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![Mood change scores on the composed-anxious scale of the Profile of Mood States were computed by subtracting the mood ratings after the first YIPS conversation from the mood ratings of the postrelaxation baseline. High and low emotion-oriented coping scores were set to one standard deviation above and below the mean, respectively. Error bars represent 1 standard error in either direction. Relative to placebo, female participants with high emotion-oriented coping scores reported less anxiety in response to the YIPS following oxytocin administration [b ϭ 4.487, t (91) ϭ 2.09, p Ͻ .05]. Neither female participants with low emotion- oriented coping scores nor male participants exhibited this anxiolytic effect.](profile/Christopher-Cardoso-2/publication/51711232/figure/fig1/AS:305968677179399@1449960025868/Mood-change-scores-on-the-composed-anxious-scale-of-the-Profile-of-Mood-States-were.png)
Mood change scores on the composed-anxious scale of the Profile of Mood States were computed by subtracting the mood ratings after the first YIPS conversation from the mood ratings of the postrelaxation baseline. High and low emotion-oriented coping scores were set to one standard deviation above and below the mean, respectively. Error bars represent 1 standard error in either direction. Relative to placebo, female participants with high emotion-oriented coping scores reported less anxiety in response to the YIPS following oxytocin administration [b ϭ 4.487, t (91) ϭ 2.09, p Ͻ .05]. Neither female participants with low emotion- oriented coping scores nor male participants exhibited this anxiolytic effect.
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Recent evidence suggests self-administration of intranasal oxytocin may facilitate social interaction by attenuating the stress response to interpersonal conflict. Currently, no published research has documented whether intraindividual factors moderate the effect of intranasal oxytocin on the emotional response to stress. The aim of the present stu...
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... sex, and emotion-oriented coping was a statistically significant predictor of composed-anxiety change scores [ pr 2 ϭ .06, b ϭ 6.074, t (91) ϭ Ϫ 2.526, p ϭ .014]. The remaining predictors in this model were not statistically significant. A visual inspection of the regression model revealed no substantive suppression effects. Simple slope analyses, according to Aiken and West (1991), were conducted to assess the effect of drug on anxiety levels among males and females low (1 standard deviation below the mean) and high (1 standard deviation above the mean) in emotion-oriented coping, which is illustrated in Figure 1. Simple slope analyses revealed that the slope for females with low emotion-oriented coping across drug condition was not statistically significant [b ϭ Ϫ 3.634, t (91) ϭ Ϫ 1.37, p Ͼ .05]. That is, the administration of oxytocin had no statistically significant effect on anxiety in females who were low in emotion-oriented coping. In contrast, the slope for females with high emotion- oriented coping across drug condition was statistically ...
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Citations
... This psychological factor, induced by the "inform," may provide a plausible explanation for theconsistent anti-cortisol effects of OXT in humans. Supporting this notion, several studies have demonstrated that OXT reduces stress response and cortisol levels in individuals who are stressed and have poor emotion regulation, but not in healthy individuals [175,176]; 2) OXT can act directly on the adrenal gland and inhibit the cortisol release [14]; 3) Since the OXT level in human portal blood is nearly 300 times higher than the peripheral circulation, a high level of OXT will suppress the pro-ACTH secretory effect of AVP by competitively binding to vasopressin receptors [173]. ...
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prominent psychiatric disorder with a high prevalence rate. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already high prevalence of MDD. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients are unresponsive to conventional treatments, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies. Oxytocin, an endogenous neuropeptide, has emerged as a promising candidate with anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. Oxytocin has been shown to alleviate emotional disorders by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the central immune system. The dysfunction of the immune system has been strongly linked to the onset and progression of depression. The central immune system is believed to be a key target of oxytocin in ameliorating emotional disorders. In this review, we examine the evidence regarding the interactions between oxytocin, the immune system, and depressive disorder. Moreover, we summarize and speculate on the potential roles of the intertwined association between oxytocin and the central immune system in treating emotional disorders.
... Moreover, the lack of increased oxytocin expression in the hypothalamus of MS Wistar mothers corroborates the idea that Wistar mothers were more emotionally regulated, given that increased oxytocin levels in the hypothalamus are part of the physiological response to social stress [62]. Of note, attenuation of the anxiety response by oxytocin occurs in individuals with poor coping, but not in individuals with adequate coping [68,69], which is in accordance with our observations for the Kyoto and Wistar strains. ...
