Oxytocin Modulates Neural Circuitry for Social Cognition and Fear in Humans
Open accessAbstract
In non-human mammals, the neuropeptide oxytocin is a key mediator of complex emotional and social behaviors, including attachment, social recognition, and aggression. Oxytocin reduces anxiety and impacts on fear conditioning and extinction. Recently, oxytocin administration in humans was shown to increase trust, suggesting involvement of the amygdala, a central component of the neurocircuitry of fear and social cognition that has been linked to trust and highly expresses oxytocin receptors in many mammals. However, no human data on the effects of this peptide on brain function were available. Here, we show that human amygdala function is strongly modulated by oxytocin. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to image amygdala activation by fear-inducing visual stimuli in 15 healthy males after double-blind crossover intranasal application of placebo or oxytocin. Compared with placebo, oxytocin potently reduced activation of the amygdala and reduced coupling of the amygdala to brainstem regions implicated in autonomic and behavioral manifestations of fear. Our results indicate a neural mechanism for the effects of oxytocin in social cognition in the human brain and provide a methodology and rationale for exploring therapeutic strategies in disorders in which abnormal amygdala function has been implicated, such as social phobia or autism.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Neuroimaging studies in humans have largely substantiated the view that human attachment relies on conserved hormonal machinery.
“Neuroimaging studies in humans have largely substantiated this view.”
From Could intranasal oxytocin be used to enhance relationships? Research imperatives, clinical policy, and ethical considerations (2013) · cites this paper as [41]
The Introduction (page unavailable) describes oxytocin as evolutionarily preserved and important for prosocial behavior across species. The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that oxytocin affects human brain circuitry involved in social processing, but the study tested responses to fearful stimuli, not attachment. It therefore supports a conserved hormonal role in social cognition without directly establishing that human attachment relies on it. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOT's effects in the olfactory bulb on social recognition are mediated by norepinephrine.
“It is known, however, that OTs effects in the olfactory bulb on social recognition are mediated by norepinephrine [75, 76].”
From Oxytocin and the Neural Mechanisms Regulating Social Cognition and Affiliative Behavior (2009) · cites this paper as [76]
The Introduction (page unavailable) links oxytocin to social recognition, citing restoration of recognition in mice after injection into the medial amygdala. It does not say that oxytocin acts in the olfactory bulb or that norepinephrine mediates the effect; searches for those mechanisms found no supporting passage. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOxytocin is involved in counteracting fear.
“as well as in counteracting fear (Kirsch et al. 2005)”
From Natural Selection, Childrearing, and the Ethics of Marriage (and Divorce): Building a Case for the Neuroenhancement of Human Relationships (2012) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al. 2005
Administration of oxytocin correlated with a decrease of amygdala activity following exposure to interpersonally threatening visual stimuli (angry or afraid faces).
“Administration of oxytocin, a hormone associated with social bonding, correlated with a decrease of amygdala activity following exposure to interpersonally threatening visual stimuli (angry or afraid faces; Charuvastra & Cloitre, 2008; Kirsch et al., 2005).”
From Sudanese Refugees in Cairo, Egypt: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Trauma, Depression and Interpersonal Violence: (517292011-807) (2009) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Mothers who observe photographs of their own infants compared against matched controls show heightened activation in brain areas rich in oxytocin, vasopressin, and dopamine neuroreceptors.
“Mothers who observe photographs of their own infants compared against matched controls show heightened activation in brain areas rich in oxytocin, vasopressin, and dopamine neuroreceptors [41, 42].”
From Could intranasal oxytocin be used to enhance relationships? Research imperatives, clinical policy, and ethical considerations (2013) · cites this paper as [41]
The Subjects section describes male participants who viewed threatening faces and scenes after receiving oxytocin or placebo, not mothers viewing photographs of their infants. The Results report reduced amygdala activation under oxytocin; no passage found in our copy addresses the claimed maternal response or the three receptor-rich brain areas (searched: infant photographs, mother, dopamine). (LLM, conf=0.77)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
A dampened neural response to social threat leads to greater sociability.
“Together, these previous findings suggest that dampened neural response to social threat leads to greater sociability.”
From Effects of MDMA on sociability and neural response to social threat and social reward (2009) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al. 2005
Oxytocin administration lowers amygdala activation in response to threatening social stimuli.
“OT administration also reduces amygdala activation in response to threatening social stimuli (Kirsch et al. 2005)”
From Effects of MDMA on sociability and neural response to social threat and social reward (2009) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al. 2005
Neuroimaging evidence indicates that administering oxytocin inhibits amygdala activation.
“neuroimaging evidence suggests that the administration of OXT inhibits amygdala activation (Domes et al., 2007b;Kirsch et al., 2005;Singer et al., 2008)”
From Oxytocin increases attention to the eyes and selectively enhances self-reported affective empathy for fear (2017) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Oxytocin lowers amygdala activity in response to fear in men but raises amygdala activity to similar stimuli in women.
“while it has been demonstrated that OXT decreases amygdala activity in response to fear in men (Kirsch et al., 2005), it appears to increase amygdala activity to similar stimuli in women (Domes et al., 2010).”
From Oxytocin increases attention to the eyes and selectively enhances self-reported affective empathy for fear (2017) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Separate oxytocin-application studies in humans indicate that there may be differential amygdala reactivity to fearful faces and fearful/threatening scenes in men and women.
“separate OXT-application studies in humans have indicated that there may be differential amygdala reactivity to fearful faces and fearful/threatening scenes in men (14, 15) and women (16, 17).”
From Oxytocin, the peptide that bonds the sexes also divides them (2016) · cites this paper as [15]
Previous studies indicate that oxytocin may induce sex-dependent changes in amygdala activation to emotional stimuli, but in opposite directions to the present findings.
“Previous studies on amygdala responses to fearful faces and fearful/threatening scenes (14 -17, 30) and social risk (31) have also indicated that OXT may induce sex-dependent changes in amygdala activation to emotional stimuli.”
