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Mean cortisol levels ( m g/dl) þ SEM, in participants receiving oxytocin ( n 1⁄4 47) or placebo ( n 1⁄4 49), and across five time points throughout the YIPS. Participants were administered either a single dose of 24 IU oxytocin or placebo upon arrival at the laboratory and then underwent a 50-min relaxation phase. They provided a cortisol sample immediately after the first and second 10-min YIPS conversations and then at three 10-min intervals following the second YIPS conversation. A sex £ drug £ time repeated measure ANCOVA (controlling for first cortisol measure) indicated that participants in the oxytocin condition displayed a decrease in cortisol over time, whereas participants in the placebo condition exhibited no change in cortisol concentrations over time p , 0.05.
Source publication
Oxytocin facilitates pro-social behaviour and is proposed as a regulatory factor controlling stress reactivity. Previous research on oxytocin and stress has focused on achievement-related stressors among male participants. The aims of the study were to (1) examine the influence of oxytocin on the affective and cortisol response to the Yale Interper...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... ANOVA was performed to assess variations in cortisol concentration over time in each separate drug condition. Participants in the oxytocin condition displayed a statistically significant decrease in cortisol concentrations over time, F (4, 184) 1⁄4 4.50, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.09, whereas participants in the placebo condition exhibited no change in cortisol over time, F (4, 192) 1⁄4 0.29, p . 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.00 ( Figure 2). In sum, cortisol concentrations did not increase in response to the YIPS, either in male or in female participants. Participants administered oxytocin displayed a significant decrease, relative to placebo, in cortisol concentrations throughout the YIPS. However, participants administered placebo, relative to oxytocin, displayed cortisol levels following the YIPS that were virtually unchanged from baseline. In female participants, self-reported phase of menstrual cycle (luteal or follicular) and oral contraceptive use (yes/no) were entered as covariates in drug £ time repeated measures ANCOVAs conducted separately for mood ratings and cortisol concentrations. Because three females failed to report information on their menstrual cycle or oral contraceptive use on the medical history questionnaire, these data were analysed on 45 females. Twenty-two females were in the follicular phase, and 23 were in the luteal phase. Fifteen females reported using the oral contraceptive pill and 30 females reported that they did not. Neither phase of menstrual cycle nor oral contraceptive use was significantly associated with mood ratings or cortisol variations over time (data not shown). The present study examined the effect of intranasal oxytocin on the affective and cortisol response to the YIPS, a social rejection paradigm aimed at eliciting interpersonal stress. As expected, the YIPS elicited a robust lowering of mood in the full study sample, and the negative mood response was greater in women than in men. Moreover, we assessed the validity of the social rejection manipulation by having participants rate the likeableness of the study confederates. As expected, 80% or more of the study participants reported negative ratings of the confederates. Both of these findings attest to the effectiveness of the interpersonal stress manipulation. In contrast to its robust effects on social and emotional measures, the YIPS did not elicit an increase in cortisol ...
Context 2
... analyses were conducted to identify the individual mood scales that were most sensitive to the YIPS. A sex £ drug £ time repeated measures ANOVA was performed on individual mood scales of the POMS. Mood ratings varied significantly across time on all scales including, in the order of effect size, the agreeable–hostile scale, F (2.07, 190.11) 1⁄4 44.96, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.33; elated–depressed scale, F (2.40, 219.90) 1⁄4 34.01, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.27; composed–anxiety scale, F (2.33, 217.00) 1⁄4 26.47, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.22; energetic–tired scale, F (2.35, 216.13) 1⁄4 6.55, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.07; confident–unsure scale, F (2.40, 221.00) 1⁄4 6.17, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.06 and clearheaded – confused scale, F (2.40, 220.93) 1⁄4 3.86, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.04. For all scales, mood ratings became more negative following the first and second conversations relative to baseline (data not shown). Thus, mood change during the YIPS occurred across all POMS scales. The main effect of sex was followed up with a one- way ANOVA on total mood ratings at each individual time point. Females reported significantly lower mood ratings than males after the first YIPS conversation, F (1, 94) 1⁄4 5.93, p , 0.05, d 1⁄4 0.50, and marginally lower mood ratings than males after the second YIPS conversation, F (1, 94) 1⁄4 3.57, p . 