Article
Biology
Linda Handlin, Giovanni Novembre, Helene Lindholm, Robin Kampe, Elisabeth Paul, India Morrison
Summary: The study found that contextual circumstances of social touch influence both current hormonal and brain responses as well as later responses. Oxytocin plays a crucial role in social interactions, modulating the brain's response to touch. These findings demonstrate the flexibility of hormone-brain modulation during human social interactions.
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Qin Li, Weihua Zhao, Keith M. M. Kendrick
Summary: This review examines the importance of touch, discussing the touch receptors and neural processing involved, as well as the significant role that early tactile stimulation plays in brain and behavioral development. The potential mechanisms by which early touch stimulation influences development are explored, particularly in terms of neural plasticity changes, social behavior, and reward sensitivity. The review also considers the implications of atypical touch responses in neurodevelopmental disorders and discusses potential interventions using massage or pharmacological treatments.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Galina V. V. Portnova, Elena V. V. Proskurnina, Ivan V. V. Skorokhodov, Svetlana V. V. Sokolova, Alexey N. N. Semirechenko, Anton A. A. Varlamov
Summary: Individuals with ASD often have issues with tactile sensory processing, characterized by hypersensitivity and negative emotions induced by tactile contact. Our study investigated the effects of impersonal tactile stimulation on adults with ASD, finding that oxytocin levels were lower in individuals with ASD but increased after tactile stimulation. Contrary to expectations, the increase in oxytocin levels negatively correlated with subjective pleasantness, potentially indicating a stress-induced effect. Antioxidant levels did not differ between ASD and control groups initially, but significantly increased in the ASD group by the end of the study. EEG findings suggested that elevated antioxidant levels helped alleviate cognitive control.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Feng Zhao, Hao Zhang, Peng Wang, Wenjie Cui, Kaiyong Xu, Dan Chen, Minghui Hu, Zifa Li, Xiwen Geng, Sheng Wei
Summary: This article reviews the role and research progress of serotonin and oxytocin in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), finding that oxytocin can improve social function in patients, while changes in serotonin levels can cause ASD-like behavioral abnormalities.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Yuanshu Chen, Haochen Zou, Xin Hou, Chuimei Lan, Jing Wang, Yanan Qing, Wangjun Chen, Shuxia Yao, Keith M. Kendrick
Summary: Oxytocin enhances the pleasantness of social touch and primarily modulates the behavioral and neural responses to gentle social touch mediated by C-touch fibers.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Chunmei Lan, Yuanshu Chen, Yingying Zhang, Juan Kou, Linghong Huang, Ting Xu, Xi Yang, Dan Xu, Wenxu Yang, Keith M. Kendrick, Weihua Zhao
Summary: In this randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial, it was found that oral administration of oxytocin significantly increased the brain reward system's response to emotional faces in females, similar to what was previously observed in males. Additionally, oxytocin enhanced the coupling between reward and social cognition regions in females.
NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Elena V. Proskurnina, Svetlana V. Sokolova, Galina V. Portnova
Summary: Pleasant touch stimulation increases salivary antioxidant potential and oxytocin levels, reducing psychological stress. Data indicates a positive correlation between touch pleasantness and salivary antioxidant potential, and a negative correlation with heart rate variability and low-frequency/high-frequency ratio in ECG.
Article
Neurosciences
Minshi Huang, Kevin Liu, Zhen Wei, Zhe Feng, Jierong Chen, Jie Yang, Qin Zhong, Guobin Wan, Xue-Jun Kong
Summary: The study revealed that children with ASD generally have lower serum oxytocin levels compared to healthy controls, with a correlation observed between specific gut microbiota abundance and oxytocin levels. Additionally, gender differences were found to influence serum oxytocin levels and GIS index.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Tanya L. Procyshyn, Michael Lombardo, Meng-Chuan Lai, Nazia Jassim, Bonnie Auyeung, Sarah K. Crockford, Julia B. Deakin, Sentil Soubramanian, Akeem Sule, David Terburg, Simon Baron-Cohen, Richard A. Bethlehem
Summary: This study found that oxytocin affects the basolateral amygdala in autistic women, increasing activation in the left basolateral amygdala and enhancing functional connectivity with brain regions associated with socio-emotional information processing, reducing group differences observed in the placebo condition.
SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Potheini Vaiouli, Georgia Panayiotou
Summary: The study found significant associations between autistic traits and alexithymic traits, as well as between autistic traits and emotion regulation difficulties, with a negative correlation between autistic traits and social skills. The different facets of alexithymia play an important role in the relationship between autistic traits and social-emotional challenges.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Jason Bishop, Chen Zhou, Katarina Antolovic, Lauren Grebe, Kyung Hae Hwang, Gerald Imaezue, Ekaterina Kistanova, Kyung Eun Lee, Katherine Paulino, Sichen Zhang
Summary: Research suggests that neurotypical autistic traits predict speech perception and language comprehension patterns, but less is known about their impact on speech production. Analysis of vowel productions from 74 American English speakers in a communicative speaking task reveals that higher autistic traits are broadly inversely related to spectral correlates of vowel intelligibility, specifically along the pragmatic communication dimension and limited to female speakers.
JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Hang Yu, Wanying Miao, En Ji, Shajin Huang, Sen Jin, Xutao Zhu, Ming-Zhe Liu, Yan-Gang Sun, Fuqiang Xu, Xiang Yu
Summary: Affective and pleasant touch can enhance the firing of oxytocin neurons in mouse paraventricular hypothalamus, promoting social interactions and positive affective valence. Tachykinin 1 neurons in the lateral and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray send excitatory projections to oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamus, and their activation promotes social interactions and preference for social touch context.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Peipei Liu, Margaret Sutherland, Frank E. Pollick
Summary: This study used fMRI to investigate the neural basis of different types of emotional incongruence in audiovisual processing. The results showed that different patterns of brain activation were observed in response to different types of emotional incongruence, with distinct processing strategies between individuals with different Autism Quotient scores. This suggests that differences in attentional demands may contribute to the varied processing patterns in emotional incongruence between groups.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Emily Neuhaus, Megha Santhosh, Anna Kresse, Elizabeth Aylward, Raphael Bernier, Susan Bookheimer, Shafali Jeste, Allison Jack, James C. Mcpartland, Adam Naples, John D. Van Horn, Kevin Pelphrey, Sara Jane Webb, ACE GENDAAR Network
Summary: The study explores the relationship between electroencephalogram (EEG) frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and mental health, ASD diagnostic features, and sex in youth. The findings suggest that FAA is associated with social-emotional behaviors, and there are different patterns of association for females and males with an ASD diagnosis.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
T. H. Sharp, M. Elsabbagh, A. Pickles, R. Bedford
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association between subcortical morphology and autistic traits in children using neuroimaging data. The results showed a lack of strong evidence for such an association in the sample of school-aged children. This suggests that other metrics, such as cortical morphology or shape-based phenotypes, may be more suitable for identifying robust neuromarkers of autistic traits.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Lizhu Luo, Christelle Langley, Laura Moreno-Lopez, Keith Kendrick, David K. Menon, Emmanuel A. Stamatakis, Barbara J. Sahakian
Summary: This study examined the association between depressive symptoms in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and altered resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fc) or voxel-based morphology in brain regions involved in emotional regulation and associated with depression. The results showed a positive association between depression scores and rs-fc between limbic regions and cognitive control regions, while there was a negative association between depression scores and rs-fc between limbic and frontal regions involved in emotion regulation. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying depression following TBI and can inform treatment decisions.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Roland Pusch, William Clark, Jonas Rose, Onur Guentuerkuen
Summary: Birds are important model organisms for studying perceptual categorization and concept formation. The recent focus on avian neuroscience has led to a wealth of new data and a shift in our understanding of sensory and visual structures in avian brains. These discoveries have revealed how categorization occurs in avian brains and have developed a theoretical framework that extends beyond the realm of birds.
Article
Neurosciences
Xinqi Zhou, Ting Xu, Yixu Zeng, Ran Zhang, Ziyu Qi, Weihua Zhao, Keith M. Kendrick, Benjamin Becker
Summary: Social deficits and dysregulations in dopaminergic midbrain-striato-frontal circuits are common symptoms across psychiatric disorders. The present study investigated the effects of the AT1R antagonist losartan on social reward and punishment processing in humans. The findings suggest that losartan modulates approach-avoidance motivation and emotional salience during social punishment versus social reward by influencing the core nodes of the midbrain-striato-frontal circuits.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Eric Ettore, Philipp Mueller, Jonas Hinze, Michel Benoit, Bruno Giordana, Danilo Postin, Amandine Lecomte, Hali Lindsay, Philippe Robert, Alexandra Koenig
Summary: This article reviews the current application of digital tools for MDE diagnosis and highlights the shortcomings for further research. The study focuses on digital devices that are easy to use during clinical interviews and mental health issues where depression is common. The findings suggest that a digital phenotype of MDE can be identified based on modifications in speech features, nonverbal behavior, and physiological measurements. However, further longitudinal and prospective studies are needed to validate the potential of these markers.
