ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2015
Epigenetic modification of the oxytocin receptor gene influences the perception of anger and fear in the human brain.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
98 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 214 citations in OpenAlex.
- DNA methylation and brain structure and function across the life course: A systematic review.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2020Pooled it
- The role of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) DNA methylation (DNAm) in human social and emotional functioning: a systematic narrative review.BMC psychiatry · 2018Pooled it
- Task modulated brain connectivity of the amygdala: a meta-analysis of psychophysiological interactions.Brain structure & function · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of chronic intranasal oxytocin on visual attention to faces vs. natural scenes in older adults.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Trial
- Genetic and epigenetic signatures associated with plasma oxytocin levels in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2023Trial
- An epigenetic framework for understanding contextual influences on neural and socio-emotional development: Narrative review and case-study of the oxytocin receptor.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Review
- Exploring the relationship betweenFrontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Oxytocin modulation of the insular cortex: implications for social cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders.Frontiers in neural circuits · 2026Review
- The Convergence of Early-Life Stress and Autism Spectrum Disorder on the Epigenetics of Genes Key to the HPA Axis.Biology · 2025Review
- Early Life Mild Adversity Affects in a Sexually Dimorphic Way the Oxytocinergic System Reducing Close Social Interaction in Adult Male Rats.Journal of neurochemistry · 2025Article
- Epigenetics, Resilience, Protective Factors and Factors Promoting Positive Outcomes: A Scoping Review.International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience · 2025Article
- Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Role of Oxytocin and Oxytocin Gene Receptor Methylation During Withdrawal Therapy in Males With Alcohol Use Disorder.Addiction biology · 2025Article
- Article
- Short-term maternal oxytocin administration may protect against poor outcomes of adverse childhood experiences in the offspring.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Article
- The impact of the early environment on oxytocin receptor epigenetics and potential therapeutic implications.Pediatric research · 2025Review
- Epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin system as an indicator of adaptation to over-controlling parenting and psychosocial functioning in adulthood.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- Methylation of the Oxytocin, Oxytocin Receptor, and Vasopressin Gene Promoters in Tobacco Use Disorder during Cessation.Neuropsychobiology · 2024Article
- Giftedness and atypical sexual differentiation: enhanced perceptual functioning through estrogen deficiency instead of androgen excess.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- The Multifaceted Role of Oxytocinergic System andGlobal medical genetics · 2024Review
38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In humans, the neuropeptide oxytocin plays a critical role in social and emotional behavior. The actions of this molecule are dependent on a protein that acts as its receptor, which is encoded by the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). DNA methylation of OXTR, an epigenetic modification, directly influences gene transcription and is variable in humans. However, the impact of this variability on specific social behaviors is unknown. We hypothesized that variability in OXTR methylation impacts social perceptual processes often linked with oxytocin, such as perception of facial emotions. Using an imaging epigenetic approach, we established a relationship between OXTR methylation and neural activity in response to emotional face processing. Specifically, high levels of OXTR methylation were associated with greater amounts of activity in regions associated with face and emotion processing including amygdala, fusiform, and insula. Importantly, we found that these higher levels of OXTR methylation were also associated with decreased functional coupling of amygdala with regions involved in affect appraisal and emotion regulation. These data indicate that the human endogenous oxytocin system is involved in attenuation of the fear response, corroborating research implicating intranasal oxytocin in the same processes. Our findings highlight the importance of including epigenetic mechanisms in the description of the endogenous oxytocin system and further support a central role for oxytocin in social cognition. This approach linking epigenetic variability with neural endophenotypes may broadly explain individual differences in phenotype including susceptibility or resilience to disease.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.