Depressive mothers often find mother-child interaction to be challenging. Maternal stress may further impair mother-child attachment, which may increase the risk of negative developmental consequences. We used rats with different vulnerability to depressive-like behavior (Wistar and Kyoto) to investigate the impact of stress (maternal separation-MS) on maternal behavior and adolescent offspring cognition. MS in Kyoto dams increased pup-contact, resulting in higher oxytocin levels and lower anxiety-like behavior after weaning, while worsening their adolescent offspring cognitive behavior. Whereas MS in Wistar dams elicited higher quality of pup-directed behavior, increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the offspring, which seems to have prevented a negative impact on cognition. Hypothalamic oxytocin seems to affect the salience of the social environment cues (negatively for Kyoto) leading to different coping strategies. Our findings highlight the importance of contextual and individual factors in the understanding of the oxytocin role in modulating maternal behavior and stress regulatory processes.
... No reuse allowed without permission. Moreover, the lack of increased oxytocin expression in the hypothalamus in the MS Wistar mothers corroborates the idea that Wistar mothers were more emotionally regulated, given that higher oxytocin levels in the hypothalamus are part of the physiological response to social stress 50 Interestingly, attenuation of the anxiety response by oxytocin occurs in individuals with poor coping, but not in individuals with adequate coping 52,53 , what was in accordance with our observations for the Kyoto and Wistar strains. ...
Depressive mothers often find the mother-child interaction to be challenging. Parental stress may further impair mother-child attachment, which may increase the risk of negative developmental consequences. We used rats with different vulnerability to depression (Wistar and Kyoto) to investigate the impact of stress (maternal separation-MS) on maternal behaviour and adolescent offspring cognition. MS in Kyoto dams increased pup-contact, resulting in higher oxytocin levels and lower anxiety-like behaviour after weaning, while worsening their adolescent offspring cognitive behaviour. Whereas MS in Wistar dams elicited higher quality of pup-directed behaviour, increasing Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in the offspring, which seems to have prevented a negative impact on cognition. Hypothalamic oxytocin seems to impact the salience of the social environment cues (as negative for Kyoto) leading to different coping strategies. Our findings highlight the importance of contextual and individual factors in the understanding of the oxytocin role in modulating maternal behaviour and stress regulatory processes.
... Humans are social animals that rely strongly on social relations and interactions. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT), which is an ancient and conserved hormone, has been shown to influence many different aspects of social cognition and behavior in humans (Baumgartner et al., 2008;Cardoso et al., 2012;Kumsta & Heinrichs, 2012;Quirin, Kuhl & Düsing, 2011;Sauer et al., 2013). One particular concern, found in an increasing number of studies, is OXT's potential role in self-processing, especially the distinction between self and other. ...
By making use of event-related potential (ERP) technology, a randomized, double-blind, between-subject design study was performed in order to investigate whether OXT can weaken men’s self-other distinction during empathic responses to sad expressions. In the two experimental tasks, 39 male subjects were asked to either evaluate the emotional state shown in a facial stimulus (other-task) or to evaluate their own emotional responses (self-task). The results revealed that OXT reduced the differences in P2 (150–200 ms) amplitudes between sad and neutral expressions in the self-task but enhanced P2 to sad expressions in the other-task, indicating OXT’s role in integrating the self with others instead of separating them. In addition, OXT also reduced the LPC (400–600 ms) amplitudes between sad-neutral expressions in the self-task, implying that OXT’s weakening effects on the self-other distinction could occur at both the early and late cognitive control stages of the empathic response.
... In both humans and animal models, OXT was shown to have an anxiolytic effect (Viviani et al., 2011;Cardoso et al., 2012Cardoso et al., , 2013. Based on these and on our biochemical findings, we would expect that perceived momentary stress decreases after social sensorimotor synchronization with either positive or negative feedback, but not after non-social synchronization. ...
... However, regulation of systems that rely on OXT seem to be sexually dimorphic in some species, but not all (Kramer et al., 2004), while sex differences in behavior are seldomly associated with structural changes in the OXT system (Caldwell, 2018). Anxiolytic effects of OXT have been found both in women and in men (Ditzen et al., 2009;Cardoso et al., 2012;Kubzansky et al., 2012), while some research suggests that OXT mediates behavioral responses to stress more strongly in women than in men, which may result in female-specific tend-and-befriend coping strategies (Taylor et al., 2000;Cardoso et al., 2013). More so, studies point toward other interesting sex-specific patterns of behavior linked to OXT (Preckel et al., 2014;Rilling et al., 2014;Scheele et al., 2014). ...
