Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4934522 | Psychoneuroendocrinology | 2017 | 26 Pages |
Abstract
Oxytocin reduces amygdala responses to threatening social stimuli in males and has been suggested to facilitate approach-related processing by either decreasing anxiety or intensifying salience. The current administration study tested whether oxytocin either reduces or enhances amygdala responses during threat approach in a placebo-controlled randomized, double-blind, between-subjects design with 52 healthy males undergoing fMRI during a social approach-avoidance task. Oxytocin decreased amygdala activation during threat approach and not during threat avoidance. This neural effect supports oxytocin's social anxiolytic effects and provides a neuroendocrine mechanism promoting social approach. The findings may yield clinical implications for individuals suffering from dysregulations of social approach such as patients with anxiety disorders.
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Authors
Sina Radke, Inge Volman, Idil Kokal, Karin Roelofs, Ellen R.A. de Bruijn, Ivan Toni,