Oxytocin
Recent articles
Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.

Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.
Larry Young built bridges with his social neuroscience research
Known for his work bringing oxytocin studies to the mainstream, Young died unexpectedly last month.

Larry Young built bridges with his social neuroscience research
Known for his work bringing oxytocin studies to the mainstream, Young died unexpectedly last month.
Newly found hypothalamus circuits shape bullying behaviors in mice
Activity in the tiny brain region helps submissive rodents learn to avoid aggressors, and aggressive mice to curb their attacks, according to two recent studies.

Newly found hypothalamus circuits shape bullying behaviors in mice
Activity in the tiny brain region helps submissive rodents learn to avoid aggressors, and aggressive mice to curb their attacks, according to two recent studies.
New test taps nose pokes as a proxy for social motivation in mice
Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.

New test taps nose pokes as a proxy for social motivation in mice
Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.
Psychedelics give mice second chance to learn social rewards
The drugs may reopen a critical window during development in which the brain can more easily adjust its connections.

Psychedelics give mice second chance to learn social rewards
The drugs may reopen a critical window during development in which the brain can more easily adjust its connections.
CRISPR tool rids rodents of oxytocin receptors
The approach provides an “off-the-shelf” way for researchers to compare oxytocin function across species, the team says.

CRISPR tool rids rodents of oxytocin receptors
The approach provides an “off-the-shelf” way for researchers to compare oxytocin function across species, the team says.
Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.

Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.
Null and Noteworthy: Arbaclofen results; another oxytocin edition
New data from clinical trials of arbaclofen and oxytocin underscore the murkiness of null results. Plus, researchers seek clarity on the neurodevelopmental effects of oxytocin during childbirth.

Null and Noteworthy: Arbaclofen results; another oxytocin edition
New data from clinical trials of arbaclofen and oxytocin underscore the murkiness of null results. Plus, researchers seek clarity on the neurodevelopmental effects of oxytocin during childbirth.
Serotonin initiates earliest social bonds
Mice and rats, for example, gravitate toward their mother’s bedding over bedding that is clean or smells of a different dam.

Serotonin initiates earliest social bonds
Mice and rats, for example, gravitate toward their mother’s bedding over bedding that is clean or smells of a different dam.
‘Mind-blowing’ study upends conventional wisdom on oxytocin
CRISPR-edited prairie voles that lack receptors for the so-called “social hormone” still bond with their mate and pups, raising questions about the molecule’s role.

‘Mind-blowing’ study upends conventional wisdom on oxytocin
CRISPR-edited prairie voles that lack receptors for the so-called “social hormone” still bond with their mate and pups, raising questions about the molecule’s role.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.

Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.
Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”

Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.