Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice
Published on: November 22, 2024
Fear-enhancing effects of septal oxytocin receptors
Yomayra F Guzmán1, Natalie C Tronson, Vladimir Jovasevic
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
The nonapeptide oxytocin is considered beneficial to mental health due to its anxiolytic, prosocial and antistress effects, but evidence for anxiogenic actions of oxytocin in humans has recently emerged. Using region-specific manipulations of the mouse oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) gene (Oxtr), we identified the lateral septum as the brain region mediating fear-enhancing effects of Oxtr. These effects emerge after social defeat and require Oxtr specifically coupled to the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase pathway.
More Related Videos
05:49Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Published on: October 13, 2018
09:12Assessing Cellular Stress and Inflammation in Discrete Oxytocin-secreting Brain Nuclei in the Neonatal Rat Before and After First Colostrum Feeding
Published on: November 14, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Neurotransmitters
Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
Several...
Adrenergic Agonists: Indirect-Acting Agents
One mechanism involves depleting stored catecholamines by displacing them from synaptic vesicles. These agents, known as "displacers," are transported into vesicles at the expense of noradrenaline. Examples include amphetamine and tyramine, which lack a catechol moiety, resulting in prolonged action, improved oral bioavailability, and...
Adrenergic Agonists: Direct-Acting Agents
These agents can be classified...