From Oxytocin, the peptide that bonds the sexes also divides them (2016) · cites this paper as [15]
Oxytocin reduces social anxiety by attenuating the amygdala response to fearful social signals.
“On the other hand, there are several reports that OT reduces social anxiety by attenuating the amygdala response to fearful social signals (Kirsch et al., 2005;Baumgartner et al., 2008).”
From The effect of oxytocin on cooperation in a prisoner's dilemma depends on the social context and a person's social value orientation (2014) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Intranasal administration of OT decreases amygdala activation to fearful faces.
“decrease amygdala activation to fearful faces (21–23)”
From Oxytocin and the development of parenting in humans (2010) · cites this paper as [22]
Intranasal oxytocin administration in fragile X syndrome may work mechanistically by dampening amygdala reactivity toward socially threatening and anxiety-provoking stimuli, decreasing HPA axis activation, and increasing social motivation.
“Intranasal OT administration in FXS may work mechanistically by dampening amygdala reactivity toward socially threatening and anxiety-provoking stimuli (Kirsch et al., 2005; Petrovic et al., 2008), decreasing HPA axis activation, and increasing social motivation (Witt et al., 1992).”
From Effects of intranasal oxytocin on social anxiety in males with fragile X syndrome (2012) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Effects of intranasal oxytocin have been demonstrated with functional neuroimaging.
“Effects of intranasal OT have also been demonstrated with functional neuroimaging (Kirsch et al., 2005)”
From Effects of intranasal oxytocin on social anxiety in males with fragile X syndrome (2012) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
The hypothesis that central OTR activation modulates correlated activity across distributed brain networks is consistent with continually emerging data from experiments in primates.
“The hypothesis that central OTR activation modulates correlated activity across distributed brain networks is consistent with continually emerging data from experiments in primates.”
From Oxytocin receptors modulate a social salience neural network in male prairie voles (2017) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Intranasal OT administration modulates correlated fluctuations in BOLD responses across limbic, striatal, cortical, and/or brainstem nuclei during a variety of social contexts in rhesus macaques and humans.
“For example, fMRI experiments in both rhesus macaques and humans have found that intranasal OT administration modulates correlated fluctuations in BOLD responses across limbic, striatal, cortical, and/or brainstem nuclei during a variety of social contexts (Bethlehem et al., 2013; Gorka et al., 2015; Kirsch et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2015; Riem et al., 2012; Rilling et al., 2012).”
From Oxytocin receptors modulate a social salience neural network in male prairie voles (2017) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
In healthy volunteers, intranasal OXT administration dampens amygdala reactivity to threatening facial expressions and naturalistic social interactions.
“Consistent with this evidence, functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) studies with healthy volunteers have shown that intranasal OXT administration dampens amygdala reactivity to threatening facial expressions (Domes et al, 2007;Kirsch et al, 2005), and naturalistic social interactions (Baumgartner et al, 2008).”
From Oxytocin modulation of amygdala functional connectivity to fearful faces in generalized social anxiety disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al, 2005
OXT reduced functional coupling between the amygdala and the brainstem.
“Meanwhile, Kirsch et al (2005) found that OXT reduced functional coupling between the amygdala and the brainstem.”
From Oxytocin modulation of amygdala functional connectivity to fearful faces in generalized social anxiety disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al, 2005
The fMRI scan began 45 min after inhalation of OXT or PBO, consistent with prior OXT administration studies and the expected timing of OXT's physiological effects.
“The fMRI scan began 45 min post inhalation of OXT or PBO, and lasted for 30 min.This time frame is consistent with prior OXT administration studies and coincides with the expected timing of OXT's physiological effects (eg, Domes et al, 2007;Kirsch et al, 2005).”
From Oxytocin modulation of amygdala functional connectivity to fearful faces in generalized social anxiety disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al, 2005
The EFMT task has been used in previous pharmaco-fMRI studies to probe drug effects on amygdala activation and amygdala functional connectivity.
“The EFMT task has previously been described in detail elsewhere (Labuschagne et al, 2010), and has been used in previous pharmaco-fMRI studies to probe drug effects on amygdala activation (Kirsch et al, 2005;Paulus et al, 2005;Phan et al, 2008;Labuschagne et al, 2010) and amygdala functional connectivity (Gorka et al, 2013).”
From Oxytocin modulation of amygdala functional connectivity to fearful faces in generalized social anxiety disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al, 2005
Intranasal OT reduces amygdala reactivity in men.
“Intranasal OT reduces amygdala reactivity in men (5, 7)”
From Oxytocin receptors in the anteromedial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis promote stress-induced social avoidance in female California mice (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
Neuroimaging studies demonstrate that intranasal administration of oxytocin attenuates amygdala activation following stressful and fearful stimuli.
“In agreement, neuroimaging studies demonstrate that intranasal administration of oxytocin attenuates amygdala activation following stressful and fearful stimuli (Baumgartner et al., 2008; Domes et al., 2007; Kirsch et al., 2005; Labuschagne et al., 2010).”
From Effect of oxytocin on craving and stress response in marijuana-dependent individuals: A pilot study (2013) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
The insula and amygdala seem to be key target regions in the brain, with oxytocin modulating amygdala responsiveness to emotional faces or social stimuli in general.
“In this context, the insula17 as well as the amygdala seem to be key target regions in the brain, with oxytocin modulating amygdala responsiveness to emotional faces18–22 or social stimuli in general23.”
From Randomized clinical trial shows no substantial modulation of empathy-related neural activation by intranasal oxytocin in autism (2021) · cites this paper as [20]
Studies examining neural responses to aversive stimuli in men without an ASD diagnosis have repeatedly demonstrated decreased amygdala activation, interpreted as a neural mechanism underlying oxytocin's anxiolytic effects.
“These studies have repeatedly demonstrated decreased amygdala activation, which has been interpreted as a neural mechanism underlying oxytocin’s anxiolytic effects18,20,21.”
