Effects of route of administration on oxytocin-induced changes in regional cerebral blood flow in humans
Open Access
- 2 March 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Communications
- Vol. 11 (1), 1-16
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14845-5
Abstract
Could nose-to-brain pathways mediate the effects of peptides such as oxytocin (OT) on brain physiology when delivered intranasally? We address this question by contrasting two methods of intranasal administration (a standard nasal spray, and a nebulizer expected to improve OT deposition in nasal areas putatively involved in direct nose-to-brain transport) to intravenous administration in terms of effects on regional cerebral blood flow during two hours post-dosing. We demonstrate that OT-induced decreases in amygdala perfusion, a key hub of the OT central circuitry, are explained entirely by OT increases in systemic circulation following both intranasal and intravenous OT administration. Yet we also provide robust evidence confirming the validity of the intranasal route to target specific brain regions. Our work has important translational implications and demonstrates the need to carefully consider the method of administration in our efforts to engage specific central oxytocinergic targets for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Intranasal oxytocin can affect brain function either by direct entry to the brain or by increasing oxytocin levels in blood plasma. Here, the authors show that increases in plasmatic oxytocin account for some but not all of the changes observed following intranasal oxytocin administration.This publication has 106 references indexed in Scilit:
- Modulating social behavior with oxytocin: How does it work? What does it mean?Hormones and Behavior, 2012
- Depression, Comorbid Anxiety Disorders, and Heart Rate Variability in Physically Healthy, Unmedicated Patients: Implications for Cardiovascular RiskPLOS ONE, 2012
- Oxytocin Mediates Social Neuroprotection After Cerebral IschemiaStroke, 2011
- Cerebral Blood Flow during Rest Associates with General Intelligence and CreativityPLOS ONE, 2011
- P301S Mutant Human Tau Transgenic Mice Manifest Early Symptoms of Human Tauopathies with Dementia and Altered Sensorimotor GatingPLOS ONE, 2011
- Evaluation of Enzyme Immunoassay and Radioimmunoassay Methods for the Measurement of Plasma OxytocinPsychosomatic Medicine, 2011
- Emotional processing in anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortexTrends in Cognitive Sciences, 2011
- Potentials and Challenges for Arterial Spin Labeling in Pharmacological Magnetic Resonance ImagingThe Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, 2011
- Oxytocin, Dopamine, and the Amygdala: A Neurofunctional Model of Social Cognitive Deficits in SchizophreniaSchizophrenia Bulletin, 2010
- Transdermal drug deliveryNature Biotechnology, 2008