictures in women not taking oral contraceptives than in those taking them. This supports the specific finding for which Abler et al. is cited: reduced neural response to expected erotic stimuli. (LLM, conf=0.91)
- Supportedcites Roberts et al., 2008 source
The Abstract reports a significant shift toward MHC-similar odours after women initiated pill use, a shift not seen in non-users. The Discussion likewise describes ratings shifting in favour of MHC similarity. This supports the specific preference shift for which Roberts et al. is cited. (LLM, conf=0.94)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Importantly, OXT did not alter the positive bias for the familiar person (all Ps > 0.56, cf. Figure 1), suggesting that, in line with our previous findings in men (Scheele et al., 2013), OXT specifically influenced perception related to pair-bonding.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Scheele et al., 2013 source
The Results (page not provided) state that OXT enhanced the positive partner bias but did not alter the positive bias for familiar versus unfamiliar women. The Discussion describes a specific effect on pair-bond-related behavioral ratings, supporting the comparison attributed to Scheele et al. (LLM, conf=0.93)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) has been identified as a key modulator of pair-bonding in men, but its effects in women are still elusive.”
- Also stated in: § Introduction · hedged
“Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) is a key factor modulating pair-bonding behaviors (Young and Wang, 2004;Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Young and Wang, 2004 source
- Supportedcites Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016 source
In “Oxytocin and Romantic Attachment,” the review reports that intranasal oxytocin altered responses to romantic partners in pair-bonded men. “Translational Implications” explicitly describes oxytocin as a key modulator of human pair bonding. The review also says that effects on the processing of partner stimuli in women had not yet been studied. Page numbers were not supplied in the passages. (LLM, conf=0.93)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Introduction · hedged
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“In fact, a comparison of the OXT effects in women with our previous data obtained in men (Scheele et al., 2013) showed that the OXTinduced augmentation of partner-specific responses in the NAcc (left: À9, 2, 1, t (39) ¼ 3.22, P FWE ¼ 0.04 and À15, 11, À2, t (39) ¼ 3.19, P FWE ¼ 0.04; right: 18, 8, À2, t (39) ¼ 4.35, P FWE < 0.01) was significantly stronger in men than in women who used HC.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > D. Scheele et al. | 769
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Scheele et al., 2013 source
The citation identifies the previous data obtained in men, not the citing authors’ subsequent comparison with women using hormonal contraception. The Results report that oxytocin enhanced partner-specific nucleus accumbens responses in the male participants. (LLM, conf=0.92)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Importantly, OXT did not alter the positive bias for the familiar person (all Ps > 0.56, cf. Figure 1), suggesting that, in line with our previous findings in men (Scheele et al., 2013), OXT specifically influenced perception related to pair-bonding.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Scheele et al., 2013 source
The Discussion describes a specific OXT effect on pair-bond-related behavioral ratings and neural responses. It reports that OXT increased men's positive ratings of their female partner's face, while having no effect on the positive bias toward familiar versus unfamiliar women. (LLM, conf=0.93)
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“As such, it seems likely that the increased incidence for major depression, panic disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (Keyes et al., 2014), as well as the substantially increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (Mostofsky et al., 2012) linked to bereavement and profound grief after the loss of a partner, are also at least partially mediated by a”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Keyes et al., 2014 source
The Abstract Results and Discussion report increased incidence of major depression, panic disorder, and PTSD following the unexpected death of a loved one—the finding for which Keyes et al. is cited. The proposed OXT mediation is the citing authors’ inference, not a finding attributed to Keyes et al. (LLM, conf=0.91)
- Partly supportedcites Mostofsky et al., 2012 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results report a 21.1-fold increase in acute myocardial infarction onset within 24 hours of the death of a significant person. The Discussion says none of the participants who lost a spouse did so within the day before MI onset, so the study does not establish that acute increase specifically after the loss of a partner. The citing sentence attributes the depression and other psychiatric-disorder claim to Keyes et al.; its proposed mediation is the citing authors’ inference, not a finding attributed to Mostofsky et al. (LLM, conf=0.88)
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As expected, baseline serum levels of estradiol and progesterone were significantly higher in freely cycling women than in women using HC (cf. Supplementary Table S2).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Interestingly, on the wholebrain level, we detected positive correlations between baseline endogenous OXT concentrations and partner-specific neural responses [Partner PLC > Familiar PLC ] in the left (peak MNI x, y, z: À24, 14, À8, t (36) ¼ 4.81 and À21, À7, À8, t (36) ¼ 4.03, k ¼ 302, P FWE < 0.01) and right (30, 5, À11, t (36) ¼ 3.95 and 39, 11, À11, t (36) ¼ 3.69, k ¼ 212, P FWE ¼ 0.02) lentif”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“However, when we conducted the analysis separately for freely cycling women and women using HC, we observed that OXT elicited stronger activations in the bilateral NAcc ROI (left: À6, À4, À8, t (136) ¼ 3.60, P FWE < 0.01; right: 6, À1, À11, t (136) ¼ 3.68, P FWE < 0.01, and 15, 2, À11, t (136) ¼ 2.99, P FWE ¼ 0.04) and VTA ROI (left: À6, À4, À11, t (136) ¼ 3.71, P FWE < 0.01; right: 6, À4, À11, t”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > D. Scheele et al. | 769
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Treatment with OXT increased the perceived attractiveness of the partner relative to other men, which was paralleled by elevated responses in reward-associated regions, including the nucleus accumbens.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“The intranasal administration of OXT selectively enhanced attractiveness ratings of the partners relative to other men.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Abstract
plaindirectn = 40- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
- It may state two separate claims as one. 10
- Probably not a substantial claim. 23
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“this finding resonates well with our hypothesis that OXT induces a self-referential processing bias (Scheele et al., 2014a;Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016), thus increasing the conscious perception of partner value.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Scheele et al., 2014a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Supportedcites Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016 source
