4.8 Review

Advances in human oxytocin measurement: challenges and proposed solutions

Related references

Note: Only part of the references are listed.
Article Psychology, Clinical

Null results of oxytocin and vasopressin administration on mentalizing in a large fMRI sample: evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Mark A. Straccia et al.

Summary: Although there are theoretical grounds, this study fails to demonstrate the effects of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) on social cognition in healthy individuals, suggesting that the impact of these neuropeptides may be more limited than initially assumed.

PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE (2023)

Article Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Structure-function relationships of the disease-linked A218T oxytocin receptor variant

Magdalena Meyer et al.

Summary: This study reveals the cellular mechanism linking the oxytocin receptor gene mutation (OXTR rs4686302 SNP) with genetic dysregulations associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The mutation leads to increased OXTR protein stability, changes in Ca2+ dynamics, and reduced activation of the MAPK pathway. Whole-genome and RNA sequencing analysis showed numerous differentially regulated genes in the mutant cells, including 429 genes associated with ASD. Computational modeling suggested that the OXTR mutation affects downstream events by altering receptor activation and signaling, consistent with the in vitro results.

MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY (2022)

Review Neurosciences

The influence of rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene on empathy in healthy adults by subtype and ethnicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Russell J. Chander et al.

Summary: The study showed that the rs53576 single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with cognitive empathy in Asian cohorts and affective empathy in European cohorts. G homozygotes demonstrated greater generalized empathic abilities in young to middle-aged adults.

REVIEWS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES (2022)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Social anxiety is associated with greater peripheral oxytocin reactivity to psychosocial stress

Benjamin A. Tabak et al.

Summary: Establishing reliable biomarkers associated with specific forms of psychopathology has been challenging. Social anxiety, for example, is linked to inconsistent biological responses, making it crucial to identify more reliable biomarkers. Oxytocin and vasopressin are potential candidates, but it remains unclear if they are modulated by social anxiety in response to psychosocial stress.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2022)

Review Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Brain oxytocin: how puzzle stones from animal studies translate into psychiatry

Valery Grinevich et al.

Summary: Oxytocin has attracted attention from the general public, basic neuroscience researchers, psychologists, and psychiatrists for its important social, anxiolytic, and anti-stress behavioral and physiological effects. Significant progress has been made in understanding the oxytocin system, but further research is needed to fully grasp its actions.

MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY (2021)

Review Education, Special

Oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) DNA methylation is associated with autism and related social traits-A systematic review

Matthijs Moerkerke et al.

Summary: The study found that DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with autism traits and social anxiety, with hypermethylation possibly linked to higher autism characteristics in adults and hypomethylation associated with children with ASD and increased social anxiety. Further research is needed to confirm these initial findings and understand the underlying mechanisms.

RESEARCH IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (2021)

Article Psychology, Developmental

Physical touch during father-infant interactions is associated with paternal oxytocin levels

Alyssa R. Morris et al.

Summary: The study found that fathers' physical touch behaviors during parent-child interaction are associated with oxytocin levels, especially when fathers engage in more playful proprioceptive touch. Gentle affectionate touch and functional proprioceptive touch were found to predict higher levels of unextracted oxytocin. Fathers who did not engage in physical touch showed lower levels of both unextracted and extracted oxytocin.

INFANT BEHAVIOR & DEVELOPMENT (2021)

Review Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Advances in the field of intranasal oxytocin research: lessons learned and future directions for clinical research

Daniel S. Quintana et al.

Summary: Recent advances in human and animal research provide converging evidence for functionally relevant effects of intranasal oxytocin administration, supporting the idea that direct nose-to-brain delivery underlies the behavioral effects of oxytocin on social cognition and behavior. Furthermore, discussions on previously debated methodological issues, such as pre-registration, reproducibility, statistical power, interpretation of non-significant results, dosage, and sex differences, are integrated with suggestions for the next steps in translating intranasal oxytocin into psychiatric applications.

MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY (2021)

Article Neurosciences

Reconstruction of the Hypothalamo-Neurohypophysial System and Functional Dissection of Magnocellular Oxytocin Neurons in the Brain

Bin Zhang et al.

Summary: The study reveals the three-dimensional architecture of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS) using viral tracing and whole-brain imaging, uncovering complexity of MNCs collateral projections within the brain. It also demonstrates that subsets of MNCs collaterally project to multiple extrahypothalamic regions, providing structural and functional evidence for coordinating both peripheral and central oxytocin-mediated actions.

