Intranasal Oxytocin Combined With Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia: An Add-on Randomized Controlled Trial.

Some but not other studies on oxytocin for schizophrenia, particularly those using a higher dose, indicate that oxytocin improves negative symptoms of schizophrenia. We performed an add-on randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of high-dose oxytocin, social skills training, and their combination in the treatment of negative symptoms and social dysfunction in schizophrenia. Fifty-one subjects with schizophrenia were randomized, employing a two-by-two design: intranasal oxytocin (24 IU X3/day) or placebo, and social skills training or supportive psychotherapy, for 3 weeks.

Microbiome signature of posttraumatic stress disorder and resilience in youth.

Objective: Identifying biomarkers that can distinguish trauma-exposed youth at risk for developing posttraumatic pathology from resilient individuals is essential for targeted interventions. As trauma can alter the microbiome with lasting effects on the host, our longitudinal, multimeasure, cross-species study aimed to identify the microbial signature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Method: We followed children exposed to war-related trauma and matched controls from early childhood ( = 2.

Breast milk oxytocin and s-IgA modulate infant biomarkers and social engagement; The role of maternal anxiety.

Breastfeeding has long been known to improve infants' health and mental development and to enhance the mother-infant bond, but much less research focused on the biological composition of breast milk and its associations with the infant's biomarkers and social development. In this exploratory study, we measured oxytocin (OT) and secretory immunoglobulin-A (s-IgA), the most abundant antibody in breast milk, and evaluated their associations with the same biomarkers in infant saliva and, consequently, with infant social engagement behavior. Fifty-five mother-infant dyads were home-visit and OT and s-IgA were assessed from breast milk and from infant saliva before and after a free-play interaction.

Oxytocin as a transdiagnostic biomarker of well-being in severe mental illness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unlabelled: Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) have been found to suffer a greater decline in psychological well-being compared to the general population in times of stress. The present study aimed to examine clinical and endocrine resilience factors of psychological well-being in SMI patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods: After Covid-19 crisis outburst in Israel 112 participants, 69 outpatients, and 43 inpatients and day treatment patients were recruited.

Human sweat contains oxytocin.

Background: Oxytocin (OT) has been detected in various body fluids, including blood, urine, saliva, breastmilk, and spinal fluid. Consistent with models that regard skin as a social organ and in line with studies demonstrating that skin cells express both OT and its receptor, our study sought to examine the presence of OT in human sweat.

Methods: Overall, 553 individuals participated in a pilot study and three experiments.

Developmental Cascades Link Maternal-Newborn Skin-to-Skin Contact with Young Adults' Psychological Symptoms, Oxytocin, and Immunity; Charting Mechanisms of Developmental Continuity from Birth to Adulthood.

Premature birth disrupts the continuity of maternal-newborn bodily contact, which underpins the development of physiological and behavioral support systems. Utilizing a unique cohort of mother-preterm dyads who received skin-to-skin contact (Kangaroo Care, KC) versus controls, and following them to adulthood, we examined how a touch-based neonatal intervention impacts three adult outcomes; anxiety/depressive symptoms, oxytocin, and secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA), a biomarker of the immune system. Consistent with dynamic systems' theory, we found that links from KC to adult outcomes were indirect, mediated by its effects on maternal mood, child attention and executive functions, and mother-child synchrony across development.

Continuity of psychopathology resilience across the transition to adolescence: role of hair cortisol and sensitive caregiving.

Background: The transition to adolescence implicates heightened vulnerability alongside increased opportunities for resilience. Contexts of early life stress (ELS) exacerbate risk; still, little research addressed biobehavioral mediators of risk and resilience across the adolescent transition following ELS. Utilizing a unique cohort, we tested biosocial moderators of chronicity in adolescents' internalizing disorders resilience.

The Effect of Martial Arts Training on Cognitive and Psychological Functions in At-Risk Youths.

The current study assessed whether an extended program of martial arts training was a viable intervention for at-risk youths in improving cognitive and psychological functions. Adolescent boys attending specialized education facilities for at-risk youths took part in regular sport lessons or martial arts practice twice a week for 6 months. Hormonal reactivity was assessed during initial training, and measures of psychological (aggression, self-esteem) and cognitive (inhibition, flexibility, speed of processing, and attention) functions were assessed before and immediately following the intervention.

Social dialogue triggers biobehavioral synchrony of partners' endocrine response via sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms.

Social contact is known to impact the partners' physiology and behavior but the mechanisms underpinning such inter-partner influences are far from clear. Guided by the biobehavioral synchrony conceptual frame, we examined how social dialogue shapes the partners' multi-system endocrine response as mediated by behavioral synchrony. To address sex-specific, hormone-specific, attachment-specific mechanisms, we recruited 82 man-woman pairs (N = 164 participants) in three attachment groups; long-term couples (n = 29), best friends (n = 26), and ingroup strangers (n = 27).

Lack of association between severity of ADHD symptoms and salivary oxytocin levels.

Impairments in the reactivity of Oxytocin (OT) system were associated with interpersonal difficulties in children with ADHD. The current study aimed to explore the correlation between symptoms severity and salivary OT levels at different time-points in children with ADHD. Symptoms severity was assessed in 50 children with ADHD (28 males, mean age 9.

Salivary C-reactive protein-a possible predictor of serum levels in pediatric acute respiratory illness.

Identifying the etiology of an acute respiratory infection in children is a well-known challenge. In this study, we evaluated the correlation between salivary C-reactive protein (CRP) and its serum counterpart, which is known to be higher in bacterial infections but necessitates a venipuncture. Salivary and serum CRPs were measured in children with an acute respiratory illness, aged 2 months to 18 years.

Mother brain is wired for social moments.