From Randomized clinical trial shows no substantial modulation of empathy-related neural activation by intranasal oxytocin in autism (2021) · cites this paper as [20]
OT administration decreases amygdala activation to fearful faces in healthy and anxious humans.
“This is also agreement with decreasing amygdala activation to fearful faces in healthy (45), as well as anxious (46), humans with OT administration.”
From Neuroendocrinology of Parental Response to Baby‐Cry (2011) · cites this paper as [45]
IN-OT reduces BOLD activity of the amygdala region in response to faces.
“This reduction in anxiety and fear is in line with an increasing body of evidence showing that IN-OT reduces the BOLD activity of the amygdala region in response to faces (Domes et al. 2007a; Kanat et al. 2015a, b; Kirsch et al. 2005).”
From A precision medicine approach to oxytocin trials (2017) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al. 2005
Intranasal oxytocin administration decreased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the brainstem during exposure to fearful social faces.
“More specific, intranasal oxytocin administration decreased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the brainstem during exposure to fearful social faces (Kirsch et al., 2005).”
From Oxytocin effects on complex brain networks are moderated by experiences of maternal love withdrawal (2013) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
A pragmatic approach guided by prior fMRI OT research was taken for sample size determination.
“A pragmatic approach guided by prior fMRI OT research (Domes et al., 2007(Domes et al., , 2010;;Kirsch et al., 2005;Lischke et al., 2012) was taken for sample size determination reflecting the phase 1 status of OT administration using the Breath Powered device and the complex nature of the study design.”
From Low dose intranasal oxytocin delivered with Breath Powered device dampens amygdala response to emotional stimuli: A peripheral effect-controlled within-subjects randomized dose-response fMRI trial (2016) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
In humans, oxytocin can alleviate social stress by lowering salivary cortisol levels, increasing parasympathetic control of the heart, and attenuating amygdala activation in response to seeing faces.
“In humans, OT is mostly known for its functions in childbirth and breastfeeding, but it can also alleviate social stress, for example, by lowering salivary cortisol levels 4 , increasing parasympathetic control of the heart 5 , and attenuating amygdala activation in response to seeing faces 6,7 .”
From A registered replication study on oxytocin and trust (2020) · cites this paper as [6]
Oxytocin modulates neural circuitry for social cognition in humans.
“modulates neural circuitry for social cognition in humans,15”
Oxytocin administration may modulate glucocorticoid and autonomic stress reactivity, dampen anxiety and neural threat processing, and beneficially impact socioemotional processes and prosocial behavior.
“Accumulating evidence from studies in animals and in healthy and psychiatric human populations shows that oxytocin administration may modulate glucocorticoid (16) and autonomic stress reactivity (17), dampen anxiety and neural threat processing (18,19), and beneficially impact socioemotional processes and prosocial behavior (20,21) [but see also (22,23) for seemingly nonprosocial effects].”
From Intranasal Oxytocin to Prevent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Emergency Department Patients (2017) · cites this paper as [18]
Intranasal oxytocin dampens the central fear response by lowering amygdala activity and potentially enhancing fear regulation by increasing top-down control of the prefrontal cortex over the amygdala.
“In addition, intranasal oxytocin also dampened the central fear response by lowering amygdala activity [44-46] and potentially enhancing fear regulation by increasing top-down control of the prefrontal cortex over the amygdala [47].”
From Efficacy of oxytocin administration early after psychotrauma in preventing the development of PTSD: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (2014) · cites this paper as [45]
Inhaling OT reduces BOLD activation in the amygdala when viewing or associating aversive social stimuli, during trust formation, in response to pain, and in response to infant crying.
“Human functional neuroimaging studies have shown that inhaling OT reduces BOLD (blood-oxygen-level dependent) activation in the amygdala when viewing or associating aversive social stimuli (Kirsch, 2005; Petrovic et al., 2008), during trust formation (Baumgartner et al., 2008), in response to pain (Singer et al., 2008), and in response to infant crying (Riem et al., 2011).”
From Oxytocin and social cognition in rhesus macaques: Implications for understanding and treating human psychopathology (2014) · cites this paper as Kirsch, 2005
Neuroimaging studies reveal differential activation in amygdala regions following OT administration during social compared with non-social tasks, and enhanced EEG mu/alpha and beta suppression in response to biological vs non-biological motion following OT administration.
“Some of these studies reveal differential activation in amygdala regions following OT administration while participating in social compared with non-social tasks (Kirsch et al., 2005;Domes et al., 2007), and others reveal enhanced Electroencephalography mu/alpha and beta suppression in response to biological vs non-biological motion following OT administration (Perry et al., 2010).”
From OT promotes closer interpersonal distance among highly empathic individuals (2015) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
OT administration dampened amygdala reactivity toward emotional stimuli in healthy males, males with GSAD, and females with BPD, although findings for females have been mixed.
“In addition, functional MRI (fMRI) studies have shown that OT administration dampened amygdala reactivity toward emotional stimuli in healthy males (Kirsch et al, 2005), males with generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD; Labuschagne et al, 2010) and females with borderline personality disorder (BPD; Bertsch et al, 2013), although findings for females have been mixed (Domes et al, 2010).”
From Intranasal oxytocin administration dampens amygdala reactivity towards emotional faces in male and female PTSD patients (2016) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al, 2005
OT exerts a more pronounced effect on amygdala deactivation while viewing faces vs. non-social scenes.
“to exert a more pronounced effect on amygdala deactivation while viewing faces vs. non-social scenes [16]”
From A direct examination of the effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin on approach-avoidance motor responses to emotional stimuli (2013) · cites this paper as [16]
OT dampens amygdala activation in response to fear-inducing stimuli.
“possibly through dampening amygdala activation in response to fear-inducing stimuli [16], [17]”
From A direct examination of the effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin on approach-avoidance motor responses to emotional stimuli (2013) · cites this paper as [16]
Amygdala activity tends to be reduced by OT administration upon exposure to threatening stimuli.
“its activity here tends to be reduced by OT administration upon exposure to threatening stimuli [18], [16], [17].”
