PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study reveals potential role of 'love hormone' oxytocin in brain function

Findings of NYU Langone researchers may have relevance in autism-spectrum disorder

2013-08-05
(Press-News.org) In a loud, crowded restaurant, having the ability to focus on the people and conversation at your own table is critical. Nerve cells in the brain face similar challenges in separating wanted messages from background chatter. A key element in this process appears to be oxytocin, typically known as the “love hormone” for its role in promoting social and parental bonding. In a study appearing online August 4 in Nature, NYU Langone Medical Center researchers decipher how oxytocin, acting as a neurohormone in the brain, not only reduces background noise, but more importantly, increases the strength of desired signals. These findings may be relevant to autism, which affects one in 88 children in the United States. “Oxytocin has a remarkable effect on the passage of information through the brain,” says Richard W. Tsien, DPhil, the Druckenmiller Professor of Neuroscience and director of the Neuroscience Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. “It not only quiets background activity, but also increases the accuracy of stimulated impulse firing. Our experiments show how the activity of brain circuits can be sharpened, and hint at how this re-tuning of brain circuits might go awry in conditions like autism.” Children and adults with autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with recognizing the emotions of others and are easily distracted by extraneous features of their environment. Previous studies have shown that children with autism have lower levels of oxytocin, and mutations in the oxytocin receptor gene predispose people to autism. Recent brain recordings from people with ASD show impairments in the transmission of even simple sensory signals. The current study built upon 30-year old results from researchers in Geneva, who showed that oxytocin acted in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory and cognition. The hormone stimulated nerve cells – called inhibitory interneurons – to release a chemical called GABA. This substance dampens the activity of the adjoining excitatory nerve cells, known as pyramidal cells. “From the previous findings, we predicted that oxytocin would dampen brain circuits in all ways, quieting both background noise and wanted signals,” Dr. Tsien explains. “Instead, we found that oxytocin increased the reliability of stimulated impulses – good for brain function, but quite unexpected.” To resolve this paradox, Dr. Tsien and his Stanford graduate student Scott Owen collaborated with Gord Fishell, PhD, the Julius Raynes Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone Medical Center, and NYU graduate student Sebnem Tuncdemir. They identified the particular type of inhibitory interneurons responsible for the effects of oxytocin: “fast-spiking” inhibitory interneurons. The mystery of how oxytocin drives these fast-spiking inhibitory cells to fire, yet also increases signaling to pyramidal neurons, was solved through studies with rodent models. The researchers found that continually activating the fast-spiking inhibitory neurons – good for lowering background noise – also causes their GABA-releasing synapses to fatigue. Accordingly, when a stimulus arrives, the tired synapses release less GABA and excitation of the pyramidal neuron is not dampened as much, so that excitation drives the pyramidal neuron’s firing more reliably. “The stronger signal and muffled background noise arise from the same fundamental action of oxytocin and give two benefits for the price of one,” Dr. Fishell explains. “It’s too early to say how the lack of oxytocin signaling is involved in the wide diversity of autism-spectrum disorders, and the jury is still out about its possible therapeutic effects. But it is encouraging to find that a naturally occurring neurohormone can enhance brain circuits by dialing up wanted signals while quieting background noise.” ### Funding for this work was provided by the Burnett Family Fund, the Mosbacher Fund, the Mathers Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health (MH071739), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS024067), and the Simons Foundation. About NYU Langone Medical Center: NYU Langone Medical Center—a world-class, patient-centered, integrated, academic medical center—is one of the nation’s premier destinations for excellence in patient care, biomedical research, and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, a dedicated inpatient orthopaedic hospital; Hassenfeld Pediatric Center, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children’s health services; Rusk Rehabilitation, the #1 rehab program in New York since U.S. News & World Report began its hospital rankings in 1989; and a growing ambulatory care network with locations throughout Manhattan, the outer boroughs, and the tri-state area, bringing services directly to where its patients live and work. An integral part of NYU Langone, NYU School of Medicine has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history and enrich the lives of countless people since 1841. NYU Langone's tri-fold mission to serve, teach, and discover is achieved 365 days a year. For more information, go to http://www.NYULMC.org. END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

'Insect soup' holds DNA key for monitoring biodiversity

2013-08-05
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have shown that sequencing the DNA of crushed up creepy crawlies can accelerate the monitoring and cataloguing of biodiversity around the world. Research published today in the journal Ecology Letters shows that a process known as 'metabarcoding' is much faster than and just as reliable as standard biodiversity datasets assembled with traditional labour-intensive methods. The breakthrough means that changing environments and endangered species can be monitored more easily than ever before. It could help researchers find endangered ...

Moms' high-fat, sugary diets may lead to offspring with a taste for alcohol, sensitivity to drugs

2013-08-04
HONOLULU – Vulnerability to alcohol and drug abuse may begin in the womb and be linked to how much fatty and sugary foods a mother eats during pregnancy, according to findings from animal lab experiments presented at APA's 121st Annual Convention. "The majority of women in the U.S. at child-bearing age are overweight, and this is most likely due to overeating the tasty, high-fat, high-sugar foods you find everywhere in our society. The rise in prenatal and childhood obesity and the rise in number of youths abusing alcohol and drugs merits looking into all the possible ...

Often misidentified, multiracial people value accurate perceptions

2013-08-03
HONOLULU – Multiracial people may be misidentified more often as being white than black and may value being accurately identified more so than single-race individuals, according to research presented at APA's 121st Annual Convention. "Today, the distinctions among white, black, Latino and Asian people are becoming blurred by the increasing frequency and prominence of multiracial people," said Jacqueline M. Chen, PhD, of the University of California, Davis. "Still, average Americans have difficulty identifying multiracial people who don't conform to the traditional single-race ...

