ArticleThe International journal of eating disorders2017
Low oxytocin levels are related to alexithymia in anorexia nervosa.
Article in The International journal of eating disorders, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Potential shortcomings in current studies on the effect of intranasal oxytocin in Anorexia Nervosa and healthy controls - A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychopharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- Activity Based Anorexia as an Animal Model for Anorexia Nervosa-A Systematic Review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2019Pooled it
- Oxytocin facilitates top-down and bottom-up attention to emotional faces in a general and temporal-dependent manner.Psychological medicine · 2026Trial
- Oxytocin levels in response to CRH administration in hypopituitarism and hypothalamic damage: a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa: A Concept Analysis.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Review
- The Oxytocin System and Implications for Oxytocin Deficiency in Hypothalamic-Pituitary Disease.Endocrine reviews · 2025Review
- Circadian copeptin and oxytocin profiles in anorexia nervosa: Exploring the interplay with neurohypophysis opioid tone.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Article
- Understanding oxytocin in human physiology and pathophysiology: A path towards therapeutics.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Review
- Association between serum oxytocin levels and depressive state in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2023Article
- Endocrine complications of anorexia nervosa.Journal of eating disorders · 2023Review
- How does it feel? An exploration of neurobiological and clinical correlates of alexithymia in trauma-exposed police-officers with and without PTSD.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Article
- Hormonal abnormalities in alexithymia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Salivary oxytocin in autistic patients and in patients with intellectual disability.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Low oxytocin levels are broadly associated with more pronounced psychopathology in anorexia nervosa with primarily restricting but not binge/purge eating behavior.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Article
- A Comprehensive Review of Complications and New Findings Associated with Anorexia Nervosa.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa Comorbidity: Common Features and Treatment Possibilities With Cognitive Remediation Therapy and Oxytocin.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Review
- Serum oxytocin levels are elevated in body dysmorphic disorder and related to severity of psychopathology.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2020Article
- Oxytocin and elderly MRI-based hippocampus and amygdala volume: a 7-year follow-up study.Brain communications · 2020Article
- Disrupted Oxytocin-Appetite Signaling in Females With Anorexia Nervosa.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2019Article
- Low Plasma Oxytocin Levels and Increased Psychopathology in Hypopituitary Men With Diabetes Insipidus.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveAnorexia nervosa is associated with social-emotional functioning deficits and low levels of the social neurohormone oxytocin, even after weight gain. The relationship between low oxytocin levels and social-emotional functioning impairment has not been studied.
methodWe performed a cross-sectional study of 79 women (19 who were less than 85% of ideal body weight [IBW] with anorexia nervosa [AN], 26 who were 90-120% IBW with a history of AN [AN-WR], and 34 who were 90-120% IBW with no eating disorder history [H]). We administered the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self Report (LSAS-SR), Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire (DAPP-BQ; suspiciousness and insecure attachment subscales), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). We also analyzed fasting serum oxytocin levels.
resultsMost measures of social-emotional functioning showed impairment in women with AN and AN-WR compared to H. Oxytocin levels were low in AN-WR compared to H. Across groups, low oxytocin levels were associated with difficulty identifying feelings (r = -.45, p = .008) and overall alexithymia (r = -.34, p = .0489). DISCUSSION: We speculate that low oxytocin levels may contribute to alexithymia in women with anorexia nervosa.
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Registered trials
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.