Reorganization of the maternal brain upon childbirth triggers the species-typical maternal social behavior. These brief social moments carry profound effects on the infant's brain and likely have a distinct signature in the maternal brain. Utilizing a double-blind, within-subject oxytocin/placebo administration crossover design, mothers' brain was imaged twice using fMRI while observing three naturalistic maternal-infant contexts in the home ecology; 'unavailable', 'unresponsive', and 'social', when mothers engaged in synchronous peek-a-boo play.

Early maternal and paternal caregiving moderates the links between preschoolers' reactivity and regulation and maturation of the HPA-immune axis.

While early caregiving and child's temperamental dispositions work in concert to shape social-emotional outcomes, their unique and joint contribution to the maturation of the child's stress and immune systems remain unclear. We followed children longitudinally from infancy to preschool to address the buffering effect of early parenting on the link between temperamental dysregulation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-immune axis in preschool-aged children. Participants included 47 typically developing children and their 94 parents in both mother-father and two-father families followed across the first 4-years of family formation.

Chronic Depression Alters Mothers' DHEA and DEHA-to-Cortisol Ratio: Implications for Maternal Behavior and Child Outcomes.

Maternal depression is a major public health problem that typically occurs in the period surrounding childbirth. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying maternal depression have been the focus of increasing research and studies pointed to the crucial role of the HPA axis in this disorder. However, most studies focused on cortisol expression and regulation while recent attention has shifted to include the sulfate steroids DHEA and DHEA-S.

Hormonal reactivity during martial arts practice among high-risk youths.

Martial arts have become a popular afterschool activity for youths across the globe. Accumulating data suggest that these activities may confer substantial cognitive and psychological benefits, and recent efforts have been made to introduce martial arts training into educational and rehabilitation settings. However, few studies have examined the potential mechanisms that may underlie these benefits.

Oxytocin as a biomarker of the formation of therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy and counseling psychology.

The therapeutic alliance is one of the most consistent predictors of therapeutic change, including symptom reduction and improvement in wellbeing and quality of life, across a variety of mental health interventions. Yet, little is known about its biological mechanisms. Oxytocin (OT) has been suggested as a biological mechanism by which bonds are formed and strengthened across species.

Human attachment triggers different social buffering mechanisms under high and low early life stress rearing.

Social buffering - the attenuation of stress by maternal safety signals - is a core mammalian-general stress management mechanism implicating two ancient systems: the oxytocinergic and HPA systems. Yet, because human attachments are representation-based, understanding social buffering mechanisms in humans requires the assessment of relationship history and consideration of early life stress (ELS), which alters stress responsivity. We followed a unique trauma-exposed cohort across childhood, versus a low-stress control group, and repeatedly observed maternal sensitive, safety-promoting style.

Correction: The effect of methylphenidate on social cognition and oxytocin in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The effect of methylphenidate on social cognition and oxytocin in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The current study aimed to explore the possible effect of stimulants on oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide which regulates social behavior, as a mediator of the pro-social effect of methylphenidate (MPH) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to healthy controls (HCs). Utilizing a double-blind placebo-controlled design, we compared the performance of 50 children with ADHD and 40 HCs in "theory of mind" (ToM) tasks and examined the effect of a single dose of MPH/placebo on ToM and salivary OT levels in children with ADHD at baseline and following an interpersonal interaction. Children with ADHD displayed significantly poorer ToM performance; however, following MPH administration, their performance normalized and differences between children with ADHD and HC were no longer found.

Martial arts increase oxytocin production.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that oxytocin (OT), a peptide hormone, plays an important role in regulating mammalian social behaviors, linking it to social affiliation in parent-infant attachment, romantic and filial relationships, and other prosocial behaviors, such as trust and cooperation. Not surprisingly, research efforts have been made to increase endogenous levels of OT. In the present study, we investigated whether traditional martial arts training, which integrates the natural benefits of physical exercise with dyadic prosocial interaction, would result in OT response.

Intranasal administration of oxytocin decreases task-related aggressive responses in healthy young males.

Aggression and distrust are often challenging problems in mental health treatment. Converging evidence reveals that oxytocin increases trust in social interactions and decreases fear of social betrayal. However, oxytocin has also been associated with protective behavior and, as such, might increase defensive aggressive reactions.

Early Environments Shape Neuropeptide Function: The Case of Oxytocin and Vasopressin.

Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are neuropeptides that govern the social-emotional functioning of humans. We contend that to fully understand their function, research should consider how they are flexibly fitted to maximize survival and reproduction given the variety of human experience. In a series of two studies, we show that early life stress is associated with change in the core function of OT and AVP in evolutionary predictable ways: Under high early life stress, AVP promotes threat-detection capabilities, whereas OT motivates non-selective proximity seeking to others.

Chronic Early Stress Impairs Default Mode Network Connectivity in Preadolescents and Their Mothers.

Background: Early life stress (ELS) bears long-term negative consequences throughout life. Yet ELS effect is mostly unknown, and no study has followed children to test its impact on the default mode network (DMN) in relation to maternal behavior across childhood. Focusing on brain oscillations, we utilized a unique cohort of war-exposed preadolescent children (11-13 years of age) and their mothers followed from early childhood to examine the effects of ELS combined with observed parenting on DMN connectivity and power in mother and child.

Stress and immune biomarkers interact with parenting behavior to shape anxiety symptoms in trauma-exposed youth.

The relations between stress, HPA-axis, and the immune system have been extensively studied; however, no study to date addressed the joint contribution of immune and HPA biomarkers to the development of anxiety in youth exposed to chronic trauma as mediated by mother-child interaction patterns. A unique cohort of war-exposed children and their mothers, compared to matched controls, were followed from infancy and the current study reports findings from early adolescence (mean age = 11.66, SD = 1.