2-Minute Neuroscience: Oxytocin Video Lecture | A-Z Guide to Neuroscience - Personal Learning

Welcome to 2 minute neuroscience, where I
explain neuroscience topics in 2 minutes or
less.
In this installment I will discuss oxytocin.
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and a neuropeptide,
which is a name for a peptide that can also
act as a neurotransmitter.
Oxytocin is primarily produced in the hypothalamus
and transported through axons to the posterior
lobe of the pituitary gland.
From there it can be secreted into the bloodstream
of the body.
Although there are a number of effects linked
to this peripherally-acting oxytocin, the
best understood effects have to do with childbirth
and breastfeeding.
Oxytocin is involved with increasing uterine
contractions during labor and with the milk
let-down reflex, which causes milk to be released
during breastfeeding.
There is also evidence, however, that some
oxytocin-containing neurons project to other
areas of the central nervous system including
the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, brainstem,
amygdala, and spinal cord.
The effects of this centrally-released oxytocin
are not as clearly understood.
Some research suggests it is involved with
trust, empathy, and social bonding.
These findings have caused some to call oxytocin
the trust hormone, the love hormone, or even
the cuddle hormone.
Others have argued, however, that oxytocin’s
effects on the brain are not so clear-cut.
Some researchers have found oxytocin to be
associated with negative emotions and aggression,
and some of the research supporting oxytocin’s
function as a love or trust hormone has been
criticized for methodological problems.
Other researchers have hypothesized that oxytocin
might be involved in promoting responsiveness
to social cues in general, whether they be
positive or negative.
Thus, at this point there is no consensus
on the effects of oxytocin’s actions on
behavior.
It is likely, however, that its effects on
behavior are far more complex than a simple
designation like the “love hormone” would
suggest.