Open AccessOxytocin facilitates the sensation of social stress
Author(s) -
Eckstein Monika,
Scheele Dirk,
Weber Kristina,
StoffelWagner Birgit,
Maier Wolfgang,
Hurlemann René
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.22508
Subject(s) - oxytocin , anxiolytic , anxiogenic , psychology , precuneus , social defeat , functional magnetic resonance imaging , neuropeptide , neuroscience , anterior cingulate cortex , vasopressin , sensation , social stress , anxiety , medicine , psychiatry , cognition , receptor
Essentially all social species experience social stress which can be a catalyst for detriments in mental and physical health. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has been shown to produce anxiolytic and antistress effects, thereby qualifying the OXT system as a promising drug target in the treatment of stress‐related disorders. However, recently it has been shown that OXT can have anxiogenic effects as well. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 60 healthy men while they were exposed to social stress after they received either intranasal OXT (24 IU) or placebo treatment. Although OXT administration did not alter salivary cortisol levels as a surrogate marker of stress axis activity, our participants initially reported an increment in perceived social stress. This behavioral effect was paralleled on the neural level by increased activity in the precuneus and cingulate cortex. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that OXT can induce a self‐referential processing bias which facilitates the sensation of social stress in the absence of altered endocrine responses. Hum Brain Mapp 35:4741–4750, 2014 . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .