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Study · Randomized controlled trial · n = 22 · 2023

2 results

Preliminary data on oxytocin modulation of neural reactivity in women to emotional stimuli of children depending on childhood emotional neglect.

Meier IM, Montoya ER, Spencer H, Orellana SC, van Buuren M, van Honk J, Bos PA

Developmental psychobiology1 Jan 2023Cited by 1 (Europe PMC)

PMID36567648 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC9828591 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1002/dev.22349 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-36567648
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Summary

Sensitivity for rewarding cues and distress signals from children is fundamental to human caregiving and modulated by the neuropeptide oxytocin. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated whether oxytocin regulates neural responses to reward or distress cues form children. In a placebo-controlled, within-subject design, we measured neural responses to positive, negative, and neutral cues from children in 22 healthy female subjects who received oxytocin (24 IU) versus placebo. Further, based on current literature, we hypothesized that oxytocin effects are modulated by experiences of childhood trauma. The task elicited valence-specific effects-positive images activated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, left anterior cingulate cortex, and right putamen, and images of children in distress activated the bilateral amygdala, hippocampus, and right medial superior frontal cortex. The effects of oxytocin depended on subjective reports of childhood emotional neglect. Self-reported neglect interacted with oxytocin administration in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal areas. In individuals with higher scores of emotional neglect, oxytocin increased neural reactivity of limbic structures to positive and neutral images. Our findings need replication in larger samples and can therefore be considered preliminary but are in line with the recent literature on the modulating effect of childhood adversity on the sensitivity to oxytocin administration.
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study2

2 results from studies that gave the peptide. 2 results from people.

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy women, the effect of oxytocin on neural reactivity to child cues depended on self-reported childhood emotional neglect, in the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal areas.

    In plain wordsIn healthy women, the brain effect of oxytocin on child pictures depended on how much emotional neglect they reported in childhood.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    MixedOxytocin by childhood emotional neglect interaction on neural reactivity
    Study

    n = 22

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IUAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Self-reported neglect interacted with oxytocin administration in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal areas.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In a placebo-controlled, within-subject design, we measured neural responses to positive, negative, and neutral cues from children in 22 healthy female subjects who received oxytocin (24 IU) versus placebo.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy women with higher emotional neglect scores, oxytocin increased neural reactivity of limbic structures to positive and neutral child images compared with placebo.

    In plain wordsIn women with higher childhood neglect scores, oxytocin increased brain responses to positive and neutral child pictures compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseLimbic reactivity to positive and neutral child images in high-neglect women
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IUAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    In individuals with higher scores of emotional neglect, oxytocin increased neural reactivity of limbic structures to positive and neutral images.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In a placebo-controlled, within-subject design, we measured neural responses to positive, negative, and neutral cues from children in 22 healthy female subjects who received oxytocin (24 IU) versus placebo.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

  1. Version 2Current

    11 Oct 2026, 00:50 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 02:48 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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