In “A Self-Reference Model of Oxytocin,” the authors propose that OXT induces a self-referential processing bias that enables people to represent emotional experiences more consciously. The “Oxytocin and Romantic Attachment” section also reports more favorable perceptions of a partner’s attractiveness under OXT. The cited sentence frames the link to conscious perception of partner value as the citing authors’ hypothesis, not as a finding established by this source. (LLM, conf=0.90)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“to reduce arousal induced by the imagination of sexual infidelity (Preckel et al., 2015).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Supportedcites Preckel et al., 2015 source
The Experiment 2 Behavioral results report that oxytocin diminished arousal ratings for imagined sexual infidelity compared with placebo. The Discussion likewise states that oxytocin reduced arousal induced by imagery of sexual infidelity. (LLM, conf=0.94)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“infarction (Mostofsky et al., 2012) linked to bereavement and profound grief after the loss of a partner, are also at least partially mediated by a disruption of OXT signaling (Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites Mostofsky et al., 2012 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Results report a markedly elevated rate of myocardial infarction after the death of a significant person. But the study did not establish that acute infarctions followed the loss of a partner specifically: the Discussion says none of the participants who lost a spouse had done so within the prior day. It also did not measure profound grief. The OXT-signaling mechanism is attributed to a different citation in the citing sentence, not to Mostofsky et al. (LLM, conf=0.86)
- Partly supportedcites Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
In “Oxytocin and Social Attachment in Nonhuman Species,” the paper suggests that reduced OXT signaling after partner loss contributes to anxiety and depression in voles. Its “Translational Implications” section discusses human grief but does not link OXT disruption to infarction after bereavement. The proposed mediation of infarction is therefore unsupported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Partly supported
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Given that the precuneus is heavily implicated in mediating interoceptive awareness and consciousness (Lou et al., 2004)”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites Lou et al., 2004 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Discussion links the precuneus and medial parietal region to explicit self-representation, reflective self-awareness, and conscious self-monitoring. It does not address interoceptive awareness or bodily signals, so that part of the claim is unsupported. The paper’s account of consciousness is also more specifically about self-referential awareness than consciousness generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Partly supported
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, we observed that OXT had no effect on vital signs (cf.Supplementary Materials) or mood and anxiety ratings (cf. Supplementary Table S4).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There was no main effect of HC and we observed no significant differences between freely cycling women and women using HC in the partner-specific contrast [Partner PLC > Familiar PLC ].”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These effects of OXT were absent in women using HC.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Abstract
plainn = 40- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“However, since none of the women were tested during ovulation, the concentrations of the follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones were similar in both groups.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Results
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Intriguingly, the partner-related effects of elevated OXT concentrations following nasal spray administration were restricted to normally cycling women.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Of note, the partner-specific neural OXT effect was significantly more pronounced in women not using HC”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Intranasal OXT administration elevates central OXT concentrations sufficiently to affect brain reward responses.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Due to technical problems, fMRI data were not available for one subject in the no HC group and behavioral data were not available for three participants in each group.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Participants
plainn = 3- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The movement parameters were included as confounds in the design matrix.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Behavioral task
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“a potential mechanism could be related to the direct binding of progesterone to OXTRs, thereby inhibiting OXTR functioning (Grazzini et al., 1998).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Grazzini et al., 1998 source
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“An independent sample of 10 heterosexual women (age: 27.2 6 4.66 years) rated the attractiveness of and the arousal induced by all women and men as well as the quality of the photographs on a visual analog scale (0 ¼ minimum, 100 ¼ maximum) prior to the first fMRI session.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > fMRI paradigm
plainn = 10- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A claim is checked only against the cited paper’s full text, never its abstract, and none is available for its sources.
In the paper
“Previous research suggests that partner preferences vary across the menstrual cycle in an evolutionarily adaptive way.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“For instance, women prefer masculine faces (Little and Jones, 2012) and exhibit higher levels of intrasexual competition related to attractiveness (Fisher, 2004) at peak fertility in the menstrual cycle.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Fisher, 2004 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The subjects reported to be passionately in love and the time intervals since they last saw their partners and had intimate contact were comparable between the OXT and PLC sessions (see Supplementary Table S3).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Participants
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“For instance, women prefer masculine faces (Little and Jones, 2012) and exhibit higher levels of intrasexual competition related to attractiveness (Fisher, 2004) at peak fertility in the menstrual cycle.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Little and Jones, 2012 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“this may have increased the variance in the data.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We ensured that no subject knew the individuals whose photographs were used as control stimuli.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > fMRI paradigm
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“facilitated spontaneous anthropomorphism (Scheele et al., 2015) in samples in which the majority of women used HC.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Scheele et al., 2015 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A claim is checked only against the cited paper’s full text, never its abstract, and none is available for its sources.