NEURON (2021)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

How to study the menstrual cycle: Practical tools and recommendations

Katja M. Schmalenberger et al.

Summary: Despite decades of research, there is still confusion in the methodology of studying the physiological and psychological effects of the menstrual cycle. A set of guidelines and tools offered in this paper aims to improve the meaningfulness and replicability of study results.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2021)

Article Biology

Oxytocin modulates human chemosensory decoding of sex in a dose-dependent manner

Kepu Chen et al.

Summary: The study provides evidence of the role of oxytocin and vasopressin in subconscious chemosignaling in humans. It shows that chemosensory communications of masculinity and femininity can be blocked by a competitive antagonist of these neuropeptides. Oxytocin modulates the decoding of sex-specific information in a manner that is dose-dependent, nonmonotonic, and contingent upon social proficiency of the recipients.

ELIFE (2021)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Specificity of plasma oxytocin immunoassays: A comparison of commercial assays and sample preparation techniques using oxytocin knockout and wildtype mice

Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan et al.

Summary: The measurement methods of oxytocin concentrations have generated controversy, with this study finding specificity in immunoassays and similar results across different assay kits. Wildtype and knockout mice showed clear differences in oxytocin levels in plasma, with immunoassays proving reliable in distinguishing between the two genotypes.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2021)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Validation of a commercial enzyme immunoassay to assess urinary oxytocin in humans

Franka S. Schaebs et al.

Summary: This study evaluated the use of a commercially available Enzyme Immunoassay to assess OT levels in human urine samples and found that OT can be reliably assessed in urine. However, extraction methods need further improvement for accuracy and efficiency, while OT stability is affected by storage conditions.

ENDOCRINE CONNECTIONS (2021)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Oxytocin levels in response to pituitary provocation tests in healthy volunteers

Clara O. Sailer et al.

Summary: The study investigated the effects of different pituitary provocation tests on plasma oxytocin levels, showing that neither the arginine infusion nor the oral macimorelin test stimulated plasma oxytocin levels, while there was an increase in oxytocin levels with high variance upon hypertonic saline infusion.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY (2021)

Review Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

The Effects of Oxytocin on Appetite Regulation, Food Intake and Metabolism in Humans

Liya Kerem et al.

Summary: This review comprehensively describes both the central and peripheral effects of oxytocin on eating behavior and metabolism, as well as discussing the association between endogenous oxytocin levels and weight status, metabolic syndrome, and bone health. The review also highlights the potential of intranasal oxytocin as a therapeutic option for obesity treatment and the challenges of translating oxytocin research into clinical care.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES (2021)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Storytelling increases oxytocin and positive emotions and decreases cortisol and in children

Guilherme Brockington et al.

Summary: Storytelling has a positive impact on the physiological and psychological well-being of children in intensive care units, leading to increased oxytocin levels, decreased cortisol levels, reduced pain perception, and improved psychological state when describing their hospital experience.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2021)

Article Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Effect of intranasal oxytocin on the core social symptoms of autism spectrum disorder: a randomized clinical trial

Hidenori Yamasue et al.

MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY (2020)

Review Behavioral Sciences

Chronic oxytocin administration as a tool for investigation and treatment: A cross-disciplinary systematic review

Marilyn Horta et al.

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS (2020)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Effects of route of administration on oxytocin-induced changes in regional cerebral blood flow in humans

D. A. Martins et al.

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2020)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Neonatal CSF vasopressin concentration predicts later medical record diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder

Ozge Oztan et al.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2020)

Review Behavioral Sciences

An Allostatic Theory of Oxytocin

Daniel S. Quintana et al.

TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES (2020)

Review Behavioral Sciences

A Novel Role of CD38 and Oxytocin as Tandem Molecular Moderators of Human Social Behavior

Serenella Tolomeo et al.

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS (2020)

Article Psychology, Biological

A registered replication study on oxytocin and trust

Carolyn H. Declerck et al.

NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR (2020)

Review Multidisciplinary Sciences

Maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during breastfeeding-A systematic review

Kerstin Uvnas-Moberg et al.

PLOS ONE (2020)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

Oxytocin analysis from human serum, urine, and saliva by orbitrap liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Adrian A. Franke et al.

DRUG TESTING AND ANALYSIS (2019)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Low Plasma Oxytocin Levels and Increased Psychopathology in Hypopituitary Men With Diabetes Insipidus

Anna Aulinas et al.

