Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35723242›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2022

Oxytocinergic Modulation of Stress-Associated Amygdala-Hippocampus Pathways in Humans Is Mediated by Serotonergic Mechanisms.

Chunmei Lan, Congcong Liu, Keshuang Li, Zhiying Zhao, Jiaxin Yang, Yina Ma, Dirk Scheele, Shuxia Yao, Keith M Kendrick, Benjamin Becker

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. How does oxytocin modulate human behavior?Molecular psychiatry · 2025
    Review
  7. Neuropeptidergic systems in psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025
    Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Chunmei LanThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-6466-1217
Congcong LiuThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Keshuang LiThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Zhiying ZhaoThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Jiaxin YangState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Yina MaState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute of Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Dirk ScheeleDivision of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Shuxia YaoThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Keith M KendrickThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Benjamin BeckerThe Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9014-9671
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China · CNBeijing Normal University · CNCarl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) may exert anxiolytic and stress-reducing actions via modulatory effects on amygdala circuits. Animal models and initial findings in humans suggest that some of these effects are mediated by interactions with other neurotransmitter systems, in particular the serotonin (5-HT) system. Against this background, the present pharmacological resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed to determine whether effects of OXT on stress-associated amygdala intrinsic networks are mediated by 5-HT.

methodsWe employed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel-group, pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging resting-state experiment with 4 treatment groups in n = 112 healthy male participants. Participants underwent a transient decrease in 5-HT signaling via acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) or a corresponding placebo-control protocol before the administration of intranasal OXT (24 IU) or placebo intranasal spray.

resultsOXT and 5-HT modulation exerted interactive effects on the coupling of the left amygdala with the ipsilateral hippocampus and adjacent midbrain. OXT increased intrinsic coupling in this pathway, whereas this effect of OXT was significantly attenuated during transiently decreased central serotonergic signaling induced via acute tryptophan depletion. In the absence of OXT or 5-HT modulation, this pathway showed a trend for an association with self-reported stress perception in everyday life. No interactive effects were observed for the right amygdala.

conclusionsTogether, the findings provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that the effects of OXT on stress-associated amygdala-hippocampal-midbrain pathways are critically mediated by the 5-HT system in humans.

Indexed as

Anti-Anxiety AgentsOxytocinAmygdalaDouble-Blind MethodHippocampusHumansMaleNeurotransmitter AgentsSerotoninTryptophanAnti-Anxiety AgentsNeurotransmitter AgentsOxytocinSerotoninTryptophanamygdalaanxietyOxytocinserotoninstress

Identifiers

PMID35723242
PMCPMC9593216
OpenAlexW4283158321

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.