0.05, d 1⁄4 0.39, although the latter fell short of statistical significance. There were no significant sex differences in the mood ratings at either of the first two time points. Sex differences in mood ratings across time were found on the following individual scales, in the order of effect size: energetic –tired scale, F (2.35, 216.13) 1⁄4 5.51, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.06 (data not shown); composed – anxiety scale, F (2.33, 217.00) 1⁄4 4.64, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.05; confident – unsure scale, F (2.40, 221.00) 1⁄4 4.53, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.05 and elated – depressed scale, F (2.40, 219.90) 1⁄4 3.63, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.04. Drug condition did not significantly predict mood ratings across time on any of the POMS scales. Thus, sex differences in the mood response during the YIPS occurred primarily for anxious, depressed, tired and unsure mood states. In sum, the YIPS elicited robust negative mood change following both conversations and across all POMS scales, and mood change was more pronounced among females than males. Contrary to expectation, oxytocin did not modulate the mood response to the YIPS in either males or females. Time of day (12:00 h vs. 14:45 h start time) effects on drug administration and salivary cortisol concentrations were examined, but none were found (data not shown). The sex £ drug £ time repeated measures ANCOVA, controlling for time of testing, revealed that cortisol concentrations did not vary significantly across time, F (4, 364) 1⁄4 0.63, p . 0.64, h 2 1⁄4 0.01, and there were no significant main effect of sex, F (1, 91) 1⁄4 2.97, p . 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.03, or sex £ time interaction, F (4, 364) 1⁄4 0.72, p . 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.01 (Table I). In short, the YIPS failed to elicit a significant cortisol response, regardless of sex. The repeated measures ANCOVA revealed a significant drug £ time interaction, F (4, 364) 1⁄4 2.70, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.03. Because participants receiving oxytocin unexpectedly displayed higher salivary cortisol concentrations at baseline (following first YIPS conversation; M 1⁄4 0.1724, SD 1⁄4 0.129) than participants receiving the placebo ( M 1⁄4 0.148, SD 1⁄4 0.10), t (95) 1⁄4 1.20, p . 0.05), baseline cortisol concentrations were added as an additional covariate in these analyses. The drug £ time interaction remained statistically significant after controlling for baseline cortisol concentration, F (3, 273) 1⁄4 3.15, p , 0.05, h 2 1⁄4 0.03 (Figure 2). A follow-up ...
Citations
... While there are confirmatory data showing diminishing effects on the HPA axis [e.g. (15,16)], a meta-analysis found that oxytocin does not lower HPA axis reactivity per se (17). In their meta-analysis, Cardoso et al. (17) investigated the effect of oxytocin administration on HPA axis activity during laboratory stress tasks. ...
Introduction
Traumatic experiences are thought to alter memory acquisition and consolidation. Cognitive models of PTSD suggest that voluntary and involuntary memories after trauma can be independently addressed through interventions. The administration of oxytocin before exposure to a trauma film led to more intrusive (involuntary) memories than placebo. The effect of oxytocin on voluntary memory of the traumatic film, however, remains unclear. The current study aimed to assess whether intranasal oxytocin administration facilitates forced-choice recognition memory after a trauma film paradigm.
Material & methods
We performed a pooled analysis of two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies (N = 437) to assess the impact of intranasal oxytocin administration on declarative memory. Participants received 24 I.U. of oxytocin, either 40 minutes before a trauma film paradigm or immediately afterward. We applied a forced-choice recognition task seven days after the trauma film paradigm. The task comprised pre-, peri, and post-trauma film scene details.
Results
The administration of oxytocin did not affect recognition performance for any film scene ( F( 2, 401) = .49, p = .61). Participants remembered significantly more peri-traumatic film details compared to pre- and post-trauma details ( F(1.72 , 802) = 103.38, p <.001).
Discussion
Although the exogenous oxytocin administration before a trauma film has been shown to influence the acquisition of intrusive memories, it does not seem to affect the recognition memory of trauma film details. That aligns with cognitive models of PTSD, suggesting that voluntary and involuntary memory after trauma can be independently addressed through experimental interventions.
... During the first MBGT session, OXT levels increased, whereas during the fourth session, the levels decreased, which resulted in a significant between-group difference at T 1, with participants in MBGT+TAU displaying lower levels of OXT. These results align with previous research suggesting the role of OXT in social affiliation and stress regulation (Kubzansky, Mendes, Appleton, Block, & Adler, 2012;Linnen, Ellenbogen, Cardoso, & Joober, 2012). Participation in a group-therapy for the first time poses a new social and, therefore, stressful situation, which can explain the increase in OXT levels within the first session. ...
