AI Article Synopsis
- Oxytocin (Oxt) is a neurohormone linked to functions like lactation and childbirth, but it also affects social behaviors in mammals, such as bonding, parenting, and aggression.
- While a lot of research has focused on how Oxt influences adult behavior, its impact during development—especially in early life and puberty—is still being investigated.
- The review aims to discuss current knowledge on how developmental Oxt affects behavior and examine the specific brain chemicals and structures involved in these processes.
Article Abstract
Oxytocin (Oxt) is a neurohormone known for its physiological roles associated with lactation and parturition in mammals. Oxt can also profoundly influence mammalian social behaviors such as affiliative, parental, and aggressive behaviors. While the acute effects of Oxt signaling on adult behavior have been heavily researched in many species, including humans, the developmental effects of Oxt on the brain and behavior are just beginning to be explored. There is evidence that Oxt in early postnatal and peripubertal development, and perhaps during prenatal life, affects adult behavior by altering neural structure and function. However, the specific mechanisms by which this occurs remain unknown. Thus, this review will detail what is known about how developmental Oxt impacts behavior as well as explore the specific neurochemicals and neural substrates that are important to these behaviors.
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Source |
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437049 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2015.00076 | DOI Listing |
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