Unraveling the role of oxytocin in social behaviours mediated by the olfactory system.

Abstract

In the current issue of Acta Physiologica Sun et al.1 find that oxytocin modulates olfactory signal processing in the main olfactory bulb (MOB). Oxytocin is a cyclic nine amino acid neuropeptide that was first synthesized by biochemist Vincent du Vigneaud (Nobel Prize, 1955). Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and is released to peripheral circulation by the posterior pituitary. In addition, axonal projections from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus provide intracerebral oxytocin inputs to multiple brain regions including the olfactory system2 (Figure 1).