Eckstein Monika, Scheele Dirk, Weber Kristina, Stoffel-Wagner Birgit, Maier Wolfgang, Hurlemann René
Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2014 Sep;35(9):4741-50. doi: 10.1002/hbm.22508. Epub 2014 Mar 21.
Essentially all social species experience social stress which can be a catalyst for detriments in mental and physical health. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has been shown to produce anxiolytic and antistress effects, thereby qualifying the OXT system as a promising drug target in the treatment of stress-related disorders. However, recently it has been shown that OXT can have anxiogenic effects as well. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 60 healthy men while they were exposed to social stress after they received either intranasal OXT (24 IU) or placebo treatment. Although OXT administration did not alter salivary cortisol levels as a surrogate marker of stress axis activity, our participants initially reported an increment in perceived social stress. This behavioral effect was paralleled on the neural level by increased activity in the precuneus and cingulate cortex. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that OXT can induce a self-referential processing bias which facilitates the sensation of social stress in the absence of altered endocrine responses.
本质上，所有社会性物种都会经历社会压力，而这可能成为身心健康受损的催化剂。神经肽催产素（OXT）已被证明具有抗焦虑和抗应激作用，因此催产素系统有望成为治疗应激相关疾病的药物靶点。然而，最近研究表明催产素也可能产生致焦虑作用。在本研究中，我们使用功能磁共振成像技术对60名健康男性的大脑进行扫描，这些男性在接受鼻内催产素（24国际单位）或安慰剂治疗后，暴露于社会压力之下。尽管给予催产素并未改变唾液皮质醇水平（作为应激轴活动的替代标志物），但我们的参与者最初报告称感知到的社会压力有所增加。这种行为效应在神经层面上表现为楔前叶和扣带回皮质的活动增加。综合来看，我们的结果支持这样一种假设，即催产素可诱发自我参照加工偏差，在不改变内分泌反应的情况下，这种偏差会加剧社会压力感。