JMIR MENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Erhan Genc, Dorothea Metzen, Christoph Fraenz, Caroline Schlueter, Manuel C. Voelkle, Larissa Arning, Fabian Streit, Huu Phuc Nguyen, Onur Guentuerkuen, Sebastian Ocklenburg, Robert Kumsta
Summary: Intelligence is highly heritable and influenced by thousands of alleles. Polygenic scores are useful for studying the genetic effects on intelligence, but little is known about how brain structure and function mediate this relationship. This study found that individuals with higher polygenic scores for intelligence had better cognitive performance, larger brain surface area, and more efficient fiber connectivity. These results provide insights into the neurogenetic basis of intelligence and identify specific brain networks that link genetic predisposition to cognitive abilities.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuxia Yao, Yuanshu Chen, Qian Zhuang, Yingying Zhang, Chunmei Lan, Siyu Zhu, Benjamin Becker, Keith M. Kendrick
Summary: In recent studies, it has been found that intranasal administration of oxytocin can enhance social motivation and cognition in both healthy and clinical populations. However, the mechanisms behind these effects are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the contributions of direct brain entry and peripheral increase in oxytocin concentrations to the effects of intranasal oxytocin. The results revealed that intranasal oxytocin alone had significant effects on neural responses, while vasoconstrictor pretreatment reduced both peripheral oxytocin concentrations and the effects on neural responses.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuanshu Chen, Congcong Liu, Fei Xin, Haochen Zou, Yulan Huang, Jinyu Wang, Jing Dai, Zhili Zou, Stefania Ferraro, Keith M. Kendrick, Bo Zhou, Xiaolei Xu, Benjamin Becker
Summary: Major depression (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are leading causes of disability globally, with marked interpersonal and social impairments. This study used fMRI to investigate whether MDD and GAD share a neural basis during interpersonal processing. Results suggest that the dlPFC is involved in emotion-specific alteration during interpersonal processing, with depression symptom load positively associated with dlPFC reactivity to sad facial expressions. Dysregulated communication between the amygdala and salience network may be specific to depression.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Clemens Mielacher, Dirk Scheele, Maximilian Kiebs, Laura Schmitt, Torge Dellert, Alexandra Philipsen, Claus Lamm, Rene Hurlemann
Summary: This study found that there are altered neural responses to social touch in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite clinical improvements after antidepressant treatment, MDD patients still showed aversion to interpersonal touch and reduced brain responses in areas such as the nucleus accumbens compared to healthy controls. These findings reveal the abnormal processing of social touch in MDD, which may contribute to social withdrawal and isolation.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ekaterina Schneider, Dora Hopf, Corina Aguilar-Raab, Dirk Scheele, Andreas B. Neubauer, Uta Sailer, Rene Hurlemann, Monika Eckstein, Beate Ditzen
Summary: This study investigated the association between affectionate touch and subjective well-being, as well as salivary oxytocin and cortisol during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results showed that affectionate touch was associated with decreased anxiety, stress, and increased oxytocin levels. Affectionate touch was also associated with decreased cortisol levels and higher happiness.
Correction
Psychiatry
Eric Ettore, Philipp Mueller, Jonas Hinze, Matthias Riemenschneider, Michel Benoit, Bruno Giordana, Danilo Postin, Rene Hurlemann, Amandine Lecomte, Michel Musiol, Hali Lindsay, Philippe Robert, Alexandra Koenig
JMIR MENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Weihua Zhao, Qi Liu, Xiaolu Zhang, Xinwei Song, Zhao Zhang, Peng Qing, Xiaolong Liu, Siyu Zhu, Wenxu Yang, Keith M. Kendrick
Summary: The mirror neuron system (MNS), which includes the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and superior temporal sulcus (STS), is important for action representation and imitation, but may be dys-functional in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, the researchers conducted a facial expression imitation task with healthy male subjects and measured the expression intensity using facial emotion recognition software (FaceReader) and MNS responses using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The results showed distinct patterns of MNS responses during imitation of different facial expressions, which were also associated with autistic traits.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonja Hillemacher, Sebastian Ocklenburg, Onur Guentuerkuen, Inga Tiemann
Summary: Research shows that chickens may be able to recognize their own reflection in a mirror, highlighting the ecological embeddedness of cognition.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Chunmei Lan, Yuanshu Chen, Yingying Zhang, Juan Kou, Linghong Huang, Ting Xu, Xi Yang, Dan Xu, Wenxu Yang, Keith M. Kendrick, Weihua Zhao
Summary: In this randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial, it was found that oral administration of oxytocin significantly increased the brain reward system's response to emotional faces in females, similar to what was previously observed in males. Additionally, oxytocin enhanced the coupling between reward and social cognition regions in females.
NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Mathematical
Neslihan Wittek, Kevin Wittek, Christopher Keibel, Onur Gunturkun
Summary: Manual behavioral observations have limitations such as time-consuming and subjective nature. Automated behavioral analysis using open-source software can overcome these limitations and can be applied to various animal groups.
BEHAVIOR RESEARCH METHODS
(2023)