Oxytocin Reverses Amphetamine-Induced Deficits in Social Bonding: Evidence for an Interaction with Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine
Open accessAbstract
Drug addiction has devastating consequences on social behaviors and can lead to the impairment of social bonding. Accumulating evidence indicates that alterations in oxytocin (OT) and dopamine (DA) neurotransmission within brain reward circuitry may be involved. We investigated this possibility, as well as the therapeutic potential of OT for drug-induced social deficits, using the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)-a socially monogamous rodent that forms enduring pair bonds between adult mates. We demonstrate that repeated exposure to the commonly abused psychostimulant amphetamine (AMPH) inhibits the formation of partner preferences (an index of pair bonding) in female prairie voles. AMPH exposure also altered OT and DA neurotransmission in regions that mediate partner preference formation: it decreased OT and DA D2 receptor immunoreactivity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc), respectively, and increased NAcc DA levels. Administration of OT directly into the mPFC of AMPH-exposed voles restored partner preferences, and altered NAcc DA levels, and this effect was dependent on OT receptor activation. Together, these data suggest that repeated AMPH exposure impairs pair bonding through an OT-mediated mechanism, and that OT and DA systems within brain reward circuitry may interact to mediate the complex relationship between drug abuse and social bonding. Further, these results provide empirical support for the idea that the central OT system may represent an important target for the treatment of social deficits in addiction.
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Direct infusion of OXT into the mPFC restored pair bonding and normalized NAc DA levels in prairie voles after amphetamine exposure.
“Direct infusion of OXT into the mPFC restored pair bonding and normalized NAc DA levels [143].”
From Neural circuits regulating prosocial behaviors (2023) · cites this paper as [143]
In prairie voles, repeated amphetamine exposure inhibited pair bonding, decreased OXT levels in the mPFC and increased NAc DA levels.
“In prairie voles, repeated amphetamine exposure inhibited pair bonding, decreased OXT levels in the mPFC and increased NAc DA levels [143].”
From Neural circuits regulating prosocial behaviors (2023) · cites this paper as [143]
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“Comparable outcomes were observed in female prairie voles, where OXT administration into the prelimbic cortex facilitated the formation of mating-induced partner preference, subsequently leading to heightened DA release in the NAc (Young et al., 2014).”
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- Authors
- Young, K. A., Liu, Y., Gobrogge, K. L., Wang, H., & Wang, Z.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2014-06-18
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 25
- Pages
- 8499-8506
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC4061391
- OpenAlex
- W2090682419
- Cited by
- 99
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2025: 10 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 25.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 58616, R01MH058616)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA23048, F31DA025570, DA-19627, K02DA023048, R01DA019627, DA25570)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Keywords
- oxytocin, amphetamine, social bonding, pair bonding, Microtus ochrogaster, nucleus accumbens, dopamine, dopamine D2 receptor, medial prefrontal cortex, drug addiction, psychostimulants, mate preferences, brain reward system, oxytocin receptor
- MeSH terms
- Amphetamine, Animals, Arvicolinae, Dopamine, Female, Male, Nucleus Accumbens, Oxytocin, Pair Bond, Social Behavior, Microdialysis, Amphetamine-Related Disorders
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