In the paper
“an estradiol treatment in mice and rats results in a several-fold increase in OXTR mRNA in the brain (Quinones-Jenab et al., 1997;Young et al., 1998).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We applied a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-group design.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Experimental design
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“we did not test women during ovulation.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“OXT has been found to increase the intensity of orgasm and contentment after copulation (Behnia et al., 2014)”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Behnia et al., 2014 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“To assure attentive stimulus processing, subjects were asked to press a keypad button whenever a stimulus was presented (percent correct responses: OXT 99.13 6 1.60, PLC 98.11 6 9.22, P ¼ 0.47).”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > fMRI paradigm
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“the time interval between treatment sessions was not constant in all participants”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The selected photographs were equated for facial expression, size and luminance.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > fMRI paradigm
plainn = 10- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We also controlled for whether the subjects had had an argument with their partners in the week before both test sessions and if anything important in their relationships changed between the two test sessions.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Participants
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Subjects were randomly assigned to intranasal administration of either OXT (24 IU; Syntocinon spray, Sigma Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Pomezia, Italy; three puffs per nostril, each with 4 IU OXT) or PLC (containing all ingredients except the peptide) 30 min before the start of the fMRI.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Experimental design
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
The paper relies on this without support.
OXT proximally interacts with striatal circuits to create a rewarding neural representation of the partner's face.
“Given that OXT proximally interacts with striatal circuits to create a rewarding neural representation of the partner's face, we hypothesized that this core mechanism would be blunted in women using HC.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Peripheral estradiol and progesterone levels are altered in women using HC.
“Peripheral estradiol and progesterone levels were found to be altered in women using HC”
The paper relies on this without support.
Intranasal OXT administration elevates central OXT concentrations sufficiently to affect brain reward responses.
“elevated OXT concentrations following nasal spray administration”
The paper relies on this without support.
Baseline salivary OXT concentrations reflect central OXT levels.
“Baseline salivary OXT concentrations of all participants irrespective of HC positively correlated with neural response to the partner”
The paper relies on this without support.
The partner's face is a valid probe for partner value representations in the brain reward system.
“neural response to the partner's face compared with a familiar person”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Discussion
“ventral tegmental area (left peak MNI coordinates À3, À4, À11; t(37) ¼ 3.24, PFWE ¼ 0.04; right peak MNI coordinates 6, À4, À11; t(37) ¼ 3.12, PFWE ¼ 0.057; (B) was significantly stronger in women not using HC than in women using HC.”
§ Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner's face > Behavioral task
“the threshold for significance was set at P < 0.05, FWE-corrected for multiple comparisons based on the size of the ROI.”
Citations
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“Romantic love is one of the most powerful motivators of human behavior and has been linked to physical and mental health (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010).”
BackgroundThe oxytocin receptor system: structure, function, and regulation
Gimpl, G., & Fahrenholz, F. (2001) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.2001.81.2.629 · Cited by 3,089 · cited 2×
“Consistent with OXT’s well-established reproductive functions, including the induction of uterine contraction during labor and milk ejection during lactation (Gimpl and Fahrenholz, 2001), its role as a key underlying factor of the mother–infant attachment system has often been documented (Rilling and Young, 2014; Feld…”
BackgroundThe neurobiology of pair bonding.
Young, L. J., & Wang, Z. (2004) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1327 · Cited by 1,523 · cited 1×
“Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) is a key factor modulating pair-bonding behaviors (Young and Wang, 2004; Hurlemann and Scheele, 2016).”
BackgroundThe neural correlates of maternal and romantic love
Bartels, A., & Zeki, S. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.11.003 · Cited by 1,497 · cited 1×
“Both the NAcc and VTA have previously been identified as reward-associated brain regions activated by viewing the face of a romantic partner while recalling shared experiences with him or her (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Aron et al., 2005; Acevedo et al., 2012).”
BackgroundReward, Motivation, and Emotion Systems Associated With Early-Stage Intense Romantic Love
Aron, A., Fisher, H., Mashek, D. J., Strong, G., Li, H., & Brown, L. L. (2005) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.00838.2004 · Cited by 963 · cited 1×
“Both the NAcc and VTA have previously been identified as reward-associated brain regions activated by viewing the face of a romantic partner while recalling shared experiences with him or her (Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Aron et al., 2005; Acevedo et al., 2012).”
BackgroundOxytocin receptor distribution reflects social organization in monogamous and polygamous voles
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“Given that the precuneus is heavily implicated in mediating interoceptive awareness and consciousness (Lou et al., 2004), this finding resonates well with our hypothesis that OXT induces a self-referential processing bias (Scheele et al.”
ResultSocial Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T., & Layton, J. (2010) · SciVee · doi:10.4016/19865.01 · Cited by 613
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Neuroanatomy and function of human sexual behavior: A neglected or unknown issue?
