Carter C Sue
Department of Psychiatry, Brain-Body Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Physiol Behav. 2003 Aug;79(3):383-97. doi: 10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00151-3.
This paper examines the developmental effects of the mammalian neuropeptide, oxytocin (OT). In adults, OT is the most abundant neuropeptide in the hypothalamus and serves integrative functions, coordinating behavioral and physiological processes. For example, OT has been implicated in parturition, lactation, maternal behavior and pair bond formation. In addition, OT is capable of moderating behavioral responses to various stressors as well as the reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Neonates may be exposed to hormones of maternal origin, possibly including peptides administered to the mother in the perinatal period to hasten or delay birth and in milk; however, whether peptide hormones from the mother influence the developing infant remains to be determined. In rodents, endogenous OT is first synthesized during the early postnatal period, although its functions at this time are not well known. Experiments in neonatal prairie voles have documented the capacity of OT and OT receptor antagonists to have immediate and lifelong consequences for social behaviors, including adult pair bonding and parental behaviors, as well as the reactivity of the HPA axis; most of these effects are sexually dimorphic. Possible mechanisms for such effects, including long-lasting changes in OT and vasopressin, are summarized.
本文研究了哺乳动物神经肽催产素（OT）的发育效应。在成年动物中，OT是下丘脑中含量最丰富的神经肽，具有整合功能，协调行为和生理过程。例如，OT与分娩、泌乳、母性行为和配对关系形成有关。此外，OT能够调节对各种应激源的行为反应以及下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴的反应性。新生儿可能会接触到母体来源的激素，可能包括围产期给予母亲以加速或延迟分娩以及存在于乳汁中的肽类；然而，母亲的肽类激素是否会影响发育中的婴儿仍有待确定。在啮齿动物中，内源性OT在出生后早期首次合成，尽管此时其功能尚不清楚。对新生草原田鼠的实验证明，OT和OT受体拮抗剂对社交行为，包括成年配对关系和亲子行为，以及HPA轴的反应性具有即时和终身的影响；其中大多数效应具有性别差异。总结了产生这些效应的可能机制，包括OT和加压素的长期变化。