From A direct examination of the effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin on approach-avoidance motor responses to emotional stimuli (2013) · cites this paper as [16]
Previous published OT studies have also compared images of landscapes to faces.
“Indeed, previous published OT studies have also compared images of landscapes to faces [16], [34].”
From A direct examination of the effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin on approach-avoidance motor responses to emotional stimuli (2013) · cites this paper as [16]
Oxytocin had no effect on mood.
“Consistent with most previous studies, we found no effects of oxytocin on mood (Di Simplicio et al., 2009, Fischer-Shofty et al., 2010, Kirsch et al., 2005, Marsh et al., 2010).”
From Oxytocin decreases aversion to angry faces in an associative learning task (2010) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
OT has an anxiolytic action via inhibiting amygdala responses to threatening stimuli.
“the anxiolytic action of OT via inhibiting amygdala responses to threatening stimuli (Kirsch et al., 2005; Petrovic et al., 2008)”
From Oxytocin facilitates approach behavior to positive social stimuli via decreasing anterior insula activity (2018) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
The finding that OT decreased amygdala activity during avoidance of negative stimuli is in line with the anxiolytic action of OT via inhibiting amygdala responses to threatening stimuli.
“This finding is in line with the anxiolytic action of OT via inhibiting amygdala responses to threatening stimuli (Kirsch et al., 2005; Petrovic et al., 2008).”
From Oxytocin facilitates approach behavior to positive social stimuli via decreasing anterior insula activity (2018) · cites this paper as Kirsch et al., 2005
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Measuring emotion: The self-assessment manikin and the semantic differential
Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1994) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/0005-7916(94)90063-9 · Cited by 9,538 · see citing works
LeDoux, J. E. (2000) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.155 · Cited by 8,444 · see citing works
Oxytocin increases trust in humans
Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. J., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03701 · Cited by 3,690 · see citing works
Whalen, P. J., Rauch, S. L., Etcoff, N. L., McInerney, S. C., Lee, M. B., & Jenike, M. A. (1998) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.18-01-00411.1998 · Cited by 2,205 · see citing works
Functional Connectivity: The Principal-Component Analysis of Large (PET) Data Sets
Friston, K. J., Frith, C., Liddle, P., & Frackowiak, R. (1993) · Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · doi:10.1038/jcbfm.1993.4 · Cited by 2,094 · see citing works
Heinrichs, M., Baumgartner, T., Kirschbaum, C., & Ehlert, U. (2003) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00465-7 · Cited by 2,091 · see citing works
Pezawas, L., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Drabant, E. M., Verchinski, B. A., Munoz, K. E., Kolachana, B. S., Egan, M. F., Mattay, V. S., Hariri, A. R., & Weinberger, D. R. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1463 · Cited by 1,980 · see citing works
Self-citationPhelps, E. A., Delgado, M. R., Nearing, K. I., & LeDoux, J. E. (2004) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2004.08.042 · Cited by 1,753 · see citing works
Cognitive neuroscience of human social behaviour
Adolphs, R. (2003) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1056 · Cited by 1,657 · see citing works
LeDoux, J., Iwata, J., Cicchetti, P., & Reis, D. (1988) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.08-07-02517.1988 · Cited by 1,580 · see citing works
Gaze fixation and the neural circuitry of face processing in autism
Dalton, K. M., Nacewicz, B. M., Johnstone, T., Schaefer, H. S., Gernsbacher, M. A., Goldsmith, H. H., Alexander, A. L., & Davidson, R. J. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1421 · Cited by 1,543 · see citing works
Sniffing neuropeptides: A transnasal approach to the human brain
Born, J., Lange, T., Kern, W., McGregor, G. P., Bickel, U., & Fehm, H. L. (2002) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn0602-849 · Cited by 1,356 · see citing works
A mechanism for impaired fear recognition after amygdala damage
Adolphs, R., Gosselin, F., Buchanan, T. W., Tranel, D., Schyns, P., & Damasio, A. R. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03086 · Cited by 1,331 · cited 2× · see citing works
“…activate the amygdala (Whalen et al., 1998), and lesions of the amygdala impair recognition of fearful faces and lead to social disinhibition (Adolphs et al., 2005) Decreased amygdala activation has been linked to genetic hypersociability (MeyerLindenberg et al., 2005) and increased…”
BackgroundThe human amygdala in social judgment
Adolphs, R., Tranel, D., & Damasio, A. R. (1998) · Nature · doi:10.1038/30982 · Cited by 1,125 · see citing works
Oxytocin in the Medial Amygdala is Essential for Social Recognition in the Mouse
Ferguson, J. N., Aldag, J. M., Insel, T. R., & Young, L. J. (2001) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.21-20-08278.2001 · Cited by 1,043 · see citing works
Automatic and intentional brain responses during evaluation of trustworthiness of faces
Winston, J. S., Strange, B. A., O'Doherty, J., & Dolan, R. J. (2002) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn816 · Cited by 993 · see citing works
The Amygdala Response to Emotional Stimuli: A Comparison of Faces and Scenes
Hariri, A. R., Tessitore, A., Mattay, V. S., Fera, F., & Weinberger, D. R. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1179 · Cited by 984 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Human Amygdala in Social Judgment
Adolphs, R., Tranel, D., & Damásio, A. R. (2002) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/3077.003.0027 · Cited by 882 · see citing works
Vasopressin and Oxytocin Excite Distinct Neuronal Populations in the Central Amygdala
Huber, D., Veinante, P., & Stoop, R. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1105636 · Cited by 804 · see citing works
Kiehl, K. A., Smith, A., Hare, R. D., Mendrek, A., Forster, B. B., Brink, J., & Liddle, P. F. (2001) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(01)01222-7 · Cited by 767 · see citing works
Increased Amygdala Activation to Angry and Contemptuous Faces in Generalized Social Phobia
Stein, M. B., Goldin, P. R., Sareen, J., Zorrilla, L. T. E., & Brown, G. G. (2002) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.59.11.1027 · Cited by 582 · see citing works
HOW THE BRAIN PROCESSES SOCIAL INFORMATION: Searching for the Social Brain
Insel, T. R., & Fernald, R. D. (2004) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144148 · Cited by 556 · see citing works
Neurobiological basis of psychopathy
Blair, J. (2003) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.182.1.5 · Cited by 498 · see citing works