Calabrò, R. S., Cacciola, A., Bruschetta, D., Milardi, D., Quattrini, F., Sciarrone, F., Rosa, G. L., Bramanti, P., & Anastasi, G. (2019) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1389 · Cited by 228
Shaping of the Female Human Brain by Sex Hormones: A Review
Rehbein, E., Hornung, J., Poromaa, I. S., & Derntl, B. (2020) · Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1159/000507083 · Cited by 159
How Oral Contraceptives Impact Social-Emotional Behavior and Brain Function
Montoya, E. R., & Bos, P. A. (2017) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2016.11.005 · Cited by 145
Overview of human oxytocin research
Kendrick, K. M., Guastella, A. J., & Becker, B. (2017) · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2017_19 · Cited by 121
Grace, S. A., Rossell, S. L., Heinrichs, M., Kordsachia, C., & Labuschagne, I. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.031 · Cited by 120
“Midbrain and basal ganglia We identified 11 studies that found task-related increases in midbrain and basal ganglia activation following IN-OXT, of these studies, three included a sample of healthy females (Gregory et al., 2015; Groppe et al., 2013; Scheele et al., 2016), six healthy males (Feng et al.”
Sex-dependent regulation of social reward by oxytocin: an inverted U hypothesis
Borland, J. M., Rilling, J. K., Frantz, K. J., & Albers, H. E. (2019) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-018-0129-2 · Cited by 116
Lewis, C. A., Kimmig, A.-C. S., Zsido, R. G., Jank, A., Derntl, B., & Sacher, J. (2019) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1095-z · Cited by 130
Kinetics of oxytocin effects on amygdala and striatal reactivity vary between women and men
Lieberz, J., Scheele, D., Spengler, F. B., Matheisen, T., Schneider, L., Stoffel‐Wagner, B., Kinfe, T. M., & Hurlemann, R. (2019) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0582-6 · Cited by 95
Self-citationHow the brain codes intimacy: The neurobiological substrates of romantic touch
Kreuder, A.-K., Scheele, D., Wassermann, L., Wollseifer, M., Stoffel-Wagner, B., Lee, M. R., Hennig, J., Maier, W., & Hurlemann, R. (2017) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.23679 · Cited by 89
“The modulatory impact of OXT on NAcc activation may be more pronounced in the context of response to one’s partner [Scheele et al., 2013, 2016].”
BackgroundResultSelf-citationOxytocin and stress-related disorders: neurobiological mechanisms and treatment opportunities
Sippel, L. M., Allington, C. E., Pietrzak, R. H., Harpaz-Rotem, I., Mayes, L. C., & Olff, M. (2017) · Chronic Stress · doi:10.1177/2470547016687996 · Cited by 99
Hormonal Contraceptives, Female Sexual Dysfunction, and Managing Strategies: A Review
Casado‐Espada, N. M., de Alarcón, R., de la Iglesia-Larrad, J. I., Bonaechea, B. B., & Montejo, A. L. (2019) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm8060908 · Cited by 87
“Nevertheless, the concentrations of the follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones are similar in both groups [35].”
BackgroundInfluentialBoth, S., Lew‐Starowicz, M., Luria, M., Sartorius, G. A., Maseroli, E., Tripodi, F. M., Löwenstein, L., Nappi, R. E., Corona, G., Reisman, Y., et al. (2019) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.08.005 · Cited by 96
Effects of acute stress on social behavior in women
von Dawans, B., Ditzen, B., Trueg, A., Fischbacher, U., & Heinrichs, M. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.031 · Cited by 84
Oxytocin facilitates reciprocity in social communication
Spengler, F. B., Scheele, D., Marsh, N., Kofferath, C., Flach, A., Schwarz, S., Stoffel-Wagner, B., Maier, W., & Hurlemann, R. (2017) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsx061 · Cited by 83
“For instance, we have previously shown that OXT promotes the romantic bond between men and women by enhancing reward system responses to the partner’s face (Scheele et al., 2013; Scheele et al., 2016).”
BackgroundSelf-citationThe Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives on the Brain: A Systematic Review of Neuroimaging Studies
Brønnick, M. K., Økland, I., Graugaard, C. L., & Brønnick, K. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.556577 · Cited by 84
“, 2018) which provided no information about age, and four studies where only mean age was provided (Pletzer et al., 2014; Hwang et al., 2015; Scheele et al., 2016; Smith et al., 2018; Hornung et al., 2019).”
BackgroundNuman, M. (2020) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.001.0001 · Cited by 106
Intranasal oxytocin increases neural responses to social reward in post-traumatic stress disorder
Nawijn, L., van Zuiden, M., Koch, S. B. J., Frijling, J. L., Veltman, D. J., & Olff, M. (2016) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsw123 · Cited by 72
“Indeed, endogenous oxytocin levels have been positively correlated to striatal responses to positive stimuli (Rilling et al., 2012; Scheele et al., 2016).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSex- and context-dependent effects of oxytocin on social sharing
Ma, X., Zhao, W., Luo, R., Zhou, F., Geng, Y., Xu, L., Gao, Z., Zheng, X., Becker, B., & Kendrick, K. M. (2018) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.004 · Cited by 68
Oxytocin enhances cognitive control of food craving in women
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“The imaging paradigm was part of a larger study with 40 subjects [Scheele et al., 2016], but food craving data were available for only 31 participants.”
Self-citationOxytocin enhances the pain‐relieving effects of social support in romantic couples
Kreuder, A., Wassermann, L., Wollseifer, M., Ditzen, B., Eckstein, M., Stoffel‐Wagner, B., Hennig, J., Hurlemann, R., & Scheele, D. (2019) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.24368 · Cited by 62
Self-citationThe brain as a target of hormonal contraceptives: Evidence from animal studies
Porcu, P., Serra, M., & Concas, A. (2019) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100799 · Cited by 62
The interplay of oxytocin and sex hormones
Quintana, D. S., Glaser, B. D., Kang, H., Kildal, E. S.-M., Audunsdottir, K., Sartorius, A. M., & Barth, C. (2024) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105765 · Cited by 54
“Interestingly, oxytocin administration in heterosexual females has been reported to increase the perceived attractiveness of their partners relative to other males but these effects were absent in females using hormonal contra-ception (Scheele et al., 2016).”
Oral Contraceptives Impair Complex Emotion Recognition in Healthy Women
Pahnke, R., Mau‐Moeller, A., Junge, M., Wendt, J., Weymar, M., Hamm, A. O., & Lischke, A. (2019) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.01041 · Cited by 46
Oxytocin reduces neural activation in response to infant faces in nulliparous young women
Bos, P. A., Spencer, H., & Montoya, E. R. (2018) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsy080 · Cited by 47
“response to pictures of their partner, OXT increased striatal and VTA activation, but only in the naturally cycling women (Scheele et al., 2015).”
BackgroundHow does oxytocin modulate human behavior?
Yao, S., & Kendrick, K. M. (2025) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-025-02898-1 · Cited by 61
Intrinsic, dynamic and effective connectivity among large-scale brain networks modulated by oxytocin
Jiang, X., Ma, X., Geng, Y., Zhao, Z., Zhou, F., Zhao, W., Yao, S., Yang, S., Zhao, Z., Becker, B., et al. (2020) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117668 · Cited by 39
Flanagan, J. C., Hand, A., Jarnecke, A. M., Maria, M. M. M., Brady, K. T., & Joseph, J. E. (2018) · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1037/pha0000197 · Cited by 47
Female psychopharmacology matters! Towards a sex-specific psychopharmacology
Bolea-Alamanac, B. M., Bailey, S., Lovick, T. A., Scheele, D., & Valentino, R. J. (2018) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881117747578 · Cited by 46
Self-citationOxytocin promotes face-sensitive neural responses to infant and adult faces in mothers
Peltola, M. J., Strathearn, L., & Puura, K. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.02.012 · Cited by 43
“The remaining participants were excluded from the analyses due to excessive artefacts in the EEG data (n=3), technical problems (n=3), experimenter error (n=1), dropping out of the study between assessments (n=2), or oral contraceptive use (n=5), as previous research has indicated that the use of oral contraceptives m…”
Quintana, D. S., Dieset, I., Elvsåshagen, T., Westlye, L. T., & Andreassen, O. A. (2017) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2016.12.004 · Cited by 39
“The use of hormonal contraceptives is also an important consideration in light of their dampening effect on neural responses to OT (Scheele et al., 2016).”
BackgroundOxytocin increases eye-gaze towards novel social and non-social stimuli
Eckstein, M., Bamert, V., Stephens, S. B. Z., Wallen, K., Young, L. J., Ehlert, U., & Ditzen, B. (2018) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2018.1542341 · Cited by 36
Common and dissociable effects of oxytocin and lorazepam on the neurocircuitry of fear
Kreuder, A., Scheele, D., Schultz, J., Hennig, J., Marsh, N., Dellert, T., Ettinger, U., Philipsen, A., Babasiz, M., Herscheid, A., et al. (2020) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1920147117 · Cited by 27
Self-citationOxytocin release deficit and social cognition in craniopharyngioma patients
Brandi, M., Gebert, D., Kopczak, A., Auer, M. K., & Schilbach, L. (2020) · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1111/jne.12842 · Cited by 33
Oxytocin and Facial Emotion Recognition
Ellenbogen, M. A. (2017) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2017_20 · Cited by 34
Oxytocin and interpersonal relationships
Patin, A., Scheele, D., & Hurlemann, R. (2017) · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2017_22 · Cited by 32
“…and the coordination of the behaviors of different people in a group are often apparent although unconscious (LaFrance 1979; Noy et al. 2011; Schmidt and Richardson 2008; Richardson et al. 2007; Tognoli et al. 2007; Sebanz et al. 2006; Chartrand and Bargh 1999; Bernieri and Rosenthal 1991;…”
BackgroundSelf-citationOxytocin for learning calm and safety
Eckstein, M., de Minas, A. C. A., Scheele, D., Kreuder, A., Hurlemann, R., Grinevich, V., & Ditzen, B. (2018) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.06.004 · Cited by 28
Self-citationJeung-Maarse, H., Schmitgen, M. M., Schmitt, R., Bertsch, K., & Herpertz, S. C. (2023) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-023-01549-9 · Cited by 28
“Further, the use of hormonal contraception has been previously found to modulate OT effects [68].”
BackgroundOxytocin amplifies sex differences in human mate choice
Xu, L., Becker, B., Luo, R., Zheng, X., Zhao, W., Zhang, Q., & Kendrick, K. M. (2019) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104483 · Cited by 27
Zimmermann, J., Deris, N., Montag, C., Reuter, M., Felten, A., Becker, B., Weber, B., & Markett, S. A. (2018) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.014 · Cited by 23
Intranasal oxytocin reduces social perception in women: Neural activation and individual variation
Hecht, E. E., Robins, D. L., Gautam, P., & King, T. Z. (2016) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.12.046 · Cited by 24
Hormonal contraceptives, stress, and the brain: The critical need for animal models
Tronson, N. C., & Schuh, K. M. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101035 · Cited by 25
“For example, HCs decrease the oxytocin-induced effects on ratings of partner attractiveness (Scheele et al., 2016), and decrease activation of insula activation during subtle sexual cues (Abler et al., 2013).”