Background: The present study explored the feasibility and acceptability as well as the impact of mindfulness-based group therapy (MBGT) on oxytocin levels (OXT) and clinical parameters in outpatients with schizo-phrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Methods: In a randomized-controlled design, outpatients with SSD (N = 48) were assigned to either MBGT in addition to German university-level treatment as usual (MBGT+TAU; n = 25) or TAU (n = 23). At baseline and at four-week post-intervention, clinical parameters and OXT levels were determined. Results: Results indicate high feasibility and acceptance with a 95.7% adherence-and 94% retention-rate of MBGT in SSD. While no significant changes in empathy were observed, MBGT+TAU demonstrated a significant reduction in positive symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrom Scale) compared to TAU at post-intervention. OXT levels were significantly increased in MBGT+TAU at post-intervention, suggesting a potential link between mindfulness and the oxytocinergic system in SSD. Additionally, improvements in various clinical parameters were indicated. Conclusion: The study contributes to the growing evidence supporting feasibility, acceptability, and positive effects of MBGT in outpatients with SSD, emphasizing the need for further research to solidify these findings. Overall, this work sheds first evidence on the intersection of mindfulness, oxytocin, and clinical outcomes in SSD.
... In the context of drug use, INOT increased negative affect after a social stressor in females (but not males) who use cannabis (Reed et al., 2019), and oxytocin may blunt cortisol response (but not subjective responses) to a stressor in females with cocaine use disorder compared with their male counterparts (Sherman et al., 2020), however, other studies have not observed sex differences in INOT-related effects on stress response in cigarette smokers . In addition, in other nondrug use studies, INOT may increase the salience of positive social interactions among males, while decreasing salience among females (Feng et al., 2015), may increase trust in males but decrease trust in females in response to weak signals of attractiveness and threat (Schiller et al., 2023), may decrease negative affect in males (but not females) following a stressor (Kubzansky et al., 2012), and may selectively improve empathic accuracy for some males but not females (Bartz et al., 2019), however, sex differences in INOT response among healthy controls is not a universal finding (Linnen et al., 2012). Nevertheless, the current data suggest that INOT may be counterproductive during acute nicotine withdrawal, especially among females who smoke. ...
Intranasal oxytocin (INOT) has received attention as a treatment for substance use disorders including tobacco dependence. However, it is unclear whether INOT-related effects differ by sex and social functioning traits. This study examined the influence of sex and two trait social functioning measures (hostility and rejection sensitivity) on INOT effects on abstinence-related subjective measures and smoking lapse. Adults who smoked cigarettes daily (N = 64; 21–40 years; 39% female) completed trait hostility and rejection sensitivity surveys at baseline followed by three experimental sessions following 12-hr smoking abstinence. Each session, participants received a single INOT dose (placebo, 20, 40 international units [IU]) in counterbalanced order, completed withdrawal, smoking urges and affect questionnaires, and a smoking lapse analog task. Interactive effects between INOT and sex, hostility, or rejection sensitivity on all outcomes were analyzed. INOT produced differential effects as a function of sex, trait hostility, and rejection sensitivity. The 20 IU dose worsened abstinence-related subjective effects for individuals with high trait hostility. Both INOT doses decreased smoking urges for high rejection sensitivity, and the 20 IU dose increased smoking urges for low rejection sensitivity. INOT increased withdrawal symptoms, smoking urges, and feelings of anger in females but not males. INOT did not improve withdrawal symptoms during abstinence and did not affect smoking lapse. While INOT produced some beneficial effects for a subset of participants with high rejection sensitivity, it worsened abstinence-related symptoms for others. Our results suggest that sex and social functioning should be considered when examining the therapeutic potential of INOT for smoking cessation in future research.
... Specific brain activation patterns have been found, for example, for social support, see [129], or rejection, see [130], and those patterns should also be studied in patients with CSBD and PPU. Employing other biological measures in study designs is also advisable; for example, social rejection and loneliness were linked to cortisol and intranasal oxytocin levels, see [131][132][133]. ...
Purpose of Review
The objective of this review was to (1) outline the current empirical evidence on the impact of social factors on the development and maintenance of CSBs (compulsive sexual behaviors), (2) identify research gaps in this field, and (3) suggest potential future avenues for studying CSBs within a social framework.
