Article
Neurosciences
Paul J. Marvar, Raul Andero, Rene Hurlemann, Tiffany R. Lago, Moriel Zelikowsky, Joanna Dabrowska
Summary: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with dysregulation of limbic neuropeptides, with studies showing that blocking certain pathways can weaken fear memory consolidation, enhance fear extinction, and improve threat discrimination. Novel approaches targeting these pathways offer promising potential for treating core elements of PTSD pathophysiology.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Julia S. Krimberg, Francisco S. Lumertz, Rodrigo Orso, Thiago W. Viola, Rosa Maria M. de Almeida
Summary: Social isolation stress is associated with negative developmental outcomes and may be related to the oxytocinergic system. Decreased OXTR levels are associated with behavioral alterations such as increased aggression and anxiety-like behavior, hyperactivity, and diminished social behaviors and memory. Administration of synthetic oxytocin or its agonists can partially decrease these behavioral alterations.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
David H. Malin, Tsai Ping-Hsun, Joseph R. Campbell, Georgina L. Moreno, Holly L. Chapman, Aoi Suzaki, Mehrshad S. Keivan, Kaitlyn M. Gibbons, Erica R. Morales, Ethan S. Burstein, Christopher P. Ward
Summary: Pimavanserin is a selective 5-HT2A inverse agonist that may have potential in reducing PTSD symptoms. It was tested in a rat model and found to reversethe effects of stress and anxiety, suggesting its role in traumatic stress reduction.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jana Lieberz, Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory, Nira Saporta, Timo Esser, Ekaterina Kuskova, Birgit Stoffel-Wagner, Rene Hurlemann, Dirk Scheele
Summary: Loneliness is associated with decreased trust, larger social distances, and lower trustworthiness. Lonely individuals show reduced limbic and striatal activation, as well as weakened functional connectivity between the anterior insula and occipitoparietal regions during initial trust decisions.
Article
Neurosciences
Shiyi Li, Shuangmei Ma, Danyang Wang, Hejing Zhang, Yunzhu Li, Jiaxin Wang, Jingyi Li, Boyu Zhang, Joerg Gross, Carsten K. W. De Dreu, Wen-Xu Wang, Yina Ma
Summary: This study investigates how individual cooperation spreads through human social networks and identifies oxytocin and costly punishment as biobehavioral mechanisms that facilitate the propagation of cooperation. The experiments show that giving oxytocin to central individuals increases their trust and enforcement of cooperation norms, thereby explaining the spreading of cooperation throughout the social network. Simulation results confirm that central cooperators' willingness to punish noncooperation allows the permeation of the network and enables the evolution of network cooperation.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mariana Rae, Mariana Lemos Duarte, Ivone Gomes, Rosana Camarini, Lakshmi A. Devi
Summary: OT and AVP exhibit opposite roles in modulating stress, anxiety, and social behaviors, potentially due to their high sequence homology with their receptors. The crosstalk between these peptides and receptors in vivo remains unclear, but understanding this interaction is essential for elucidating the roles of OT and AVP, as well as for therapeutic targets in treating human disorders.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mariia Dorofeikova, Chandrashekhar D. Borkar, Katherine Weissmuller, Lydia Smith-Osborne, Samhita Basavanhalli, Erin Bean, Avery Smith, Anh Duong, Alexis Resendez, Jonathan P. Fadok
Summary: Social behavior deficits are common in psychiatric disorders, and acute stress can negatively impact social behavior. This study explored the effect of acute footshock stress on male and female mice's sociability. It was found that footshock stress increased defensive tail-rattling behavior in males, which was alleviated by alprazolam. However, alprazolam had no effect on female tail-rattling behavior. These results suggest that acute footshock stress induces sex-dependent alterations in defensiveness and the activation patterns during social approach.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Chi-Ying Chen, Yu-Chen Chiang, Tai-Chih Kuo, Ka-Wai Tam, El-Wui Loh
Summary: In non-psychiatric subjects, single-dose INOT significantly reduces food intake, but no significant effects were found in patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term effects and safety of INOT in obese patients and whether it could be a treatment option for patients with eating disorders.
CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noelia Sofia de Leon Reyes, Paula Sierra Diaz, Ramon Nogueira, Antonia Ruiz-Pino, Yuki Nomura, Christopher A. de Solis, Jay Schulkin, Arun Asok, Felix Leroy
Summary: Adult rodents prefer to interact with novel members of the same species rather than familiar ones. This study identifies neurons in the infra limbic area (ILA) of the mouse prefrontal cortex that express corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and project to the dorsal region of the rostral lateral septum (rLS). The release of CRH during familiar encounters disinhibits rLS neurons, suppressing social interactions with familiar mice and contributing to the preference for social novelty.
Article
Zoology
Shuli HUANG, Guoliang LI, Yongliang PAN, Mingjing SONG, Jidong ZHAO, Xinrong WAN, Charles J. KREBS, Zuoxin WANG, Wenxuan HAN, Zhibin ZHANG
Summary: This study found that high housing density induced more aggressive behavior, which significantly increased the expression of mRNA and protein of AVP and its receptor, but decreased the expression of mRNA and protein of OT and its receptor in specific brain regions of voles. These results suggest that density-dependent changes in the OT/AVP systems may play a significant role in the population regulation of small rodents by altering density-dependent aggressive behavior.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Chenwei Huang, Qiyun Feng, Borui Zhang, Huiguang Ren, Zihao Liu, Yuwei Kang, Fan Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the psychological response of the Chinese public during the regular prevention and control of COVID-19 and found that the prevalence rates for anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and stress problems were 19.8%, 23.8%, and 24.7% respectively. Social support was positively correlated with stress, anxiety, and PTSD, while changes in income and social support were associated with stress, anxiety, and PTSD in non-student samples. Therefore, strengthening social support during regular prevention and control can help reduce psychological stress and symptoms.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Benjamin A. Tabak, David Rosenfield, Cecile S. Sunahara, Talha Alvi, Angela Szeto, Armando J. Mendez
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)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Seoyoung Yoon, Yong-Ku Kim
Summary: Anxiety and mood disorders are common and challenging to treat, and oxytocin is believed to have therapeutic effects. However, the results of studies on the relationship between oxytocin and these disorders are inconsistent, possibly due to factors such as participant characteristics and research methodology.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Michael J. Hylin, W. Tang Watanasriyakul, Natalee Hite, Neal McNeal, Angela J. Grippo
Summary: Using the prairie vole model, this study found that social isolation can lead to depressive and anxiety-like behaviors, as well as changes in dendritic material and spine density in the basolateral amygdala. These results suggest that social isolation may contribute to the development of affective disorders.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
David M. Greenberg, Jean Decety, Ilanit Gordon
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people turned to music to meet their social needs, with musical adaptations being understood through advances in social neuroscience of music, which have been overlooked in the past. Researchers emphasized the overlap between social brain networks involved in music production and those related to human cognitive processes, indicating a potential for a better understanding of the relationship between music and the social brain. The pandemic may serve as a starting point for further research in the social neuroscience of music.
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST
(2021)