State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory
Spielberger, C. D. (1988) · PsycTESTS Dataset · doi:10.1037/t29496-000 · Cited by 446 · see citing works
Brain Oxytocin Correlates with Maternal Aggression: link to Anxiety
Bosch, O. J., Meddle, S. L., Beiderbeck, D. I., Douglas, A. J., & Neumann, I. D. (2005) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1342-05.2005 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Oxytocin and autistic disorder: alterations in peptide forms
Green, L., Fein, D., Modahl, C., Feinstein, C., Waterhouse, L., & Morris, M. (2001) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(01)01139-8 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Loup, F., Tribollet, E., Dubois-Dauphin, M., & Dreifuss, J. J. (1991) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/0006-8993(91)90345-v · Cited by 378 · see citing works
Neural correlates of genetically abnormal social cognition in Williams syndrome
Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Hariri, A. R., Munoz, K. E., Mervis, C. B., Mattay, V. S., Morris, C. A., & Berman, K. F. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1494 · Cited by 357 · see citing works
Self-citationAn Anxiolytic Action of Oxytocin is Enhanced by Estrogen in the Mouse
MCCARTHY, M. M., MCDONALD, C. H., BROOKS, P. J., & GOLDMAN, D. (1996) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0031-9384(96)00212-0 · Cited by 328 · see citing works
The amygdala, social behavior, and danger detection
AMARAL, D. G. (2003) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1196/annals.1280.015 · Cited by 293 · cited 3× · see citing works
“nal in social interaction (Amaral, 2003), both conscious and im-”
BackgroundResultIncreased social fear and decreased fear of objects in monkeys with neonatal amygdala lesions
Prather, M. D., Lavenex, P., Mauldin-Jourdain, M. L., Mason, W. A., Capitanio, J. P., Mendoza, S. P., & Amaral, D. G. (2001) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/s0306-4522(01)00445-6 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Neuroendocrine basis of social recognition
Winslow, J. T., & Insel, T. R. (2004) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.conb.2004.03.009 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Vasopressin and oxytocin: distribution and putative functions in the brain
Buijs, R. M., De Vries, G. J., Van Leeuwen, F. W., & Swaab, D. F. (1983) · Progress in Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)64379-4 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Vasopressin and Oxytocin in Stressa
Ježová, D., Škultétyová, I., Tokarev, D., Bakos, P., & Vigas, M. (1995) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1995.tb44681.x · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Ragnauth, A. K., Devidze, N., Moy, V., Finley, K., Goodwillie, A., Kow, L. ‐., Muglia, L. J., & Pfaff, D. W. (2005) · Genes, Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1111/j.1601-183x.2005.00118.x · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Stability of amygdala BOLD response to fearful faces over multiple scan sessions
Johnstone, T., Somerville, L. H., Alexander, A. L., Oakes, T. R., Davidson, R. J., Kalin, N. H., & Whalen, P. J. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.12.016 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Pitman, R. K., Orr, S. P., & Lasko, N. B. (1993) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/0165-1781(93)90035-f · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Winslow, J., & Insel, T. (1991) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.11-07-02032.1991 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Ибрагимов, Р. Ш. (1990) · Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology · doi:10.1007/bf01195453 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The link between childhood trauma and depression: insights from HPA axis studies in humans
Heim, C., Newport, D. J., Mletzko, T., Miller, A. H., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2008) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.03.008 · Cited by 1,704 · see citing works
Oxytocin and vasopressin in the human brain: social neuropeptides for translational medicine
Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Domes, G., Kirsch, P., & Heinrichs, M. (2011) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3044 · Cited by 1,688 · see citing works
Self-citationOxytocin, vasopressin, and the neurogenetics of sociality
Donaldson, Z. R., & Young, L. J. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1158668 · Cited by 1,645 · see citing works
Social effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter
Bartz, J. A., Zaki, J., Bolger, N., & Ochsner, K. N. (2011) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2011.05.002 · Cited by 1,572 · see citing works
Introducing compassion-focused therapy
Gilbert, P. (2009) · Advances in Psychiatric Treatment · doi:10.1192/apt.bp.107.005264 · Cited by 1,435 · see citing works
Oxytocin improves “mind-reading” in humans
Domes, G., Heinrichs, M., Michel, A., Berger, C., & Herpertz, S. C. (2007) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.07.015 · Cited by 1,298 · see citing works
Psychobiology and molecular genetics of resilience
Feder, A., Nestler, E. J., & Charney, D. S. (2009) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2649 · Cited by 1,272 · see citing works
Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans
Baumgartner, T., Heinrichs, M., Vonlanthen, A., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. (2008) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2008.04.009 · Cited by 1,258 · see citing works
Intranasal delivery to the central nervous system: Mechanisms and experimental considerations
Dhuria, S. V., Hanson, L. R., & Frey, W. H. (2010) · Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · doi:10.1002/jps.21924 · Cited by 1,239 · see citing works
Russo, S. J., Murrough, J. W., Han, M.-H., Charney, D. S., & Nestler, E. J. (2012) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn.3234 · Cited by 1,206 · see citing works
Stein, M. B., & Stein, D. J. (2008) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(08)60488-2 · Cited by 1,137 · see citing works
Insel, T. R. (2010) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.005 · Cited by 1,044 · see citing works
The oxytocin receptor: from intracellular signaling to behavior
Jurek, B., & Neumann, I. D. (2018) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00031.2017 · Cited by 999 · see citing works
Neurobiology of Aggression and Violence
Siever, L. J. (2008) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07111774 · Cited by 984 · see citing works
Neumann, I. D., & Landgraf, R. (2012) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2012.08.004 · Cited by 954 · see citing works
Dendritic peptide release and peptide-dependent behaviours
Ludwig, M., & Leng, G. (2006) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1845 · Cited by 945 · see citing works
Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.
