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Oxytocin effects on the resting-state mentalizing brain network.

Haiyan Wu1,2,3, Chunliang Feng4, Xiaping Lu4

  • 1CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.

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|January 20, 2020
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Summary

Oxytocin (OT) influences brain connectivity, impacting social behaviors like empathy. This study shows OT alters functional connectivity in key mentalizing brain regions, with empathy traits modulating these effects.

Keywords:
Functional connectivityMentalizing networkOxytocinTemporoparietal junctionfMRI

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Social Neuroscience
  • Psychopharmacology

Background:

  • Oxytocin (OT) is known to modulate human social behaviors, including trust, anxiety reduction, empathy, and bonding.
  • The brain's mentalizing network is crucial for understanding others' mental states.
  • The precise neural mechanisms by which OT influences these complex social functions remain under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of intranasal oxytocin (OT) on the functional connectivity (FC) of the mentalizing brain network.
  • To examine the association between OT-induced FC changes and social behavioral and personality traits, specifically empathy.
  • To determine if altered temporoparietal junction (TPJ) functional connectivity can differentiate between OT and placebo groups.

Main Methods:

  • Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design.
  • Intranasal administration of oxytocin (OT) or placebo.
  • Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess functional connectivity (FC) with seeds in the left/right temporoparietal junction (lTPJ/rTPJ).
  • Machine learning analysis to classify OT vs. placebo groups based on FC patterns.

Main Results:

  • Oxytocin significantly increased FC between the right TPJ (rTPJ) and the default attention network (DAN).
  • Oxytocin significantly decreased FC between the left TPJ (lTPJ) and the medial prefrontal network (MPN).
  • Altered TPJ functional connectivity patterns successfully classified the OT and placebo groups using a machine learning approach.
  • Individual empathy traits modulated the FC between the lTPJ and the right rectus (RECT), showing a positive correlation in the placebo group and a negative correlation in the OT group.

Conclusions:

  • Oxytocin administration significantly alters functional connectivity in brain regions critical for mentalizing, specifically the lTPJ and rTPJ.
  • These findings elucidate the neural underpinnings of how oxytocin modulates social behaviors, particularly those involving mentalizing.
  • Empathy traits interact with oxytocin's effects on brain connectivity, highlighting the personalized impact of this neuropeptide on social cognition.