Originally known for its role in childbirth and lactation, oxytocin (OT) has recently proved to play a key role in social behavior. Deprived of OT, humans are unable to recognize 1,2 and to bond 3 to their peers. Inversely, once boosted with OT, people become more caring 4 , trusting 5,6,7 and generous 8. Effect-sizes on trust and generosity were sufficiently large that OT started to be perceiv...

The oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) neurons of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) demonstrate characteristics of "metabolic sensors". They express insulin receptors and glucokinase (GK). They respond to an increase in glucose and insulin with an increase in intracellular [Ca(2+)] and increased OT and VP release that is GK dependent. Although this is consistent with the established role of OT as an...

Rodents show robust behavioral responses to odors, including strong preferences or aversions for certain odors. The neural mechanisms underlying the effects of odors on these behaviors in animals are not well understood. Here, we provide an initial proof-of-concept study into the role of the olfactory tubercle (OT), a structure with known anatomical connectivity with both brain reward and olfac...

Primary orthostatic tremor (OT) consists of rhythmical muscle contractions at a frequency of around 16 Hz, causing discomfort and/or unsteadiness while standing. Diagnosis has hitherto relied on recording Electromyography (EMG) from affected muscles. The main aim of this study was to see if the characteristic postural tremor in OT can be identified with force platforms. We also quantified postu...

Human and non-human primates rely on the ability to perceive and interpret facial expressions to guide effective social interactions. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to have a critical role in the perception of social cues, and in humans to increase the number of saccades to the eye region. To develop a useful primate model for the effects of OT on information processing, we inves...

Various authors have recently endorsed Harmonic Grammar (HG) as a replacement of Optimality Theory (OT). One argument for this move is based on computational considerations: OT looks prima facie like an exotic framework with no correspondent in Machine Learning, and the replacement with HG allows methods and results form Machine Learning to be imported within Computational Phonology; see for in...

Oxytocin (OT) is released by the posterior pituitary during male orgasm and is supposed to participate in the ejaculatory process. We now report evidence demonstrating the presence of an OT receptor gene (real-time RT-PCR and Northern blot) and protein (immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and binding studies) expression in the rabbit and human corpus cavernosum (CC) and its possible involvement...

It is well established that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is involved in regulating social behavior, anxiety, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis physiology in mammals. Because individuals with major depression often exhibit functional irregularities in these measures, we test in this pilot study whether depressed subjects (n=11) exhibit dysregulated OT biology compared to healthy co...

In recent years the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has become one of the most studied peptides of the human neuroendocrine system. Research has shown widespread behavioural effects and numerous potential therapeutic benefits. However, little is known about how OT triggers these effects in the brain. Here, we discuss some of the physiological properties of OT in the human brain including the long ha...

BACKGROUND Social impairments are central to the syndrome of autism. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been implicated in the regulation of social behavior in animals but has not yet been examined in autistic subjects. METHODS To determine whether autistic children have abnormalities in OT, midday plasma samples from 29 autistic and 30 age-matched normal children, all prepubertal, were analy...