Andari, E., Duhamel, J.-R., Zalla, T., Herbrecht, E., Leboyer, M., & Sirigu, A. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0910249107 · Cited by 941 · see citing works
The Social Salience Hypothesis of Oxytocin
Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., & Abu-Akel, A. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.020 · Cited by 904 · see citing works
“stimuli (faces) as compared to nonsocial scenes (49).”
Social Bonds and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Charuvastra, A., & Cloitre, M. (2008) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085650 · Cited by 911 · see citing works
Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H., & Kotrschal, K. (2012) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234 · Cited by 904 · see citing works
“It has also an anxiolytic effect (Uvnäs-Moberg et al., 1994; Neumann et al., 2000; Amico et al., 2004; Jonas et al., 2008; Guastella et al., 2009), in particular in relation to social threats (Kirsch et al., 2005).”
InfluentialOxytocin and the Neural Mechanisms Regulating Social Cognition and Affiliative Behavior
Ross, H. E., & Young, L. J. (2009) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.004 · Cited by 856 · see citing works
“This increase in trust, and lack of feedback following betrayal may be due to a decrease in activation of circuits involved in fear processing, such as the amygdala [101] [100].”
BackgroundOxytocin increases generosity in humans
Zak, P. J., Stanton, A. A., & Ahmadi, S. (2007) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001128 · Cited by 831 · see citing works
Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior
Heinrichs, M., von Dawans, B., & Domes, G. (2009) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.005 · Cited by 799 · see citing works
Oxytocin increases gaze to the eye region of human faces
Guastella, A. J., Mitchell, P. B., & Dadds, M. R. (2008) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.06.026 · Cited by 798 · see citing works
The Neuroscience of Social Decision-Making
Rilling, J. K., & Sanfey, A. G. (2011) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.121208.131647 · Cited by 775 · see citing works
Social neuroeconomics: the neural circuitry of social preferences
Fehr, E., & Camerer, C. F. (2007) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2007.09.002 · Cited by 779 · see citing works
Oxytocin enhances amygdala-dependent, socially reinforced learning and emotional empathy in humans
Hurlemann, R., Patin, A., Onur, O. A., Cohen, M. X., Baumgartner, T., Metzler, S., Dziobek, I., Gallinat, J., Wagner, M., Maier, W., et al. (2010) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5538-09.2010 · Cited by 771 · see citing works
Oxytocin attenuates amygdala responses to emotional faces regardless of valence
Domes, G., Heinrichs, M., Gläscher, J., Büchel, C., Braus, D. F., & Herpertz, S. C. (2007) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.03.025 · Cited by 774 · see citing works
Ditzen, B., Schaer, M., Gabriel, B., Bodenmann, G., Ehlert, U., & Heinrichs, M. (2009) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.10.011 · Cited by 784 · see citing works
Brain oxytocin: A key regulator of emotional and social behaviours in both females and males
Neumann, I. D. (2008) · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2826.2008.01726.x · Cited by 743 · see citing works
Oxytocin Increases Retention of Social Cognition in Autism
Hollander, E., Bartz, J., Chaplin, W., Phillips, A., Sumner, J., Soorya, L., Anagnostou, E., & Wasserman, S. (2007) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.05.030 · Cited by 693 · see citing works
Mithoefer, M. C., Wagner, M. T., Mithoefer, A. T., Jerome, L., & Doblin, R. (2011) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881110378371 · Cited by 674 · see citing works
CD38 is critical for social behaviour by regulating oxytocin secretion
Jin, D., Liu, H.-X., Hirai, H., Torashima, T., Nagai, T., Lopatina, O., Shnayder, N. A., Yamada, K., Noda, M., Seike, T., et al. (2007) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05526 · Cited by 665 · see citing works
Olff, M., Frijling, J. L., Kubzansky, L. D., Bradley, B., Ellenbogen, M. A., Cardoso, C., Bartz, J. A., Yee, J. R., & van Zuiden, M. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.06.019 · Cited by 620 · see citing works
Neuropeptidergic regulation of affiliative behavior and social bonding in animals
Lim, M. M., & Young, L. J. (2006) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.028 · Cited by 624 · see citing works
The Peptide That Binds: A Systematic Review of Oxytocin and its Prosocial Effects in Humans
MacDonald, K., & MacDonald, T. M. (2010) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/10673220903523615 · Cited by 585 · see citing works
Tost, H., Kolachana, B., Hakimi, S., Lemaitre, H., Verchinski, B. A., Mattay, V. S., Weinberger, D. R., & Meyer–Lindenberg, A. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1003296107 · Cited by 564 · see citing works
Self-citationOxytocin Attenuates Amygdala Reactivity to Fear in Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder
Labuschagne, I., Phan, K. L., Wood, A., Angstadt, M., Chua, P., Heinrichs, M., Stout, J. C., & Nathan, P. J. (2010) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2010.123 · Cited by 549 · see citing works
Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused therapy: an early systematic review
Leaviss, J., & Uttley, L. (2015) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291714002141 · Cited by 546 · see citing works
Intranasal Administration of Oxytocin Increases Envy and Schadenfreude (Gloating)
Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., Fischer, M., Dvash, J., Harari, H., Perach-Bloom, N., & Levkovitz, Y. (2009) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.06.009 · Cited by 542 · see citing works
Effects of intranasal oxytocin on emotional face processing in women
Domes, G., Lischke, A., Berger, C., Grossmann, A., Hauenstein, K., Heinrichs, M., & Herpertz, S. C. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.06.016 · Cited by 521 · see citing works
Increased brain and plasma oxytocin after nasal and peripheral administration in rats and mice
Neumann, I. D., Maloumby, R., Beiderbeck, D. I., Lukas, M., & Landgraf, R. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.03.003 · Cited by 511 · see citing works
Lower CSF oxytocin concentrations in women with a history of childhood abuse
Heim, C., Young, L. J., Newport, D. J., Mletzko, T., Miller, A. H., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2009) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/mp.2008.112 · Cited by 518 · see citing works
Putting together phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives on empathy
Decety, J., & Svetlova, M. (2012) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2011.05.003 · Cited by 508 · see citing works
Different amygdala subregions mediate valence-related and attentional effects of oxytocin in humans
Gamer, M., Zurowski, B., & Büchel, C. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1000985107 · Cited by 487 · see citing works
Swain, J. E., Lorberbaum, J. P., Kose, S., & Strathearn, L. (2007) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01731.x · Cited by 499 · see citing works
Neuropeptides and social behaviour: effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans
HEINRICHS, M., & DOMES, G. (2008) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00428-7 · Cited by 479 · see citing works
Modulating social behavior with oxytocin: How does it work? What does it mean?
