Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 9425208 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1648-9144 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1010660X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Medicina (Kaunas) Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2018- : Basel, Switzerland : MDPI
Original Publication: Kaunas : Lietuvos gydytojų sąjunga

Autistic Disorder* ; Feeding and Eating Disorders*; Humans ; Neurotransmitter Agents/therapeutic use ; Oxytocin/therapeutic use ; Social Behavior

Is a cyclic neuropeptide produced primarily in the hypothalamus and plays an important neuromodulatory role for other neurotransmitter systems, with an impact on behavior, response to danger, stress, and complex social interactions, such as pair bonding and child care. This narrative expert review examines the literature on oxytocin as a brain hormone. We focused on oxytocin structure, distribution, genetics, and the oxytocin receptor system, as well as the relationship of oxytocin with other neurotransmitters and the resulting impacts on the main psychiatric disorders. Oxytocin levels have been correlated over time with mental illness, with numerous studies focusing on oxytocin and the pathophysiology of the main psychiatric disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, personality disorders, mood, and eating disorders. We highlight the role oxytocin plays in improving symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and social behavior, as the literature suggests. Risk factors and causes for psychiatric disorders range from genetic to environmental and social factors. Oxytocin could impact the latter, being linked with other neurotransmitter systems that are responsible for integrating different situations during the development phases of individuals. Also, these systems have an important role in how the body responds to stressors or bonding with others, helping with the creation of social support groups that could speed up recovery in many situations. Oxytocin has the potential to become a key therapeutic agent for future treatment and prevention strategies concerning the main psychiatric disorders.