In humans and animal models, oxytocin increases social closeness, attachment and prosocial behaviors, while decreasing anxiety and stress levels. Efficiently triggering the release of endogenous oxytocin could serve as a powerful therapeutic intervention for disorders of social behavior and for anxiety. We designed a new version of a social sensorimotor synchronization task to investigate the role of social approval in inducing biochemical and psychological changes following behavioral synchrony in a sample of 80 college students. Social approval in the form of real time positive feedback increased well-being only in women, while increasing social closeness in both genders. Social disapproval in the form of real time negative feedback prevented a decrease in stress levels that otherwise women reported following engagement in either social or non-social synchronization. Surprisingly, for certain personality traits, negative social feedback during sensorimotor synchronization was psychologically beneficial irrespective of gender. Salivary oxytocin levels increased only in women after the social but not the non-social synchronization tasks. Oxytocin dynamics were independent of the type of real time feedback that subjects received, indicating the existence of distinct mechanisms for hormonal versus behavioral changes following synchronization. Nevertheless, changes in salivary oxytocin after positive social feedback correlated with changes in well-being and predicted changes in prosocial attitudes. Our findings show evidence of distinct mechanisms for behavioral versus hormonal changes following social sensorimotor synchronization, and indicate that gender and personality traits should be carefully considered when designing behavioral therapies for improving social attitudes and for stress management.
... An important aspect to be noted in our study is that the improvement in FER occurred only in musicians with high MPA, and especially for expressions of happiness. This finding highlights the moderating role of certain interindividual characteristics in the acute effects of OXT, as previously described with relation to gender (Ma et al. 2018), genetic variability (Chen et al. 2015), attachment and coping styles (Bartz et al. 2010;De Dreu et al. 2011;Cardoso et al. 2012b), presence of emotional traumas (Donadon et al. 2018), and presence of some psychiatric disorders and symptoms (Clark-Elford et al. 2015;Eidelman-Rothman et al. 2015), which may influence the sensitivity to and interpretation of the emotional meaning and relevance of a given situation (Olff et al. 2013). Our findings also support the proposition by Olff et al. (2013) and Mac Donald and Feifel (2013) that the favorable effects of OXT are different in healthy individuals and psychiatric groups, as they have been observed only in individuals who could take specific benefits in terms of social and emotional functioning. ...
RationaleIndividuals with music performance anxiety (MPA) present physical, behavioral, and cognitive manifestations of anxiety, in addition to information processing deficits, especially in facial emotion recognition (FER).Objectives
To assess the effects of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) on FER in a sample of musicians with high and low MPA (primary outcome), as well as indicators of mood/anxiety and self-assessed performance (secondary outcomes).Methods
Crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 43 male musicians with different levels of MPA. Participants completed a static facial emotion recognition task and self-rated mood and performance scales. Data were analyzed using ANOVA 2 × 0 for crossover trials and the Omnibus test (measure of separability between intervention and carryover effects).ResultsOnly musicians with high MPA treated with oxytocin had a higher accuracy in the recognition of happiness (p < 0.03; d > 0.72). No effects of oxytocin were found on mood indicators or on self-perceived performance, regardless of MPA level.Conclusions
The results indicate possible benefits of the acute treatment with oxytocin in MPA, which may improve the management of this common and disabling condition that affects professional musicians. The appropriate perception of positive feedback may increase confidence and feelings of social acceptance, reducing symptoms associated with the condition. The lack of effects on mood/anxiety and cognition may be explained by the context-dependent characteristic of the effects of oxytocin, since the experiment did not represent an actual situation of social threat.Trial registrationBrazilian Clinical Trials Registry (Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos): No. RBR-9cph2q
... It has been discussed before that individuals with clinical symptoms might benefit most from OT application in terms of reduced cortisol levels Simeon et al., 2011). Some studies showed that subjective stress response and cortisol levels were affected by OT only in those with poor individual coping and emotion regulation abilities, respectively, but not in individuals with adequate coping or emotion regulation abilities (Quirin et al., 2011;Cardoso et al., 2012). In addition, OT effects on cortisol seem to depend on the social context of the stressor (Heinrichs et al., 2003;Eckstein et al., 2014). ...
Previous research suggests that neuroendocrine mechanisms underlie inter-individual stress coping in couples. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), while regulating stress-sensitive HPA-axis activity might be crucial in this process. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dyadic coping abilities and OT on HPA-axis outcomes and constructive behavior during couple conflict. We conducted a secondary analysis of our previous database (Ditzen et al., 2009), assessing the modulating role of dyadic coping and intranasal OT on couple conflict behavior. The data revealed a significant interaction effect of the dyadic coping by oneself score and OT on cortisol responses during couple conflict, suggesting that particularly individuals with low a priori dyadic coping benefit from OT in terms of dampened HPA-activity. The results are in line with previous research suggesting OT’s central role for stress regulation and prosocial behavior. Furthermore, an interaction with dyadic coping indicates adaptations in the sensitivity of the OT system during the individual attachment and relationship history. These data add to the evidence that the neuroendocrine attachment systems influence couple behavior. Future studies of neurobiological mechanisms underlying dyadic coping will be of high relevance for the development of prevention and intervention programs.