Churchland, P. S., & Winkielman, P. (2012) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.003 · Cited by 464 · see citing works
Scott‐Van Zeeland, A. A., Dapretto, M., Ghahremani, D. G., Poldrack, R. A., & Bookheimer, S. Y. (2010) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.122 · Cited by 458 · see citing works
Oxytocin and the development of parenting in humans
Gordon, I., Zagoory-Sharon, O., Leckman, J. F., & Feldman, R. (2010) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.02.005 · Cited by 469 · see citing works
De Dreu, C. K. W. (2012) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.009 · Cited by 455 · see citing works
Barrett, J., & Fleming, A. S. (2011) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02306.x · Cited by 433 · see citing works
Oxytocin and Vasopressin Agonists and Antagonists as Research Tools and Potential Therapeutics
Manning, M., Misicka, A., Olma, A., Bankowski, K., Stoev, S., Chini, B., Durroux, T., Mouillac, B., Corbani, M., & Guillon, G. (2012) · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2826.2012.02303.x · Cited by 423 · see citing works
Sex differences in oxytocin and vasopressin: Implications for autism spectrum disorders?
CARTER, C. (2007) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2006.08.025 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
Bos, P. A., Panksepp, J., Bluthé, R.-M., & Honk, J. V. (2012) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2011.01.002 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Sbarra, D. A., & Hazan, C. (2008) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868308315702 · Cited by 427 · see citing works
Association of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in Caucasian children and adolescents with autism
Jacob, S., Brune, C. W., Carter, C. S., Leventhal, B. L., Lord, C., & Cook, E. H. (2007) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2007.02.001 · Cited by 425 · see citing works
Oxytocin Attenuates Affective Evaluations of Conditioned Faces and Amygdala Activity
Petrovic, P., Kalisch, R., Singer, T., & Dolan, R. J. (2008) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4572-07.2008 · Cited by 424 · see citing works
“Several studies using this method have reported oxytocindependent effects on behavior or brain function (Pitman et al., 1993; Heinrichs et al., 2003, 2004; Kirsch et al., 2005; Kosfeld et al., 2005; Domes et al., 2007a).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialAutism, oxytocin and interoception
Quattrocki, E., & Friston, K. (2014) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.012 · Cited by 393 · see citing works
Oxytocin Makes a Face in Memory Familiar
Rimmele, U., Hediger, K., Heinrichs, M., & Klaver, P. (2009) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4260-08.2009 · Cited by 402 · see citing works
Singewald, N., Schmuckermair, C., Whittle, N., Holmes, A., & Ressler, K. J. (2015) · Pharmacology & Therapeutics · doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2014.12.004 · Cited by 390 · see citing works
“…has been demonstrated to reduce stress-induced cortisol release in humans (de Oliveira et al., 2012; Heinrichs et al., 2003; Quirin et al., 2011), and to attenuate AMY hyperactivity as well as AMY-hindbrain coupling in anxiety patients [(Kirsch et al., 2005; Labuschagne et al., 2010)].”
BackgroundLukas, M., Toth, I., Reber, S. O., Slattery, D. A., Veenema, A. H., & Neumann, I. D. (2011) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2011.95 · Cited by 403 · see citing works
Vuilleumier, P., & Driver, J. (2007) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.2092 · Cited by 397 · see citing works
Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2013) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2013.34 · Cited by 383 · see citing works
Baskerville, T. A., & Douglas, A. J. (2010) · CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics · doi:10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00154.x · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Oxytocin, vasopressin and sociality
CARTER, C., GRIPPO, A., POURNAJAFINAZARLOO, H., RUSCIO, M., & PORGES, S. (2008) · Progress in Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00427-5 · Cited by 380 · see citing works
Riem, M. M. E., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Pieper, S., Tops, M., Boksem, M. A. S., Vermeiren, R. R. J. M., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Rombouts, S. A. R. B. (2011) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.02.006 · Cited by 366 · see citing works
Guastella, A. J., Howard, A. L., Dadds, M. R., Mitchell, P., & Carson, D. S. (2009) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.01.005 · Cited by 366 · see citing works
The amygdala as a hub in brain networks that support social life
Bickart, K. C., Dickerson, B. C., & Feldman Barrett, L. (2014) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.08.013 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2012) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.07.008 · Cited by 365 · see citing works
MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior
Hysek, C. M., Schmid, Y., Simmler, L. D., Domes, G., Heinrichs, M., Eisenegger, C., Preller, K. H., Quednow, B. B., & Liechti, M. E. (2014) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nst161 · Cited by 356 · see citing works
Lerer, E., Levi, S., Salomon, S., Darvasi, A., Yirmiya, N., & Ebstein, R. P. (2008) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4002087 · Cited by 349 · see citing works
A review of safety, side-effects and subjective reactions to intranasal oxytocin in human research
MacDonald, E., Dadds, M. R., Brennan, J. L., Williams, K., Levy, F., & Cauchi, A. J. (2011) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.02.015 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Anagnostou, E., Soorya, L., Chaplin, W., Bartz, J., Halpern, D., Wasserman, S., Wang, A. T., Pepa, L., Tanel, N., Kushki, A., et al. (2012) · Molecular Autism · doi:10.1186/2040-2392-3-16 · Cited by 350 · see citing works
Bandelow, B., Baldwin, D., Abelli, M., Bolea-Alamanac, B., Bourin, M., Chamberlain, S. R., Cinosi, E., Davies, S., Domschke, K., Fineberg, N., et al. (2017) · The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/15622975.2016.1190867 · Cited by 347 · see citing works
Dopaminergic-neuropeptide interactions in the social brain
Skuse, D. H., & Gallagher, L. (2009) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.09.007 · Cited by 340 · see citing works