Recent Findings
The evidence highlights insecure attachment as a risk factor for the development of CSBs, indicating a potentially more significant role of attachment anxiety. Higher perceived social support was associated with lower CSB severity; however, the small effect size suggests a supportive role. Loneliness may serve as a risk factor for CSBs across populations. Minority stressors were positively related to CSB severity, while therapy addressing those stressors effectively diminished CSB symptoms. Empirical findings imply complex bidirectional influences between the social bonds’ quality and CSBD/PPU (compulsive sexual behavior disorder/problematic pornography use). Moreover, interpersonal aspects and mutual support are crucial elements in individual, couple, and group treatment for CSBs.
Summary
Empirical evidence highlights the significance of social factors like loneliness, perceived social support, attachment anxiety, avoidance, and romantic bond quality in CSBD/PPU. Social factors should be considered in clinical practice as they may be involved in the development and maintenance of CSBs. Addressing them in therapy may facilitate the treatment process. However, methodological differences across studies make drawing definitive conclusions impossible. More longitudinal data from multicentered projects using standardized methodologies to clarify causality of the relationships are needed.
... Experimental studies suggest that OXT contributes to the body's return to homeostasis. For example, OXT release has been observed following exposure to experimental stress induction (Babygirija et al. 2012;Nishioka et al. 1998), exogenous OXT administration decreases HPA axis activity (Cardoso et al. 2013;Heinrichs et al. 2003;Linnen et al. 2012;Parker et al. 2005) and administration of OXT antagonists results in elevated HPA axis responses to stress (Cavanaugh et al. 2016). In contrast, a recent study of chimpanzees in nature suggests OXT release can act independently of HPA axis activation under naturally occurring social conditions (Samuni et al. 2019). ...
Evaluating how primates in human care function within their social environment is important for understanding and optimizing their management and welfare. The neuroendocrine hormone oxytocin is associated with affiliation and bonding, suggesting it can be used to evaluate the affiliative nature of social groupings. When paired with cortisol concentrations, social stressors can simultaneously be assessed, providing a more complete picture of primate social environments than if measuring either hormone independently. Here, we measured both oxytocin and cortisol in urine within a large subset of male western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla; n = 71) living in North American zoos. Both endocrine measures were compared between social group types, with an emphasis on comparing bachelor and mixed-sex groupings to understand how these broad management practices affect male gorillas in zoos. Oxytocin concentrations were greater in bachelor group males than mixed-sex group males and singly housed males, providing physiological evidence that males in bachelor groups form comparatively stronger affiliative relationships than males in other group types. Cortisol concentrations did not differ between bachelor and mixed-sex group males and males in both group types had lower cortisol concentrations than singly housed males. These results indicate that males are similarly capable of coping with group-specific social stressors, and single management may expose males to additional stressors for which further study is needed. These data contribute to a larger body of research highlighting the value of bachelor groups from both a population management and individual welfare perspective.
... A novel biomarker that may also help indicate the strength of social connection within a group and the potential buffering against stress is Oxytocin (a neuropeptide produced in the hypothalamus). Oxytocin plays an important role in prosocial behaviours [87] and is associated with lower levels of cortisol under acute stress [88][89][90][91], particularly in tasks that are sufficiently stressful to elicit a strong HPA axis response [92]. Further, oxytocin may be an important factor in determining a challenge state, which is considered to be an adaptive response to stress that is indicative of positive coping resources, in contrast to a threat state which reflects insufficient coping resources [26]. ...
A narrative systematic literature review was conducted to explore resilient performance in defence and security settings. A search strategy was employed across a total of five databases, searching published articles from 2001 onwards that assessed performance and optimal function in relation to resilience, in defence and security personnel. Following narrative synthesis, studies were assessed for quality. Thirty-two articles met inclusion criteria across a range of performance domains, including, but not limited to, course selection, marksmanship, land navigation, and simulated captivity. Some of the key findings included measures of mental toughness, confidence, and a stress-is-enhancing mindset being positively associated with performance outcomes. There was mixed evidence for the predictive value of biomarkers, although there was some support for cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and neuropeptide-y (NPY), and vagal reactivity. Interventions to improve resilient performance were focused on mindfulness or general psychological skills, with effects generally clearer on cognitive tasks rather than direct performance outcomes in the field. In sum, no single measure, nor intervention was consistently associated with performance over a range of domains. To inform future work, findings from the present review have been used to develop a framework of resilient performance, with the aim to promote theoretically informed work.
