<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> There are currently no approved drug interventions for social behavior dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous trials investigating effects of daily intranasal oxytocin treatment have reported inconsistent results and not combined it with positive interaction. However, two preclinical studies we established that every other day rather than is more efficacious maintaining neural behavioral by reducing receptor...

In recent years ample studies have reported that intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin can facilitate social motivation and cognition in healthy clinical populations. However, it is still unclear how effects are mediated since intranasally administered both directly enter brain (nose to brain) increase peripheral vascular concentrations blood). The relative functional contributions these routes not established received insufficient attention field. current study used...

Abstract Intranasal oxytocin exerts wide-ranging effects on socioemotional behavior and is proposed as a potential therapeutic intervention in psychiatric disorders. However, following intranasal administration, could penetrate directly into the brain or influence its activity via increased peripheral concentrations crossing blood–brain barrier influencing vagal projections. In current randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial we investigated of 24IU oral (lingual)...

Traditional decision-making models conceptualize humans as adaptive learners utilizing the differences between expected and actual rewards (prediction errors, PEs) to maximize outcomes, but rarely consider influence of violations emotional expectations (emotional how it differs from reward PEs. Here, we conducted a fMRI experiment (n = 43) using modified Ultimatum Game examine PEs affect punishment decisions in terms rejecting unfair offers. Our results revealed that relative exerted...

Abstract Empathy can be elicited by physiological pain, as well in social contexts. Although and different contexts induce a strong subjective experience of empathy, the general context‐specific neural representations remain elusive. Here, it is combined fMRI with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to establish neurofunctional models for pain triggered observing exclusion separation naturistic stimuli. The findings revealed that both engaged empathy function networks. Notably, intensity...

Altered patterns of visual social attention preference detected using eye‐tracking and a variety different paradigms are increasingly proposed as sensitive biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder. However, few studies have compared the relative efficacy to discriminate between autistic with typically developing children their sensitivity specific symptoms. To target this issue, current study used three common protocols contrasting versus nonsocial stimuli in young (2–7 years old) Chinese ( n...

The role of the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin in influencing brain and behavior has been subject widespread research over last few decades due, most notably, to its reported involvement promoting social cognition motivation, reducing anxiety, relieving pain. It is also increasingly being considered as an important therapeutic intervention a variety disorders with dysfunction symptom. While, recent years, studies humans have administered primarily via intranasal route, since it may...

Background: Feedback evaluation of actions and error response detection are critical for optimizing behavioral adaptation. Oxytocin can facilitate learning following social feedback but whether its effects vary as a function valence remains unclear. Aims: The present study aimed to investigate oxytocin would influence responses positive negative differentially or equivalently. Methods: employed randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled within-subject design intranasal (24 IU) influenced...

ABSTRACT Traditional decision-making models conceptualize humans as optimal learners aiming to maximize outcomes by leveraging reward prediction errors (PE). While violated emotional expectations (emotional PEs) have recently been formalized, the underlying neurofunctional basis and whether it differs from PEs remain unclear. Using a modified fMRI Ultimatum Game on n=43 participants we modelled in response unfair offers subsequent punishment decisions. Computational modelling revealed...

The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) may exert anxiolytic and stress-reducing actions via modulatory effects on amygdala circuits. Animal models initial findings in humans suggest that some of these are mediated by interactions with other neurotransmitter systems, particular the serotonin (5-HT) system. Against this background, present pharmacological resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed to determine whether OXT stress-associated intrinsic networks 5-HT.We...

Oxytocin (OXT) is proposed as a potential therapeutic peptide for social dysfunction due to its modulatory actions on socioemotional regulation in humans. While the majority of studies have used intranasal OXT administration, we recently shown that oral (lingual spray), but not intranasal, administration can significantly enhance activity brain reward system response emotional faces males; however, effects females are unknown.Seventy healthy participated current randomized,...

