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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.
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“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]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“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]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“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]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“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
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“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 cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“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]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“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
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“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
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In the citing paper
“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]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“decrease amygdala activation to fearful faces (21–23)”
From Oxytocin and the development of parenting in humans (2010) · cites this paper as [22]
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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 the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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 the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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 the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“modulates neural circuitry for social cognition in humans,15”
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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
In the citing paper
“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
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“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
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Metadata
- 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
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › 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
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