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM (2019)

Review Endocrinology & Metabolism

The endogenous oxytocin system in depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sinha Engel et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2019)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Chemogenetic activation of oxytocin neurons: Temporal dynamics, hormonal release, and behavioral consequences

Thomas Grund et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2019)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Oxytocin pathway gene networks in the human brain

Daniel S. Quintana et al.

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2019)

Review Pharmacology & Pharmacy

Nose-to-Brain Delivery

Zian Wang et al.

JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS (2019)

Review Endocrinology & Metabolism

Challenges for measuring oxytocin: The blind men and the elephant?

Evan L. MacLean et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2019)

Review Endocrinology & Metabolism

Menstrual cycle-related fluctuations in oxytocin concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sinha Engel et al.

FRONTIERS IN NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2019)

Article Psychology, Clinical

An Overview of Scientific Reproducibility: Consideration of Relevant Issues for Behavior Science/Analysis

Sean Laraway et al.

PERSPECTIVES ON BEHAVIOR SCIENCE (2019)

Review Zoology

Measuring peripheral oxytocin and vasopressin in nonhuman primates

Toni E. Ziegler

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY (2018)

Article Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Oxytocin Signaling in the Lateral Septum Prevents Social Fear during Lactation

Rohit Menon et al.

CURRENT BIOLOGY (2018)

Review Physiology

THE OXYTOCIN RECEPTOR: FROM INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING TO BEHAVIOR

Benjamin Jurek et al.

PHYSIOLOGICAL REVIEWS (2018)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Adolescent oxytocin response to stress and its behavioral and endocrine correlates

Anka Bernhard et al.

HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR (2018)

Review Neurosciences

Sex as a Biological Variable: Who, What, When, Why, and How

Tracy L. Bale et al.

NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY (2017)

Review Behavioral Sciences

The correlation between central and peripheral oxytocin concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mathias Valstad et al.

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS (2017)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Intranasal oxytocin treatment for social deficits and biomarkers of response in children with autism

Karen J. Parker et al.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2017)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Oxytocin secretion is pulsatile in men and is related to social-emotional functioning

Charumathi Baskaran et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2017)

Article Psychology, Multidisciplinary

Oxytocin and Social Bonds: The Role of Oxytocin in Perceptions of Romantic Partners' Bonding Behavior

Sara B. Algoe et al.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (2017)

Review Neurosciences

Oxytocin in General Anxiety and Social Fear: A Translational Approach

Inga D. Neumann et al.

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY (2016)

Review Neurosciences

The Social Salience Hypothesis of Oxytocin

Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory et al.

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY (2016)

Review Neurosciences

Intranasal Oxytocin: Myths and Delusions

Gareth Leng et al.

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY (2016)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

High serum oxytocin is associated with metabolic syndrome in older men - The MINOS study

Pawel Szulc et al.

DIABETES RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE (2016)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

The Peptide Oxytocin Antagonist F-792, When Given Systemically, Does Not Act Centrally in Lactating Rats

G. Leng et al.

JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2016)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Association of HPA axis hormones with copeptin after psychological stress differs by sex

Elias K. Spanakis et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2016)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Urinary and plasma oxytocin changes in response to MDMA or intranasal oxytocin administration

Sunday M. Francis et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2016)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Proteomics tools reveal startlingly high amounts of oxytocin in plasma and serum

Ole Kristian Brandtzaeg et al.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2016)

Article Neurosciences

Relations between plasma oxytocin and cortisol: The stress buffering role of social support

Robyn J. McQuaid et al.

NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS (2016)

Article Neurosciences

Oxytocin Receptor Gene Methylation: Converging Multilevel Evidence for a Role in Social Anxiety

Christiane Ziegler et al.

NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY (2015)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Oxytocin and HPA stress axis reactivity in postpartum women

E. Q. Cox et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2015)

Article Clinical Neurology

A practical guide to immunoassay method validation

Ulf Andreasson et al.

FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY (2015)

Article Psychology, Multidisciplinary

Does Oxytocin Increase Trust in Humans? A Critical Review of Research

Gideon Nave et al.

PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (2015)

Review Psychology

Oxytocin Pathways and the Evolution of Human Behavior

C. Sue Carter

ANNUAL REVIEW OF PSYCHOLOGY, VOL 65 (2014)

Article Neurosciences

Oxytocin Facilitates the Sensation of Social Stress

Monika Eckstein et al.

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING (2014)

Review Behavioral Sciences

A general approach-avoidance hypothesis of Oxytocin: Accounting for social and non-social effects of oxytocin

Osnat Harari-Dahan et al.

