RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Oxytocin Modulates Neural Circuitry for Social Cognition and Fear in Humans
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 11489
OP 11493
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3984-05.2005
VO 25
IS 49
A1 Peter Kirsch
A1 Christine Esslinger
A1 Qiang Chen
A1 Daniela Mier
A1 Stefanie Lis
A1 Sarina Siddhanti
A1 Harald Gruppe
A1 Venkata S. Mattay
A1 Bernd Gallhofer
A1 Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
YR 2005
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/49/11489.abstract
AB In non-human mammals, the neuropeptide oxytocin is a key mediator of complex emotional and social behaviors, including attachment, social recognition, and aggression. Oxytocin reduces anxiety and impacts on fear conditioning and extinction. Recently, oxytocin administration in humans was shown to increase trust, suggesting involvement of the amygdala, a central component of the neurocircuitry of fear and social cognition that has been linked to trust and highly expresses oxytocin receptors in many mammals. However, no human data on the effects of this peptide on brain function were available. Here, we show that human amygdala function is strongly modulated by oxytocin. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to image amygdala activation by fear-inducing visual stimuli in 15 healthy males after double-blind crossover intranasal application of placebo or oxytocin. Compared with placebo, oxytocin potently reduced activation of the amygdala and reduced coupling of the amygdala to brainstem regions implicated in autonomic and behavioral manifestations of fear. Our results indicate a neural mechanism for the effects of oxytocin in social cognition in the human brain and provide a methodology and rationale for exploring therapeutic strategies in disorders in which abnormal amygdala function has been implicated, such as social phobia or autism.