BackgroundOxytocin Modulates the Cognitive Appraisal of the Own and Others Close Intimate Relationships
Aguilar‐Raab, C., Eckstein, M., Geracitano, S., Prévost, M., Gold, I., Heinrichs, M., Bilderbeck, A. C., Ehlert, U., & Ditzen, B. (2019) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00714 · Cited by 24
“Furthermore, we assessed naturally cycling women only, which does not allow for conclusions on women using hormonal contraception (Scheele et al., 2015).”
BackgroundElevated plasma oxytocin levels and higher satisfaction with life in young oral contraceptive users
Garforth, B., Degnbol, H., Terris, E. T., Zak, P. J., & Winterdahl, M. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-64528-w · Cited by 21
Tracy, L. M., Gibson, S. J., Labuschagne, I., Georgiou‐Karistianis, N., & Giummarra, M. J. (2017) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.08.016 · Cited by 21
“Future studies are required to examine sex-specific effects of intranasal oxytocin on HRV with a larger sample of both men and women; and to examine if hormonal contraceptive use in women could alter the effects of intranasal oxytocin, or induce an increase in the level of oxytocin, as reported in previous research (S…”
How hormonal contraceptives shape brain and behavior: A review of preclinical studies
Concas, A., Serra, M., & Porcu, P. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101017 · Cited by 26
Tracy, L. M., Labuschagne, I., Georgiou‐Karistianis, N., Gibson, S. J., & Giummarra, M. J. (2017) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.05.028 · Cited by 23
Martins, D., Leslie, M. R., Rodan, S., Zelaya, F. O., Treasure, J. L., & Paloyelis, Y. (2020) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-020-00871-w · Cited by 21
Coenjaerts, M., Adrovic, B., Trimborn, I., Philipsen, A., Hurlemann, R., & Scheele, D. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29754-y · Cited by 17
Self-citationThe implications of changing hormonal contraceptive use after relationship formation
French, J. E., & Meltzer, A. L. (2020) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.04.003 · Cited by 19
Love is a physiological motivation (like hunger, thirst, sleep or sex)
Burunat, E. (2019) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2019.05.011 · Cited by 25
“For example, recent work shows that the use of the hormonal contraceptive pill (HC) has a devastating effect on the experience of affection triggered by intranasal oxytocin (OXT) in women when they see their partner’s face [294].”
BackgroundHormonal contraceptives as disruptors of competitive behavior: Theoretical framing and review
Arthur, L. C., Casto, K. V., & Blake, K. R. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101015 · Cited by 20
Song, J. Y., Patton, C. D., Friedman, R., Mahajan, L. S., Nordlicht, R., Sayed, R., & Lipton, M. L. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101051 · Cited by 23
Zheng, X., Xu, X., Xu, L., Kou, J., Luo, L., Ma, X., & Kendrick, K. M. (2021) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881121991576 · Cited by 17
“Furthermore, intranasal OXT both enhances responses to viewing pictures of romantic partners (Scheele et al., 2013, 2015) and reduces those in medial prefrontal cortex when judging attributes of self and others (Zhao et al., 2016).”
BackgroundSchuh‐Hofer, S., Eichhorn, N., Grinevich, V., & Treede, R. (2018) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00161 · Cited by 16
Zheng, X., & Kendrick, K. M. (2021) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.652473 · Cited by 17
Lower affective empathy in oral contraceptive users: a cross-sectional fMRI study
Kimmig, A.-C. S., Wildgruber, D., Gärtner, A., Drotleff, B., Krylova, M., Lämmerhofer, M., Poromaa, I. S., & Derntl, B. (2022) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhac345 · Cited by 14
Coenjaerts, M., Trimborn, I., Adrovic, B., Stoffel‐Wagner, B., Cahill, L. F., Philipsen, A., Hurlemann, R., & Scheele, D. (2022) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119689 · Cited by 17
“27 contributed to the modulatory effects of hormonal contraception (Scheele et al., 2016) and to the sex-specific effects of OXTint that have been found in various domains, including fear-related amygdala reactivity (Lieberz et al.”
BackgroundSelf-citationThe effect of intranasal oxytocin on social reward processing in humans: a systematic review
Kraus, J., Výborová, E., & Silani, G. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244027 · Cited by 16
“A significant effect of oxytocin was found in eight out of 12 studies using simple social stimuli (54, 63, 67, 69, 71, 73), where only once the effect was related to reward anticipation (63).”
