Authors
Chandra Sekhar Sripada, K Luan Phan, Izelle Labuschagne, Robert Welsh, Pradeep J Nathan, Amanda G Wood
Publication date
2013/3/1
Journal
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
Volume
16
Issue
2
Pages
255-260
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Description
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) plays an important role in complex socio-affective behaviours such as affiliation, attachment, stress and anxiety. Previous studies have focused on the amygdala as an important target of OXT's effects. However, the effects of OXT on connectivity of the amygdala with cortical regions such as medial frontal cortex, an important mediator of social cognition and emotion regulation, remain unexplored. In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, 15 volunteers received intranasal OXT or placebo prior to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. OXT significantly increased connectivity between both amygdalae and rostral medial frontal cortex (rmFC), while having only negligible effects on coupling with other brain regions. These results demonstrate that OXT is a robust and highly selective enhancer of amygdala connectivity with rmFC, a region critical to social …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
CS Sripada, KL Phan, I Labuschagne, R Welsh… - International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2013