Video games boost visual attention but reduce impulse control

2013-08-03
A person playing a first-person shooter video game like Halo or Unreal Tournament must make decisions quickly. That fast-paced decision-making, it turns out, boosts the player's visual skills but comes at a cost, according to new research: reducing the person's ability to inhibit impulsive behavior. This reduction in what is called "proactive executive control" appears to be yet another way that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior. "We believe that any game that requires the same type of rapid responding as in most first-person shooters may produce similar ...

New coating turns ordinary glass into super glass

2013-08-03
VIDEO: The SLIPS coating makes glass so slippery that droplets of liquids slip off quickly even at a shallow angle. Here, from top to bottom, a droplet of octane, an ingredient... Click here for more information. August 2, 2013 – A new transparent, bioinspired coating makes ordinary glass tough, self-cleaning and incredibly slippery, a team from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences ...

Grape consumption associated with healthier eating patterns in US children and adults

2013-08-03
Sacramento, CA (August 2, 2013) – In a new observational study published in the Journal of Food Science, researchers looked at the association of grape consumption, in the non-alcoholic forms most commonly consumed – fresh grapes, raisins and 100% grape juice – with the diet quality of a recent, nationally representative sample of U.S. children and adults. Their findings suggest that, among adults and children, consumption of grapes and grape products is associated with healthier dietary patterns and improved nutrient intakes. Researchers analyzed the diets of more than ...

Mount Sinai researchers develop first successful laboratory model for studying hepatitis C

2013-08-03
By differentiating monkey stem cells into liver cells and inducing successful infection, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have shown for the first time that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can replicate in monkeys, according to research published in the journal Gastroenterology. The new findings may lead to the first new animal model and provide new avenues for developing treatments and vaccines for this disease, which impacts more than three million people in the United States. Scientists have tried for decades to develop animal models to study ...

How to stop bleeding in the ER caused by warfarin

2013-08-03
WASHINGTON — Prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) are faster and more effective than fresh frozen plasma at reversing hemorrhage caused by the anti-coagulant warfarin, despite plasma being the most commonly used therapy. A literature review published last month in Annals of Emergency Medicine suggests that physicians in the United States should join those around the world in following recommendations of multiple specialty organizations to use PCCs as the first line of defense in this common and life-threatening emergency ("Rapid Reversal of Warfarin-Associated Hemorrhage ...

A crystal of a different color

2013-08-03
RICHLAND, Wash. -- Chemists have unexpectedly made two differently colored crystals – one orange, the other blue – from one chemical in the same flask while studying a special kind of molecular connection called an agostic bond. The discovery, reported in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on July 29, is providing new insights into important industrial chemical reactions such as those that occur while making plastics and fuels. "We were studying agostic bonds in a project to make liquid fuels like methanol from carbon dioxide to replace fuels we get from oil," said ...

Both employees and companies benefit from flexible wage systems

2013-08-03
Research from the University of Copenhagen has revealed the effects of a decade of decentralised wage negotiations in the private sector. In an article in the Journal of Labor Economics, researchers conclude that wages have risen for all employees and that companies are now better able to retain key personnel. "Average wages rise when employees and managers negotiate on an individual basis, without a collective-bargaining agreement dictating fixed rates for all," explains Jakob Roland Munch, professor of economics at the University of Copenhagen. For the first time, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How sound—but not touch—shapes rhythm in the brain

Exploring the therapeutic potential of hypothermia

Research alert: Bioengineering breathes new life into failed cancer treatment

AI, health, and health care today and tomorrow – the JAMA Summit Report on artificial intelligence

Large genetic study links cannabis use to psychiatric, cognitive and physical health

Social media use trajectories and cognitive performance in adolescents

Music for the brain: Study tests the effect of slow-tempo relaxing music to address delirium in critically ill older adults 

AI models predict sepsis in children, allow preemptive care

Liraglutide vs semaglutide vs dulaglutide in veterans with type 2 diabetes

Antenatal corticosteroids and infectious diseases throughout childhood

New lab-grown human embryo model produces blood cells

Life after near death: Research reveals how to improve support for near-death experiencers

Illinois Chat is launched for campus community

FAU receives $3M federal grant to prevent substance use in at-risk youth

New report shows action to improve gender equity linked to career gains and better business performance

Kiwis could help manage chronic constipation

Breast, lung, and bladder cancer phase 3 trials led by Dana-Farber presented at ESMO Congress 2025

New open-source software allows for efficient 3D printing with multiple materials

Decoding the secrets of ‘chemo brain’

‘Far from negligible’: New Australian fossil fuel site will have major impact on people and the planet

UK heatwaves overwhelm natural ecological safeguards to increase wildfire risk

Key ExoMars Rover part ships from Aberystwyth

90% of Science Is Lost: Frontiers’ revolutionary AI-powered service transforms data sharing to deliver breakthroughs faster

Skin symptoms may forewarn mental health risks

Brain test predicts ability to achieve orgasm – but only in patients taking antidepressants

‘New reality’ as world reaches first climate tipping point

Non-English primary language may raise risk of delirium after surgery, study finds

Children fast from clear liquids much longer before surgery than guidelines recommend, large study shows

Food insecurity, loneliness can increase the risk of developing chronic pain after surgery

Cesarean delivery linked to higher risk of pain and sleep problems after childbirth

[Press-News.org] Study reveals potential role of 'love hormone' oxytocin in brain function
Findings of NYU Langone researchers may have relevance in autism-spectrum disorder