InfluentialEye-Tracking Reveals a Role of Oxytocin in Attention Allocation Towards Familiar Faces
Marsh, N., Scheele, D., Postin, D., Onken, M., & Hurlemann, R. (2021) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2021.629760 · Cited by 12
Self-citationNeural Representations of the Committed Romantic Partner in the Nucleus Accumbens
Ueda, R., & Abe, N. (2021) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/09567976211021854 · Cited by 12
Lan, C., Chen, Y., Zhang, Y., Kou, J., Huang, L., Xu, T., Yang, X., Xu, D., Yang, W., Kendrick, K. M., et al. (2023) · Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1159/000531064 · Cited by 12
Borland, J. M. (2025) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101175 · Cited by 13
Liu, X., Cui, D., Li, D., Jiao, R., Wang, X., Jia, S., Hou, D., Li, T., Liu, H., Wang, P., et al. (2017) · Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fncel.2017.00327 · Cited by 12
“Moreover, sex-associated dopaminergic rewarding system is worth exploring because the SP is associated with brain rewarding system including the ventral tegmental area (Song et al., 2016) and the nucleus accumbens (Scheele et al., 2016) in addition to the central amygdala (Beery and Zucker, 2010).”
BackgroundDaniëls, N., Prinsen, J., Soriano, J. R., & Alaerts, K. (2020) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.08.004 · Cited by 11
Oxytocin modulates human chemosensory decoding of sex in a dose-dependent manner
Chen, K.-P., Ye, Y.-T., Troje, N., & Zhou, W. (2021) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.59376 · Cited by 12
Novick, A. M., Johnson, R. L., Lazorwitz, A. M., Belyavskaya, A., Berkowitz, L. N., Norton, A., Sammel, M. D., & Epperson, C. N. (2022) · The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care · doi:10.1080/13625187.2022.2030702 · Cited by 11
“This group, which is approximately 40% of individuals [37], could potentially represent a population vulnerable to HC-induced side effects related to central reward function.”
BackgroundResultOxytocin drives prosocial biases in favor of attractive people
Hurlemann, R., Scheele, D., Maier, W., & Schultz, J. (2017) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x16000510 · Cited by 7
Self-citationYang, Y., Wang, C., Shi, J., & Zou, Z. (2024) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.109003 · Cited by 6
Viana, R. B., Morais, N. S., Costa, T. G., do Amaral, L. C., da Silva, W. F., Santos, D. D. A. T., & de Lira, C. A. B. (2021) · Research Society and Development · doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i16.24153 · Cited by 5
“Second, contraceptives are known to impact oxytocin, which is involved in social and emotional behavior (Scheele et al., 2016); however, almost all participants using contraceptives methods were taking monophasic contraceptives, which provide a fixed hormone dose per day.”
BackgroundDose-response effects of exogenous oxytocin on social cognition: A systematic review
Barton, S., Pruin, A., Schulze, J., Kiebs, M., Scheele, D., & Hurlemann, R. (2025) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106350 · Cited by 6
Self-citationOxytocin Reduces the Attractiveness of Silver-Tongued Men for Women During Mid-Cycle
Gao, Z., Ma, X., Zhou, X., Xin, F., Gao, S., Kou, J., Becker, B., & Kendrick, K. M. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.760695 · Cited by 4
No Differences in Value-Based Decision-Making Due to Use of Oral Contraceptives
Lewis, C. A., Kimmig, A.-C. S., Kroemer, N. B., Pooseh, S., Smolka, M. N., Sacher, J., & Derntl, B. (2022) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2022.817825 · Cited by 4
“(32) reported enhanced attractiveness ratings of the partner’s face together with increased BOLD responses in nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area in naturally cycling women after oxytocin administration, but not in OC-users.”
BackgroundScoping Review: Dampak Penggunaan Kontrasepsi Hormonal Memengaruhi Disfungsi Seksual Pada Wanita
Yendena, N., Anwar, M., Kartini, F., & Astuti, A. W. (2023) · Jurnal Kesehatan · doi:10.26630/jk.v14i1.3550 · Cited by 5
“Hormonal Contraceptives (HCs) bertanggung jawab atas penurunan kadar androgen yang bersirkulasi, serta penurunan kadar serum estradiol dan progesteron dan penghambatan fungsi oksitosin.”
BackgroundInfluentialIntrinsic, dynamic and effective connectivity among large-scale brain networks modulated by oxytocinPreprint
Jiang, X., Ma, X., Geng, Y., et al. (2020) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2020.04.22.055038 · Cited by 4
Berger, R., Hurlemann, R., Shamay‐Tsoory, S., et al. (2023) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2023.10.30.23297746 · Cited by 4
Self-citationSippel, L. M., Wachsman, T. R., Kelley, M. E., Knopp, K. C., Khalifian, C. E., Maglione, J. E., Glynn, S. M., Macdonald, A., Monson, C. M., Flanagan, J. C., et al. (2024) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2024.107534 · Cited by 4
Novick, A. M., Stoddard, J., Johnson, R. L., Duffy, K. A., Berkowitz, L. N., Costa, V. D., Sammel, M. D., & Epperson, C. N. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279764 · Cited by 4
“Previous studies on HC and reward have mainly focused on oral HC [18,19,21,21,47], which might be more potent at influencing sexual reward processes compared to HC formulations with less systemic effects such as IUDs [3,4].”
BackgroundInfluentialvon Au, S., Marsh, N., Jeske, V., Hurlemann, R., & Lausberg, H. (2025) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115061 · Cited by 4
“Further, different oxytocin concentrations in women are depending on their use of hormonal contraceptives (Scheele et al., 2016; Schneider et al., 2021).”
