Oxytocin and vasopressin: Social neuropeptides with complex neuromodulatory functions

Abstract

Oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are 2 closely related neuropeptides, widely known for their peripheral hormonal effects. However, OXT, AVP, and their receptors are also expressed in several areas of the CNS and exert widespread neuromodulatory effects on homeostasis and behavior. OXT and AVP have been referred to as “social” neuropeptides as they have a highly conserved role as mediators of complex social cognition and interaction in both animals and humans. Whereas both OXT and AVP promote social recognition, OXT also exerts anxiolytic and antidepressant effects whereas AVP promotes anxiety and stress response. Therefore, these neuropeptides may have a role in psychiatric or neurologic disorders characterized by impaired social behavior and provide potential therapeutic targets in these conditions. AVP and OXT may also exert important influences in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, circadian rhythms, autonomic responses, antinociception, and motoneuron excitability. The central neuromodulatory role of OXT and AVP and their roles in homeostasis, cognition, and social behavior have been reviewed recently.1−7 AD= : Alzheimer disease; AVP= : arginine vasopressin; bvFTD= : behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia; FTLD= : frontotemporal lobar degeneration; cAMP= : cyclic adenosine monophosphate; CeA= : central nucleus of the amygdala; CeL= : lateral part of the central nucleus of the amygdala; CeM= : medial part of the central nucleus of the amygdala; CRH= : corticotrophin-releasing hormone; ER= : estrogen receptor; GABA= : γ-aminobutyric acid; OXT= : oxytocin; PLCβ= : phospholipase-Cβ; PVN= : paraventricular nucleus; SON= : supraoptic nucleus