Biol Psychiatry. 2009 May 1;65(9):728-31. (PMID: 19027101)
Horm Behav. 2012 Mar;61(3):392-9. (PMID: 22197271)
J Endocrinol. 1989 Jul;122(1):313-22. (PMID: 2769155)
Nature. 2009 Jan 8;457(7226):148. (PMID: 19129828)
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1998;449:297-306. (PMID: 10026817)
Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2013 Sep-Oct;21(5):219-47. (PMID: 24651556)
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011 Aug;36(9):1886-93. (PMID: 21562482)
J Neurosci. 1995 Jul;15(7 Pt 1):5058-64. (PMID: 7623134)
Mol Neurobiol. 2020 Jan;57(1):290-301. (PMID: 31327126)
J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2017 Jul 30;23(3):349-362. (PMID: 28672433)
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1994 Sep;49(1):101-6. (PMID: 7816858)
Autism. 2021 Nov;25(8):2152-2161. (PMID: 34308675)
J Physiol. 2006 Jan 1;570(Pt 1):125-40. (PMID: 16166151)
Stress. 2007 Aug;10(3):261-70. (PMID: 17613940)
DNA Cell Biol. 1995 Dec;14(12):1037-48. (PMID: 8534370)
Psychiatry Res. 2014 Nov 30;219(3):436-42. (PMID: 25048758)
Neuroendocrinology. 1983;36(4):300-6. (PMID: 6223233)
Schizophr Res. 2015 Mar;162(1-3):52-6. (PMID: 25620121)
Mol Autism. 2012 Dec 05;3(1):16. (PMID: 23216716)
Eur J Neurosci. 2007 Aug;26(4):1026-35. (PMID: 17672853)
Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2011 Jun;17(6):558-61. (PMID: 21735659)
Eur J Biochem. 1993 Jul 1;215(1):1-7. (PMID: 8393786)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Dec 13;108(50):19937-42. (PMID: 22123970)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Dec 24;110(52):20953-8. (PMID: 24297883)
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Sep 26;22(19):. (PMID: 34638719)
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1999 Feb;142(1):95-101. (PMID: 10102788)
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2014 Oct 15;307(8):G848-62. (PMID: 25147234)
Schizophr Res. 2012 Aug;139(1-3):201-6. (PMID: 22742979)
Indian J Psychol Med. 2012 Oct;34(4):365-70. (PMID: 23723546)
Biochem Soc Trans. 2007 Nov;35(Pt 5):1252-7. (PMID: 17956324)
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb 21;22(4):. (PMID: 33670047)
Front Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 27;10:76. (PMID: 30873049)
Schizophr Res. 2015 Mar;162(1-3):57-61. (PMID: 25583247)
Prog Brain Res. 2002;139:43-55. (PMID: 12436925)
Pharmaceutics. 2022 May 21;14(5):. (PMID: 35631690)
Acta Endocrinol (Buchar). 2017 Jan-Mar;13(1):65-71. (PMID: 31149150)
Neuropharmacology. 1996;35(11):1635-40. (PMID: 9025112)
Physiol Behav. 2014 Apr 10;128:260-9. (PMID: 24530263)
J Neurosci. 2009 Feb 18;29(7):2259-71. (PMID: 19228979)
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Dec 23;23(1):. (PMID: 35008574)
Schizophr Res. 2010 Dec;124(1-3):13-21. (PMID: 20947304)
Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2017 Feb;1:. (PMID: 28649672)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2015 Dec;62:36-46. (PMID: 26231445)
J Physiol Sci. 2012 Nov;62(6):441-4. (PMID: 23007624)
J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris). 2016 Oct;45(8):786-795. (PMID: 27312097)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013 Nov;38(11):2800-4. (PMID: 23768973)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jun 10;111(23):8637-42. (PMID: 24912179)
Soc Neurosci. 2009;4(4):287-93. (PMID: 18671168)
J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Sep;42(9):1818-26. (PMID: 22160348)
Br J Surg. 1979 Aug;66(8):550-1. (PMID: 486913)
Brain Res. 2018 Dec 15;1701:85-92. (PMID: 30040918)
PeerJ. 2021 Nov 12;9:e12393. (PMID: 34824911)
J Eat Disord. 2021 Jul 13;9(1):85. (PMID: 34256847)
Arch Womens Ment Health. 2016 Aug;19(4):571-9. (PMID: 27320943)
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1995;395:257-8. (PMID: 8713975)
PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59625. (PMID: 23527232)
Nature. 2013 Sep 12;501(7466):179-84. (PMID: 24025838)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Jul 1;89(13):5981-5. (PMID: 1321430)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Jan 3;92(1):200-4. (PMID: 7816817)
Int J Mol Sci. 2013 May 13;14(5):10122-42. (PMID: 23670594)
Neural Plast. 2018 Jul 2;2018:4864107. (PMID: 30057594)
J Mol Endocrinol. 1995 Oct;15(2):195-202. (PMID: 8800644)
Front Integr Neurosci. 2013 Jul 29;7:55. (PMID: 23908608)