Self-citationLee, M., & Rilling, J. K. (2025) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106457 · Cited by 3
Fujisaki, K., Ueda, R., Nakai, R., & Abe, N. (2025) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsaf127 · Cited by 1
Hormonal Contraception and Violent Death: The Physiological and Psychological Links
Lanfranchi, A. (2021) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2021.667563 · Cited by 1
Numan, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0008 · Cited by 2
Hormonal Control of Maternal Behavior in Nonhuman Mammals
Numan, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0003 · Cited by 2
Sex- and Context-dependent Effects of Oxytocin on Social Reward ProcessingPreprint
Ma, X.-L., Zhao, W.-H., Luo, R., Zhou, F., Geng, Y., Xu, L., Gao, Z., Zheng, X.-X., Becker, B., & Kendrick, K. (2018) · bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/274027 · Cited by 1
“On the other hand, OXT produces sex-independent increased responses in brain reward regions, the nucleus accumbens, putamen or ventral tegmental area, in different studies in men and women in the context of romantic bonds when subjects view the face of their partner (Scheele et al., 2016; Scheele et al., 2013), or whe…”
BackgroundInfluentialCoenjaerts, M., Trimborn, I., Adrovic, B., Stoffel‐Wagner, B., Cahill, L. F., Philipsen, A., Hurlemann, R., & Scheele, D. (2021) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2021.11.22.469500 · Cited by 2
“Interestingly, ESTtra*OXTint interactions may have contributed to the modulatory effects of hormonal contraception([66]) and to the sex-specific effects of OXTint that have been found in various domains, including fear-related amygdala reactivity([35]), the perception of competition,([67]) moral decision-making,([30])…”
BackgroundSelf-citationThe interplay of oxytocin and sex hormonesPreprint
Quintana, D. S., Glaser, B. D., Kang, H., et al. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/9eh28 · Cited by 2
Numan, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0002 · Cited by 1
Gassen, J., Mengelkoch, S., Shanmugam, D., Pearson, J. T., van Lamsweerde, A., Benhar, E., & Hill, S. E. (2024) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105546 · Cited by 1
“…sexual side effects (Boozalis et al., 2016), which can include changes to women's sexual desire, sexual functioning, attraction, and pair-bonding behaviors (Boozalis et al., 2016; Casado-Espada et al., 2019; Montoya and Bos, 2017; Roberts et al., 2012; Scheele et al., 2016; Stanton et al., 2011).”
InfluentialPrince, I. (2025) · Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A · doi:10.1016/j.shpsa.2025.102080 · Cited by 1
Oxytocin shapes the priorities and neural representations of attitudes and values
Hurlemann, R., Marsh, N., Schultz, J., & Scheele, D. (2017) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x16000807 · Cited by 1
Self-citationEffects of combined oral contraceptives on female sexuality: continuing the conversation
Gabidullina, R. I., Galimyanova, E. I., & Salakhova, R. R. (2021) · Russian Journal of Human Reproduction · doi:10.17116/repro20212705154 · Cited by 1
Mueller, C., Spindler, M., Caspers, S., & Hurlemann, R. (2021) · Masterclass in neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86630-3_2 · Cited by 1
Self-citationNuman, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0001 · Cited by 1
Central Neural Circuits Regulating Maternal Behavior in Nonhuman Mammals
Numan, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0005 · Cited by 1
Alloparental Behavior and Paternal Behavior in Nonhuman Mammals
Numan, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0007 · Cited by 1
Meier, I. M., Montoya, E. R., Spencer, H., Orellana, S. C., van Buuren, M., van Honk, J., & Bos, P. A. (2022) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.22349
“A study investigating the effects of oxytocin on social reward cues found that OXT-induced reward responses in the VTA and ventral striatum were suppressed in OCusers compared to naturally cyclingwomen (Scheele et al., 2016).”
BackgroundHappy with the method? : Sexual function changes in young women using contraception
Malmborg, A. (2019) · Linköping University medical dissertations · doi:10.3384/diss.diva-161653
“Oxytocin has several functions in pair-bonding and sexual function.(51) On the other hand, some studies report no adverse sexual function effects or even an increased sexual satisfaction and increased intercourse frequencies with progestin use, especially with third and fourth generation COCs and low systemic dose met…”
BackgroundMartins, D., Leslie, M. R., Rodan, S., et al. (2020) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2020.01.26.920090
An Examination of the Interaction Between Hormonal Contraceptive Use, Behaviour, and Psychology
Irvine, T. B. (2019) · ERA: Education and Research Archive (University of Alberta) · doi:10.7939/r3-ka8p-dt36
Evolutionary Perspectives on the Parental Brain
Numan, M. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0011
Metadata
- Authors
- Scheele, D., Plota, J., Stoffel-Wagner, B., Maier, W., & Hurlemann, R.
- Affiliations
- Department of Psychiatry and
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany, and
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
- Venue
- Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2015-12-31
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 767-774
- ISSN
- 1749-5016 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-5024
- PMC
- PMC4847696
- OpenAlex
- W2212451622
- Cited by
- 116
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 4.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- DZNE Pub (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Funders
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Keywords
- oxytocin, hormonal contraception, brain reward system, partner attractiveness, mate preferences, pair bonding, nucleus accumbens, sex steroids, sexual satisfaction, women
- MeSH terms
- Facial Recognition, Adult, Brain, Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nucleus Accumbens, Oxytocin, Reward, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, Young Adult
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