Oxytocin
An accumulating body of evidence demonstrates the crucial role of the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin in the modulation of social cognition and behaviour. However, oxytocin is more than just a “social” neuropeptide as it’s also involved in the regulation of a number of other physiological systems. Indeed, oxytocin system dysfucntion may contribute to the overrepresentation of metabolic disorders in severe mental illnesses. Remarkably, little work has explicitly investigated how the impact of oxytocin on physiology influences social cognition and behaviour. Moreover, the role of oxytocin gene pathway variants on psychological and physiological processess is poorly characterised. A better understanding of how the oxytocin system influences the brain and body can help unravel the neurobiological basis of social function, and how this is linked to various physiological processes.
Daniel S. Quintana
Senior Researcher
Investigating the oxytocin system, heart rate variability, social behavior, and meta-science.
Publications
Oxytocin receptor expression patterns in the human brain across development
We demonstrate distinct patterns of OXTR gene expression in the developing brain, with increasing oxytocin receptor (OXTR) expression along the course of the prenatal period culminating in a peak during early childhood. We also show that a network of genes with strong spatiotemporal couplings with OXTR is enriched in several psychiatric illness and body composition phenotypes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that oxytocin signaling plays an important role in a diverse set of psychological and somatic processes across the lifespan.
Advances in the field of intranasal oxytocin research: lessons learned and future directions for clinical research
In this review we outline recent advances from human and animal research that provide converging evidence for functionally relevant effects of the intranasal oxytocin administration route, suggesting that direct nose-to-brain delivery underlies the behavioral effects of oxytocin on social cognition and behavior
Linking central gene expression patterns and mental states using transcriptomics and large-scale meta-analysis of fMRI data: A tutorial and example using the oxytocin signaling pathway
The measurement of gene expression levels in the human brain can help accelerate our understanding of complex mental states and …
Oxytocin pathway gene networks in the human brain
Using voxel-by-voxel gene expression brain maps generated via human post-mortem tissue, this analysis revealed expression of critical oxytocin pathway genes (OXTR, OXT, CD38) are enriched in subcortical and olfactory regions. fMRI meta-analysis revealed that these oxytocin pathway gene maps correspond with the processing of anticipatory, appetitive, and aversive cognitive states.
Dose-dependent social-cognitive effects of intranasal oxytocin delivered with novel Breath Powered device in adults with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind crossover trial
The neuropeptide oxytocin has shown promise as a treatment for symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, clinical research …
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
It is unclear if and how exogenous oxytocin (OT) reaches the brain to improve social behavior and cognition and what is the optimal …
Low dose oxytocin delivered intranasally with Breath Powered device affects social-cognitive behavior: a randomized 4-way crossover trial with nasal cavity dimension assessment
Despite the promise of intranasal oxytocin (OT) for modulating social behavior, recent work has provided mixed results. This may relate …
Talks
Rethinking Oxytocin’s role in cognition
The neuropeptide oxytocin has garnered considerable interest for its role in social behavior and its potential for the treatment of psychiatric illnesses characterised by social dysfunction, such as autism. However, initial excitement has turned to disappointment with some studies failing to replicate earlier results, which has been attributed to issues surrounding research methods, mechanistic understanding, and theory development. In this talk, I discuss efforts to improve research methods to enhance reproducibility, including precise sample size estimation, synthetic datasets, and ways to test evidence for null models
Identifying central targets for intranasal oxytocin administration and the optimal dose
In this talk, I describe a study identifying whole brain voxel-by-voxel gene expression patterns of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and its association with cognitive states via a large-scale fMRI meta-analysis of 14,371 studies. Data from two clinical trials are also presented demonstrating that compared to placebo, 8IU intranasal oxytocin (but not 24IU intranasal oxytocin or 1IU intravenous oxytocin) modulates social cognition, pupil diameter, and neural activity.