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 May;210(1):35-43. (PMID: 20232054)
J Clin Psychiatry. 2013 May;74(5):e451-7. (PMID: 23759466)
Elife. 2018 Sep 07;7:. (PMID: 30192229)
Neurol Int. 2022 Jan 30;14(1):186-198. (PMID: 35225885)
Psychiatry Res. 2015 Aug 30;228(3):641-8. (PMID: 26106053)
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 1996 Nov 29;124(1-2):25-32. (PMID: 9027321)
Cureus. 2021 Feb 7;13(2):e13190. (PMID: 33717733)
J Neuroendocrinol. 2021 May;33(5):e12970. (PMID: 33851744)
Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Dec 15;54(12):1389-98. (PMID: 14675803)
Neuron. 1991 Dec;7(6):867-79. (PMID: 1684901)
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2020 Sep;21(7):513-528. (PMID: 30806136)
Psychiatry Res. 2015 Oct 30;229(3):814-8. (PMID: 26277035)
Schizophr Res. 2015 Mar;162(1-3):47-51. (PMID: 25673435)
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Nov;301(5):E1004-12. (PMID: 21828335)
J Neurosci. 2002 May 1;22(9):3306-11. (PMID: 11978804)
Cereb Cortex. 2018 Dec 1;28(12):4169-4178. (PMID: 29045584)
Neuroscience. 1999 Mar;90(3):851-8. (PMID: 10218785)
J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2014 Mar;24(2):54-68. (PMID: 24679173)
Nature. 1992 Apr 9;356(6369):526-9. (PMID: 1313946)
Biol Psychiatry. 1995 Sep 1;38(5):330-5. (PMID: 7495928)
Neuropsychopharmacology. 1997 Oct;17(4):284-92. (PMID: 9326754)
Psychiatry Res. 2009 Oct 30;169(3):249-52. (PMID: 19732960)
Reprod Fertil Dev. 1995;7(3):313-8. (PMID: 8606939)
Nat Med. 2008 Apr;14(4):353. (PMID: 18391923)
J Comp Neurol. 2017 Apr 1;525(5):1094-1108. (PMID: 27615433)
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Feb 15;13:786271. (PMID: 35242106)
Brain Res. 1993 May 21;611(2):330-2. (PMID: 8334526)
Physiol Behav. 2004 Oct 30;83(1):31-8. (PMID: 15501488)
Science. 2017 Sep 29;357(6358):1406-1411. (PMID: 28963257)
Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 15;6:35054. (PMID: 27845765)
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992 Jun 12;652:29-38. (PMID: 1320828)
Addict Biol. 2012 Jul;17(4):758-69. (PMID: 22507692)
Acta Endocrinol (Buchar). 2016 Jan-Mar;12(1):65-71. (PMID: 31258803)
Animals (Basel). 2019 Oct 12;9(10):. (PMID: 31614747)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2015 May;55:164-72. (PMID: 25768266)
Psychiatry Res. 2010 Jul 30;178(2):359-62. (PMID: 20494448)
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005 Feb;30(2):223-30. (PMID: 15536493)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1998 Nov;23(8):945-62. (PMID: 9924746)
Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2015 May;23(3):171-8. (PMID: 25773927)
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 20;22(14):. (PMID: 34299356)
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021 Jan;60(1):35-45. (PMID: 32387445)
Science. 1980 Jan 25;207(4429):373-8. (PMID: 6153132)
Int J Psychiatry Med. 2012;43(3):243-59. (PMID: 22978082)
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013 Sep;38(9):1688-97. (PMID: 23474276)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Sep 13;108(37):15118-22. (PMID: 21896752)
Eur Arch Psychiatry Neurol Sci. 1984;234(3):162-5. (PMID: 6489403)
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 Aug;22(8):578-83. (PMID: 22297159)
J Neuroendocrinol. 2007 Mar;19(3):189-97. (PMID: 17280592)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Aug 3;107(31):13936-41. (PMID: 20647384)
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017 Jan;72:232-242. (PMID: 27923732)
Schizophr Bull. 2014 Nov;40(6):1374-84. (PMID: 24619535)
J Psychopharmacol. 2006 Sep;20(5):656-60. (PMID: 16401658)
J Neuroendocrinol. 2003 Mar;15(3):242-9. (PMID: 12588512)
Curr Neuropharmacol. 2022 Jan 14;:. (PMID: 35034597)
Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2018;35:499-514. (PMID: 28812272)
Crit Rev Neurobiol. 1996;10(1):119-54. (PMID: 8853957)
Endocrinology. 1991 Aug;129(2):785-91. (PMID: 1649746)
Psychosomatics. 1998 Jan-Feb;39(1):45-54. (PMID: 9538675)

Keywords: behavior; depression; dopamine; glutamate; oxytocin; receptors; review; serotonin; stress

0 (Neurotransmitter Agents)
50-56-6 (Oxytocin)

Date Created: 20220727 Date Completed: 20220728 Latest Revision: 20220731

20221216

PMC9318841

10.3390/medicina58070923

35888641