Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK.
Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada.
Trends Cogn Sci. 2024 Oct;28(10):948-961. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.06.010. Epub 2024 Jul 24.
Although the social role of oxytocin came to light due to sex-specific interactions such as mother-offspring bonding, current understanding of sex differences in the effects of oxytocin on human sociality is limited because of the predominance of all-male samples. With the increasing inclusion of females in intranasal oxytocin research, it is now possible to explore such patterns. Neuroimaging studies reveal relatively consistent sex-differential effects of oxytocin on the activation of brain regions associated with processing social stimuli - particularly the amygdala. Findings from behavioral research are varied but suggest that oxytocin more often facilitates social cognition and positive social interactions in males, with context-dependent effects in each sex. We discuss potential biological and psychological mechanisms underlying the reported sex differences, and conclude with considerations for future research and clinical applications of oxytocin.
尽管催产素的社会角色是由于母婴关系等特定于性别的相互作用而被揭示的，但由于全男性样本的主导地位，目前对催产素对人类社会性的影响的性别差异的理解是有限的。随着越来越多的女性被纳入鼻内催产素研究，现在可以探索这种模式。神经影像学研究揭示了催产素对与处理社会刺激相关的大脑区域激活的相对一致的性别差异 - 特别是杏仁核。行为研究的结果各不相同，但表明催产素更经常促进男性的社会认知和积极的社会互动，而在每种性别中都有与上下文相关的影响。我们讨论了报告的性别差异背后的潜在生物学和心理机制，并以对未来催产素研究和临床应用的考虑结束。
