News tagged with oxytocin

Testosterone makes us less cooperative and more egocentric, study finds

Testosterone makes us overvalue our own opinions at the expense of cooperation, research from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London has found. The findings may have implications for how group ...

Medical research Jan 31, 2012 | 4.4 / 5 (11) | 0 |

The dark side of Oxytocin

For a hormone, oxytocin is pretty famous. It’s the “cuddle chemical”—the hormone that helps mothers bond with their babies. Salespeople can buy oxytocin spray on the internet, to make their clients trust ...

Psychology & Psychiatry Aug 01, 2011 | 3.8 / 5 (11) | 1 |

The brain science behind economics

Neuroscience might seem to have little to do with economics, but over the last decade researchers have begun combining these disparate fields, mining the latest advances in brain imaging and genetics to get a better understanding ...

Psychology & Psychiatry Mar 06, 2012 | 5 / 5 (7) | 0

Hormone affects distance men keep from unknown women they find attractive

Men in committed relationships choose to keep a greater distance between themselves and an unknown woman they find attractive when given the hormone oxytocin, according to new research in the November 14 issue of The Journal of ...

Neuroscience Nov 13, 2012 | 3.8 / 5 (9) | 0 |

Oxytocin helps people feel more extraverted

First dates, job interviews or Christmas cocktail parties can be stressors for some people. Such social rites of passage have no doubt made shy or introverted individuals wish for a magic potion that could make them feel ...

Psychology & Psychiatry Dec 09, 2011 | 5 / 5 (5) | 1 |

A better judge of character with oxytocin nasal spray?

(Medical Xpress) -- In other contexts, oxytocin is already well-known as the “bliss hormone”. The hormone is secreted upon stimulation by touch and is known to result in a feeling of calm and physical ...

Psychology & Psychiatry Jul 30, 2012 | 4.2 / 5 (6) | 3 |

The neurogenics of niceness: Study finds peoples' relative niceness may reside in their genes

(Medical Xpress) -- It turns out that the milk of human kindness is evoked by something besides mom's good example.

Psychology & Psychiatry Apr 10, 2012 | 5 / 5 (4) | 0 |

'Trust' hormone oxytocin found at heart of rare genetic disorder

The hormone oxytocin - often referred to as the "trust" hormone or "love hormone" for its role in stimulating emotional responses - plays an important role in Williams syndrome (WS), according to a study published June 12, ...

Neuroscience Jun 22, 2012 | 5 / 5 (4) | 0 |

Study finds how BPA affects gene expression, anxiety; Soy mitigates effects

New research led by researchers at North Carolina State University shows that exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) early in life results in high levels of anxiety by causing significant gene expression changes in a ...

Medical research Sep 07, 2012 | 5 / 5 (4) | 0 |

Oxytocin connected to postpartum depression

(Medical Xpress) -- According to a new study published in Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers, led by Gunther Meinlschmidt, PhD, may have found a connection between the brain chemical oxytocin and postpa ...

Psychology & Psychiatry May 16, 2011 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0 |

The kindness of strangers: Caring, trust linked to genetic variation

Scientists have discovered that a gene that influences empathy, parental sensitivity and sociability is so powerful that even strangers observing 20 seconds of silent video identified people with a particular genetic variation ...

Genetics Nov 14, 2011 | 5 / 5 (3) | 2 |

Could 'Love hormone' help treat depression?

(Medical Xpress) -- Gazing into your lover’s eyes isn’t only romantic; it also releases a brain chemical called oxytocin that strengthens social bonds in a variety of species. For some people who suffer from ...

Psychology & Psychiatry Feb 14, 2012 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

Could nasal spray of 'love hormone' treat autism?

(HealthDay) -- Children with autism given a squirt of a nasal spray containing the hormone oxytocin showed more activity in brain regions known to be involved with processing social information, a small study ...

Autism spectrum disorders May 16, 2012 | 5 / 5 (3) | 1 |

Postpartum women less stressed by threats unrelated to the baby, study finds

(Medical Xpress)—Following the birth of a child, new mothers may have an altered perception of stresses around them, showing less interest in threats unrelated to the baby. This change to the neuroendocrine ...

Neuroscience Dec 11, 2012 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0 |

'Love hormone' may aid women's recovery after childbirth

(HealthDay)—Chronic pain from childbirth is rare and biologic changes after a woman gives birth may prevent the development of pain after birth, according to two new studies.

Medical research Jan 03, 2013 | 4 / 5 (2) | 1 |

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Oxytocin

Oxytocin (pronounced /ˌɒksɨˈtoʊsɪn/) is a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

It is best known for its roles in female reproduction: it is released in large amounts after distension of the cervix and vagina during labor, and after stimulation of the nipples, facilitating birth and breastfeeding, respectively. Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin's role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, trust, love, and maternal behaviors.

For more information about Oxytocin, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.