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS (2014)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Plasma oxytocin concentrations and OXTR polymorphisms predict social impairments in children with and without autism spectrum disorder

Karen J. Parker et al.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2014)

Review Endocrinology & Metabolism

Do venepuncture procedures induce cortisol responses? A review, study, and synthesis for stress research

Lisa J. Weckesser et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2014)

Review Behavioral Sciences

Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review

Catherine Crockford et al.

FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE (2014)

Letter Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Oxytocin increases anxiety to unpredictable threat

C. Grillon et al.

MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY (2013)

Review Behavioral Sciences

Problems with measuring peripheral oxytocin: Can the data on oxytocin and human behavior be trusted?

Michael E. McCullough et al.

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS (2013)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Increased brain and plasma oxytocin after nasal and peripheral administration in rats and mice

Inga D. Neumann et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2013)

Editorial Material Neurosciences

Oxytocin and social salience: a call for gene-environment interaction research

Alfonso Abizaid

FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE (2013)

Review Behavioral Sciences

The social brain in psychiatric and neurological disorders

Daniel P. Kennedy et al.

TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES (2012)

Article Psychology, Developmental

Adult attachment representations predict cortisol and oxytocin responses to stress

Blaise Pierrehumbert et al.

ATTACHMENT & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (2012)

Article Psychology, Clinical

Plasma, salivary, and urinary oxytocin in anorexia nervosa: A pilot study

Elizabeth R. Hoffman et al.

EATING BEHAVIORS (2012)

Article Chemistry, Analytical

Validation of immunoassay for protein biomarkers: Bioanalytical study plan implementation to support pre-clinical and clinical studies

Marie-Anne Valentin et al.

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL ANALYSIS (2011)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Oxytocin indexes relational distress following interpersonal harms in women

Benjamin A. Tabak et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2011)

Review Endocrinology & Metabolism

A review of safety, side-effects and subjective reactions to intranasal oxytocin in human research

Elayne MacDonald et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2011)

Article Economics

Professor Zak's empirical studies on trust and oxytocin

John Conlisk

JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR & ORGANIZATION (2011)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Variation in oxytocin is related to variation in affiliative behavior in monogamous, pairbonded tamarins

Charles T. Snowdon et al.

HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR (2010)

Editorial Material Neurosciences

Bioanalytical inaccuracy: a threat to the integrity and efficiency of research

Simon N. Young et al.

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY & NEUROSCIENCE (2010)

Article Psychiatry

Preliminary evidence that plasma oxytocin levels are elevated in major depression

Karen J. Parker et al.

PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH (2010)

Article Medicine, General & Internal

Genomic and epigenetic evidence for oxytocin receptor deficiency in autism

Simon G. Gregory et al.

BMC MEDICINE (2009)

Review Endocrinology & Metabolism

Oxytocin and the neural mechanisms regulating social cognition and affiliative behavior

Heather E. Ross et al.

FRONTIERS IN NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2009)

Article Neurosciences

Adult Attachment Predicts Maternal Brain and Oxytocin Response to Infant Cues

Lane Strathearn et al.

NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY (2009)

Article Psychiatry

Evidence of Dysregulated Peripheral Oxytocin Release Among Depressed Women

Jill M. Cyranowski et al.

PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE (2008)

Review Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine

Saliva: a dynamic proteome

E. J. Helmerhorst et al.

JOURNAL OF DENTAL RESEARCH (2007)

Article Endocrinology & Metabolism

Effects of different kinds of couple interaction on cortisol and heart rate responses to stress in women

Beate Ditzen et al.

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY (2007)

Review Pharmacology & Pharmacy

Key elements of bioanalytical method validation for macromolecules

Marian Kelley et al.

AAPS JOURNAL (2007)

Article Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Urinary oxytocin as a non-invasive biomarker for neurohypophyseal hormone secretion

Anthony B. Polito et al.

PEPTIDES (2006)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Oxytocin increases trust in humans

M Kosfeld et al.

NATURE (2005)

Article Psychology, Biological

Oxytocin is not a valid biomarker when measured in saliva by immunoassay

M Horvat-Gordon et al.

PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR (2005)

Article Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

DNA methylation of the human oxytocin receptor gene promoter regulates tissue-specific gene suppression

C Kusui et al.

BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS (2001)

Article Psychiatry

Responses to laboratory psychosocial stress in postpartum women

M Altemus et al.

PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE (2001)