... El biomarcador más utilizado y ampliamente estudiado para medir niveles de estrés biológico en diferentes poblaciones, entre ellas los estudiantes de ciencias de la salud, fue el cortisol, que también es el más usado como patrón de referencia para estudiar nuevos biomarcadores (Aguilar et al., 2014;Conchado et al., 2018;Linnen et al., 2012;Maduka et al., 2015;McGuire & Lorenz, 2018;Myint et al., 2017;Oberle & Schonert-Reichl, 2016;Oswald et al., 2021;Pendry & Vandagriff, 2019;Zimmaro et al., 2016). Este resultado era esperado, pues el eje hipotalámico-pituitarial-adrenal es el principal sistema de respuesta al estrés en el cuerpo y su actividad se evalúa habitualmente con los niveles séricos y/o salivares de cortisol (Cortés et al., 2018), regulados cotidianamente por medio de ritmos circadianos que denotan niveles mayores en las mañanas. ...
El objetivo de esta revisión fue sintetizar la información publicada en los últimos 10 años acerca de los biomarcadores de estrés empleados para medir esta condición en los estudiantes de ciencias de la salud y su relación con las escalas de estrés subjetivo agudo y crónico. Se realizaron búsquedas sistemáticas en Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus y Lilacs, encontrado 112 artículos, de los cuales se incluyeron 17 que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Los resultados muestran que el cortisol sérico y salival fue el biomarcador más utilizado y las escalas STAI, VASS y la escala de sucesos estresantes, son las que mejor se relacionan con niveles de cortisol en los estudios incluidos en esta revisión. Sim embargo consideramos que la información obtenida no es suficiente para establecer una correlación significativa entre los niveles de biomarcadores de estrés y de estrés percibido medido por escalas autoreferidas.
... On the other hand, although C is the main stress hormone, OXT also responds under stressful situations [34]. Evidence has been provided that intranasal administration of OXT decreases sC during an interpersonal challenge [35,36], resulting in lower social stress, which has been linked to enhanced empathic function. Nevertheless, a meta-analysis concluded that the relationship between the endogenous levels of both hormones tends to be positive but small [37]. ...
... Second, we intend to analyze differences in endogenous sOXT, sT, and sC levels, as well as the quotient between levels of the above-mentioned hormones (hormonal ratios), of a group of IPV perpetrators compared to controls following an empathic induction task. As stated before in this field of research [25][26][27]36,41], we hypothesize that IPV perpetrators will display lower levels of sOXT and sC and higher levels of sT after the empathic induction task compared to the control group. Furthermore, IPV perpetrators will also show lower sOXT/T and sOXT/C ratios and higher sT/C ratios in response to this task than controls. ...
Empathy deficits have been proposed to be an important factor for intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV perpetrators have shown a differential change in salivary oxytocin (sOXT), testosterone (sT), and cortisol (sC), following empathic and stress tasks, compared to non-violent men. However, the influence of empathic deficits in those hormones after an emotion-induction task in IPV perpetrators remains unclear. We analyzed the effects of an empathic induction task on endogenous sOXT, sT and sC levels, as well as their hormonal ratios, in IPV perpetrators (n = 12), and compared them to controls (n = 12). Additionally, we explored the predictive capacity of em-pathy-related functions (measured with the interpersonal reactivity index) in the hormonal responses to the task. IPV perpetrators presented lower sOXT changes and higher total sT levels than controls after the task, lower sOXT/T change and total sOXT/T levels, as well as higher total sT/C levels. Notably, for all participants, the lower the perspective taking score, the lower the total sOXT levels and sOXT changes and the higher the sT changes were. Low perspective taking also predicted smaller sOXT/T and sOXT/C changes in the empathic induction task, and higher total sT/C levels for all participants. Therefore, our results could contribute to furthering our ability to focus on new therapeutic targets, increasing the effectiveness of intervention programs and helping to reduce IPV recidivism in the medium term.
... Furthermore, none of the seven patients who had epilepsy that were recruited for this study suffered seizure attacks during the course of the study, except for this aforementioned patient (Munesue et al., 2016). Other oxytocin administration experiments on human subjects have also highlighted oxytocin as an anti-stress hormone and show attenuated anxiety and cortisol reactivity after intranasal administration, in particular when confronted with social stressors (Cardoso et al., 2013a(Cardoso et al., , 2013bKubzansky et al., 2012;Linnen et al., 2012). However, no studies have particularly assessed the effects of early postnatal treatment with intranasal oxytocin in prenatally stressed children on anxiety and cortisol reactivity, let alone whether this has an effect on seizure exacerbation. ...