Declerck, C. H., Boone, C., & Kiyonari, T. (2010) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.01.006 · Cited by 331 · see citing works
Central vasopressin and oxytocin release: regulation of complex social behaviours
VEENEMA, A., & NEUMANN, I. (2008) · Progress in Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00422-6 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
Kraehenmann, R., Preller, K. H., Scheidegger, M., Pokorny, T., Bosch, O. G., Seifritz, E., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2015) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.04.010 · Cited by 323 · see citing works
Oxytocin: Behavioral Associations and Potential as a Salivary Biomarker
SUE CARTER, C., POURNAJAFI‐NAZARLOO, H., KRAMER, K. M., ZIEGLER, T. E., WHITE‐TRAUT, R., BELLO, D., & SCHWERTZ, D. (2007) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1196/annals.1384.006 · Cited by 323 · see citing works
Oxytocin improves specific recognition of positive facial expressions
Marsh, A. A., Yu, H. H., Pine, D. S., & Blair, R. J. R. (2010) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-010-1780-4 · Cited by 321 · see citing works
Theodoridou, A., Rowe, A. C., Penton-Voak, I. S., & Rogers, P. J. (2009) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.03.019 · Cited by 318 · see citing works
Schneiderman, I., Zagoory-Sharon, O., Leckman, J. F., & Feldman, R. (2012) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.12.021 · Cited by 317 · see citing works
“, 2005), and social cognition (Kirsch et al., 2005).”
Rilling, J. K., DeMarco, A. C., Hackett, P. D., Thompson, R., Ditzen, B., Patel, R., & Pagnoni, G. (2012) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.07.013 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
A. Bartz, J., & Hollander, E. (2006) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.018 · Cited by 311 · see citing works
De Dreu, C. K. W., & Kret, M. E. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.020 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Psychobiology of social support: The social dimension of stress buffering
Ditzen, B., & Heinrichs, M. (2014) · Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience · doi:10.3233/rnn-139008 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
MANNING, M., STOEV, S., CHINI, B., DURROUX, T., MOUILLAC, B., & GUILLON, G. (2008) · Progress in Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00437-8 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
Braehler, C., Gumley, A., Harper, J., Wallace, S., Norrie, J., & Gilbert, P. (2013) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12009 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Bethlehem, R. A. I., van Honk, J., Auyeung, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.10.011 · Cited by 285 · see citing works
Prosocial effects of oxytocin and clinical evidence for its therapeutic potential
Striepens, N., Kendrick, K. M., Maier, W., & Hurlemann, R. (2011) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2011.07.001 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Shahrestani, S., Kemp, A. H., & Guastella, A. J. (2013) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2013.86 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
The contributions of oxytocin and vasopressin pathway genes to human behavior
Ebstein, R. P., Knafo, A., Mankuta, D., Chew, S. H., & Lai, P. S. (2012) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.014 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
A conditional knockout mouse line of the oxytocin receptor
Lee, H.-J., Caldwell, H. K., Macbeth, A. H., Tolu, S. G., & Young, W. S. (2008) · Endocrinology · doi:10.1210/en.2007-1710 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Immunohistochemical localization of oxytocin receptors in human brain
Boccia, M. L., Petrusz, P., Suzuki, K., Marson, L., & Pedersen, C. A. (2013) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.08.048 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Israel, S., Lerer, E., Shalev, I., Uzefovsky, F., Riebold, M., Laiba, E., Bachner-Melman, R., Maril, A., Bornstein, G., Knafo, A., et al. (2009) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005535 · Cited by 278 · see citing works
Cross talk: the microbiota and neurodevelopmental disorders
Kelly, J. R., Minuto, C., Cryan, J. F., Clarke, G., & Dinan, T. G. (2017) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2017.00490 · Cited by 271 · see citing works
The animal and human neuroendocrinology of social cognition, motivation and behavior
McCall, C., & Singer, T. (2012) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn.3084 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Lucht, M. J., Barnow, S., Sonnenfeld, C., Rosenberger, A., Grabe, H. J., Schroeder, W., Völzke, H., Freyberger, H. J., Herrmann, F. H., Kroemer, H., et al. (2009) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.04.004 · Cited by 271 · see citing works
Attachment, aggression and affiliation: the role of oxytocin in female social behavior
Campbell, A. (2008) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2007.09.001 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kirsch, P., Esslinger, C., Chen, Q., Mier, D., Lis, S., Siddhanti, S., Gruppe, H., Mattay, V. S., Gallhofer, B., & Meyer-Lindenberg, A.
- Affiliations
- Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (DE)
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2005-12-07
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 49
- Pages
- 11489-11493
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC6725903
- OpenAlex
- W2121748618
- Cited by
- 1,639
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 31 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 79 · 2020: 97 · 2019: 82 · 2018: 85 · 2017: 103 · 2016: 99 · 2015: 107 · 2014: 119 · 2013: 122 · 2012: 119
- FWCI
- 67.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- KOPS (University of Konstanz) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- 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 › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- oxytocin, amygdala, fear conditioning, social cognition, neural circuits, intranasal administration, trust, anxiety, social anxiety disorder, autism spectrum disorder, fear extinction
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Cognition, Double-Blind Method, Fear, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Nerve Net, Oxytocin, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Social Behavior
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
