Antidepressant-like effect of male mating behavior through oxytocin-induced CREB signaling.

Male sexual activity reduces the level of depression through oxytocin (OT) release within the brain. In this study, we showed that male mating behavior reduces depression-like behavior through OT-induced cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) signaling in the hippocampus. Moreover, we showed that mating behavior in wild-type (WT) male mice increased CREB phosphorylation in hippocampus, whereas that OT receptor knockout (OTR KO) male mice had no effect on CREB phosphorylation.

Oxytocin and Stress: Neural Mechanisms, Stress-Related Disorders, and Therapeutic Approaches.

Clinical reports show that oxytocin (OT) is related to stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Two key structures in the brain should be paid special attention with regard to stress regulation, namely, the hypothalamus and the hippocampus. The former is the region for central command for most, if not all, of the major endocrine systems, and the latter takes a key position in the regulation of mood and anxiety.

Oxytocin Inhibits Corticosterone-induced Apoptosis in Primary Hippocampal Neurons.

Stress is an adaptive and coordinated response to endogenous or exogenous stressors that pose an unpleasant and aversive threat to an individual's homeostasis and wellbeing. Glucocorticoids, corticosterone (CORT) in rodents and cortisol in humans, are adrenal steroids which are released in response to stressful stimuli. Although they help individuals to cope with stress, their overexposure in animals has been implicated in hippocampal dysfunction and neuronal loss.