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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.01.12.426349

Brain Areas Affected by Intranasal Oxytocin Show Higher Oxytocin Receptor Expression

Habets, P. C.·Mclain, C.·Meijer, O. C.
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Abstract

Neuroimaging studies suggest that intranasal oxytocin (IN-OXT) may modulate emotional and social processes by altering neural activity patterns. The extent of brain penetration after IN-OXT is unclear, and it is currently under debate whether IN-OXT can directly bind central oxytocin receptors (OXTRs). We investigated oxytocin pathway gene expression in regions affected by IN-OXT on task-based fMRI. We found that OXTR is more highly expressed in affected than unaffected subcortical regions; this effect did not vary by task-type or sex. Cortical results revealed higher OXTR expression in regions affected by IN-OXT in emotional processing tasks and in male-only data. No significant differences were found in expression of the closely related vasopressin receptors. Our findings suggest that the mechanism by which IN-OXT may alter brain functionality involves direct activation of central OXTRs.

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Habets, P. C., Mclain, C., Meijer, O. C.. 2021-01-12. Brain Areas Affected by Intranasal Oxytocin Show Higher Oxytocin Receptor Expression. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.12.426349

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