... We hypothesized that participants randomized to oxytocin, as compared with placebo, would demonstrate more attenuated cortisol reactivity and alcohol craving in response to the task. Because emerging hypotheses suggest that oxytocin may attenuate stress reactivity more effectively among individuals with less adaptive stress responses compared with healthy individuals (Cardoso, Linnen, Joober, & Ellenbogen, 2012;Flanagan et al., 2015), we also examined the moderating role of baseline cortisol levels on oxytocin's response. ...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly prevalent and commonly co-occur. The dual diagnosis of PTSD/AUD is associated with serious negative sequalae, and there are currently no effective pharmacological treatments for this comorbidity. Both PTSD and AUD are characterized by dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which helps modulate stress reactivity. Oxytocin, a neuropeptide that attenuates HPA axis dysregulation, may be beneficial for individuals with co-occurring PTSD/AUD. Thus, the current study examined the effects of intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) as compared with placebo on stress reactivity (e.g., cortisol) as well as subjective alcohol craving in response to a laboratory stress task (Trier Social Stress Task). Participants were 67 male U.S. military veterans with current PTSD and AUD (oxytocin n = 32, placebo n = 35; overall mean age = 49.06 years). Baseline cortisol levels were examined as a moderator of outcome. The findings revealed that oxytocin marginally attenuated cortisol reactivity in response to the stress task. Furthermore, oxytocin’s effect was moderated by baseline cortisol level, such that oxytocin mitigated cortisol reactivity to a greater extent among participants with higher, as compared with lower, baseline cortisol. Oxytocin did not reduce craving. Although preliminary, the findings are the first to examine oxytocin in co-occurring PTSD/AUD. The findings from this study contribute to the growing literature examining the potential utility of oxytocin among individuals with psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD and substance use disorders.
... Until recently, relatively few studies examining oxytocin in the context of stress have incorporated female participants into their design or examined sex as a factor of interest within their data analyses. Although the data is still relatively limited, intranasal oxytocin can produce anxiolytic effects in both men [38,42,49] and women [42,50]; though, oxytocin may have distinct sex-specific effects depending on the challenge employed. Perhaps the most consistently reported example of such an effect is the impact of oxytocin on amygdala responses to negatively-valenced stimuli. ...
Accumulating research indicates oxytocin plays a significant role in regulating the behavioral and neurobiological responses to stress. Evidence from preclinical models suggests the effect of oxytocin on stress-responsivity appears to be dependent on individual characteristics, including sex. Although the interaction between oxytocinergic and stress systems has been widely studied in rodents, recent efforts have been made to examine the interface between these two systems in humans. This brief review examines how administration of oxytocin can influence the neuroendocrine, behavioral, and neural responses to stress, explores how sex may impact these effects, and provides considerations for future work.
... For example, one study found that intranasal doses of OT administered prior to a couple conflict task was associated with a decrease of salivary alpha-amylase (a marker of emotional arousal) in women, but the opposite was true in men (Ditzen et al., 2013). Second, positive effects of OT are moderated by several variables, including mental health diagnoses, social context, maladaptive social histories (Bakermans-Kranenburg & van IJzendoorn, 2013;Bartels, 2012;Flanagan, Baker, McRae-Clark, Brady, & Moran-Santa Maria, 2015), and current level of emotion-oriented coping skills (Cardoso, Linnen, Joober, & Ellenbogen, 2012), which may impact its utility with treatmentseeking populations. ...
Social stress, especially dyadic conflict among couples, is an important correlate of addiction. Several authors have suggested that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) may be useful in the treatment of couples with substance misuse. However, the literature examining OT among couples is scant and has yielded mixed findings. The current study examined the effects of OT versus placebo on emotional (e.g., warmth and anger) and physiological (e.g., skin conductance and heart rate) reactivity to a conflict resolution task in 30 heterosexual couples (N = 60) in which one or both members misused substances. Using a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled design, both partners within each dyad were randomized to the same treatment condition. Participants completed a standardized conflict resolution task at baseline and 45 min following drug self-administration. Physiological measures were examined continuously during the laboratory tasks, and emotional reactivity was self-reported at baseline and at five time points over the course of 1 hr following the second conflict resolution task. Results of a multilevel growth curve model accounting for baseline scores, gender, and drug condition indicate that positive emotional experiences and skin conductance measures increased over the five time points. Neither drug condition nor gender was significantly related to outcomes, and no interaction effects were observed. These findings highlight the complexities involved in translational OT research and suggest that the impact of OT on key outcomes requires further exploration in regards to OT’s potential therapeutic benefit.
