Abstract

Oxytocin has been revealed to work for anxiety suppression and anti-stress as well as for psychosocial behavior and reproductive functions. Oxytocin neurons are activated by various stressful stimuli. The oxytocin receptor is widely distributed within the brain, and oxytocin that is released or diffused affects behavioral and neuroendocrine stress responses. On the other hand, there has been an increasing number of reports on the role of oxytocin in allostasis and resilience. It has been shown that oxytocin maintains homeostasis, shifts the set point for adaptation to a changing environment (allostasis) and contributes to recovery from the shifted set point by inducing active coping responses to stressful stimuli (resilience). Recent studies have suggested that oxytocin is also involved in stress-related disorders, and it has been shown in clinical trials that oxytocin provides therapeutic benefits for patients diagnosed with stress-related disorders. This review includes the latest information on the role of oxytocin in stress responses and adaptation.

Highlights

  • Oxytocin is primarily synthesized in magnocellular and parvocellular neurons of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus.Magnocellular oxytocin neurons in the hypothalamus project to the neurohypophysis and have axon collaterals to the forebrain

  • The effects of oxytocin depend on the individual situation and environmental context

  • We show that oxytocin plays a role in coping with persistent stress to facilitate allostasis

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Summary

Introduction

Oxytocin is primarily synthesized in magnocellular and parvocellular neurons of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus. Allostasis refers to the regulation of internal milieu through gradual changes toward new set points. It is thought that changes of set points by allostasis lead to other physiological and behavioral systems being driven to adapt to a changing environment. 2 ofto points by allostasis lead to other physiological and behavioral systems being driven adapt to a changing environment. Is important to restore the set the settopoints to their place original and tonormal recover normal status before organs receive points their original andplace to recover status before organs receive irreversible irreversible damage.refers. Words, other words, resilience is the ability to restore a shifted set point and emergency system resilience is the ability to restore a shifted set point and emergency system to their original original setting coping with difficulties and regain homeostasis Present review focusesreview on the role of oxytocin in the stress responses, allostasis sponses, allostasis and resilience

Allostasis
Stress Responses and Oxytocin
Roles of Oxytocin in Stress Responses
Prefrontal Cortex
Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis
Hypothalamus
Lateral Septum
Amygdala
Raphe Nucleus
Medulla Oblongata
Allostasis and Oxytocin
Oxytocin in the Concept of Allostasis
Adaptation to Changing Environments in the Oxytocin System
Resilience and Oxytocin
Roles of Oxytocin in Resilience in Animal Models
Roles of Oxytocin in Humans
Concluding Remarks
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