Background
Febrile seizures (FS) are a neurological abnormality which occur following a fever that has resulted from a systemic infection and are characterized by convulsions. These convulsions occur due to abnormally increased signalling of interleukin-1 beta, resulting in increased neuronal hyper-excitability. Furthermore, exposure to prenatal stress has been shown to exacerbate seizure duration, elicit anxiety-like behaviour and corticosterone levels. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide with anxiolytic, social bonding, and stress regulation effects. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess whether oxytocin can attenuate the anxiety-like behaviour and increased corticosterone in rat offspring exposed to prenatal stress and FS.
Method
Sprague Dawley rats were mated. On GND14, prenatal stress was induced on pregnant dams for 1 hr/7 days. On PND 14, rat pups were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 200 μg/kg, i.p.) followed 2.5 h later by an i.p. injection of kainic acid (KA, 1.75 mg/kg). Oxytocin (1 mg/kg) was induced via different routes (intraperitoneal or intranasal) as well an enriched environment between PND 22-26. The enriched environment included larger cages (1560 cm²) with only 4 pups per cage, compared to those groups not receiving enrichment (646 cm²), as well as cardboard rolls and plastic toys. On PND 27-33 the light/dark box and elevated plus maze were used to assess anxiety-like behaviour. On PND 34 all rats were euthanized using a sharp guillotine, trunk blood and hypothalamic tissue were collected for neurochemical analysis (ELISA kit).
Results
Our findings confirmed that exposure to both prenatal stress and febrile seizures resulted anxiety-like behaviour and significantly higher plasma corticosterone concentrations compared to their counterparts. Environmental enrichment was significantly effective in attenuating the increased basal corticosterone levels and anxiety-like behaviour seen in the prenatally stressed FS rat. Although direct administration of oxytocin showed higher significance in reducing corticosterone plasma levels when compared to the enriched environment. Furthermore, hypothalamic oxytocin levels were not significant in rat exposed to environmental enrichment while oxytocin treatment showed a significant effect when compared to their counterparts.
Conclusion
Therefore, oxytocin administration during early postnatal development shows great potential in reversing the effects of prenatal stress and its subsequent exacerbation of FS.
... In support of this downstream effects of the oxytocin receptor activity were reported to induce delayed transcription of the corticotropin-releasing factor in the PVN (43). Moreover, exogenous oxytocin administration has been shown to dampen the cortisol response to stressful stimuli (40,(44)(45)(46). In fact, it has been proposed that the prosocial behavioral effects of oxytocin could be an indirect consequence of oxytocin acting to reduce the responsiveness of the HPA axis (42). ...
Context:
Hypersexual disorder (HD) involves excessive, persistent sexual behaviors related to various mood states and the diagnosis compulsive sexual behavior disorder is included as an impulse control disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Although the neurobiology behind the disorder is not clear, some studies suggest dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Oxytocin acts as counterregulatory neuroendocrine hormone to cortisol and is also involved in sexual behavior.
Objective:
We hypothesized that oxytocin may play a role in the pathophysiology of HD with compensatory actions to cortisol.
Design:
Longitudinal.
Setting:
ANOVA clinic (Karolinska University Hospital).
Patients or other participants:
64 males with HD and 38 age-matched healthy volunteers.
Main outcome measures:
Plasma oxytocin levels, measured with radioimmunoassay; Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory; and Hypersexual Disorder: Current Assessment Scale for assessing hypersexual symptoms.
Interventions:
A patient subgroup (n = 30) completed the manual-based group-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program for HD, and posttreatment oxytocin levels were measured.
Results:
Hypersexual men (n = 64) exhibited significantly higher oxytocin plasma levels (mean ± SD: 31.0 ± 9.9 pM) compared with healthy volunteers (16.9 ± 3.9 pM; P < 0.001). There were significant positive correlations between oxytocin levels and the rating scales measuring hypersexual behavior. Patients who completed CBT treatment (n = 30) had a significant reduction of oxytocin plasma levels from pretreatment (30.5 ± 10.1 pM) to posttreatment (20.2 ± 8.0 pM; P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
The results suggest that the hyperactive oxytocinergic system in hypersexual men may be a compensatory mechanism to attenuate hyperactive stress.
