Carter C Sue
Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlotteville, VA, USA.
Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2023 Jun 29;15:100189. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100189. eCollection 2023 Aug.
The purpose of this narrative review is to use a personal perspective to describe unanticipated and pivotal findings that drew the author into the study oxytocin. Oxytocin was originally described as a "female reproductive hormone." However, supporting reproduction is only one of a myriad of functions now attributed to oxytocin. Oxytocin promotes survival and resilience in both sexes and across the lifespan, especially in the context of stress or trauma and helps to explain the health benefits of relationships. Oxytocin works in the context of individual histories and in conjunction with other molecules, as well as the autonomic nervous system and immune factors. The chemical properties of oxytocin make it biologically active, but difficult to measure. As a deeper understanding of the biology of oxytocin is emerging, we may use knowledge of the properties of oxytocin to uncover adaptive strategies that protect and heal in the face of stress and adversity in both males and females.
本叙述性综述的目的是从个人视角描述一些意外且关键的发现，正是这些发现促使作者投身于催产素的研究。催产素最初被描述为一种“女性生殖激素”。然而，支持生殖只是如今归因于催产素的众多功能之一。催产素在两性以及整个生命周期中都能促进生存和恢复力，尤其是在压力或创伤的情况下，并且有助于解释人际关系对健康的益处。催产素在个体经历的背景下发挥作用，并与其他分子以及自主神经系统和免疫因素协同工作。催产素的化学性质使其具有生物活性，但难以测量。随着对催产素生物学的更深入理解逐渐浮现，我们或许可以利用催产素的特性知识来揭示在面对男性和女性的压力与逆境时具有保护和治愈作用的适应性策略。