Sex differences are shaped both by innate biological and the social environment frequently observed in human emotional neural responses. Oral administration of oxytocin (OXT), as an alternative noninvasive intake method, has been shown to produce sex-dependent effects on face processing. However, it is unclear whether oral OXT produces similar processing continuous scenes.

Over the last decade, a number of clinical trials have reported effects chronic treatment with intranasal oxytocin on autistic symptoms but inconsistent findings. Autism is heterogeneous disorder and one factor which may influence outcome whether subtype individuals more sensitive to oxytocin. In recent cross-over trial 41 young children we that 44% showed reliable improvement in (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS-2) after placebo-controlled, 6-week intervention where was given...

Abstract There are currently no approved drug interventions for social behavior dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous trials investigating effects of daily intranasal oxytocin treatment have reported inconsistent results and not combined it with positive interaction. However, In two preclinical studies we established that every-other-day rather than is more efficacious maintaining neural behavioral by reducing receptor desensitization. We aimed to establish whether a 6-week...

Abstract Background Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a potential risk factor for some neuropsychiatric disorders in adulthood (e.g. depression and anxiety) alters trajectories of brain development. Accumulating evidence suggests that functional connectivity the limbic system, especially amygdala, highly associated with childhood maltreatment, although not all studies have found this. These inconsistent results may be due to differential alterations amygdala resting-state (rsFC) following...

Abstract Imitating facial emotion expressions can facilitate social interactions, although the behavioral and neural spatiotemporal dynamics is unclear. Here participants (N=100) imitated emotions repeatedly over one month (16 times in total) with activity measured on three occasions using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, transfer effect of repeated imitation emotional face scene perception was assessed by fMRI multivariate pattern analysis. Valence specific performance...

<title>Abstract</title> Over the last decade, a number of clinical trials have reported effects chronic treatment with intranasal oxytocin on autistic symptoms but inconsistent findings. Autism is heterogeneous disorder and one factor which may influence outcome whether subtype individuals more sensitive to oxytocin. In recent cross-over trial 41 young children we that 44% showed reliable improvement in (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS-2) after 6-week intervention. current...

Abstract Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests a fear-regulating potential of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), yet clinical translation into novel interventions for pathological fear requires behavioral neurofunctional characterization under close-to-real life conditions. Here, we combined naturalistic fMRI-design inducing high immersive experience in social non-social contexts with preregistered between-subjects randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intranasal OT...

Abstract Empathy can be elicited by physiological pain, as well in social contexts. Although and different contexts induce a strong subjective experience of empathy, the general context-specific neural representations remain elusive. Here, we combine fMRI with multivariate pattern analysis to establish neurofunctional models for pain empathy triggered exclusion separation. Our findings revealed both overlapping distinct separation across cortical subcortical regions. This study established...

<title>Abstract</title> Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests a fear-regulating potential of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), yet clinical translation into novel interventions for pathological fear requires behavioral neurofunctional characterization under close-to-real life conditions. Here, we combined naturalistic fMRI-design inducing high immersive experience in social non-social contexts with preregistered between-subjects randomized double-blind placebo-controlled...

Individuals often actively suppress intrusive memories to alleviate the distress they cause and maintain mental well-being. However, those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit difficulties particularly in inhibiting or suppressing negative compared individuals without PTSD. These can involve a physical threat either individual themselves others. Unfortunately, there is still limited understanding of cognitive neural mechanisms that underlie how suppression differs for...

Abstract Past research has associated materialism with lower well-being. However, on the effect of interpersonal trust and its underlying mechanism is limited. This investigated how dispositional situational relate to trust, as well mediation proposed based a social projection account (social self-referential heuristic in which individuals assume others share similar mental experiences them). Study 1 explored associations generalized particularistic trust. The results showed that could...

Abstract Background Social touch constitutes a key component of human social relationships although in some conditions with dysfunction, such as autism, it can be perceived unpleasant. We have previously shown that intranasal administration oxytocin facilitates the pleasantness and activation brain reward processing regions, is unclear if influences responses to gentle stroking mediated by cutaneous C-touch fibers or pressure other types fibers. Additionally, whether endogenous acts via...