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A black mouse hides from a white mouse inside a paper tube.
Mapping the Neural Circuit of Social Avoidance
Oxytocin released in a region of the hypothalamus helps mice remember who to avoid.
Mapping the Neural Circuit of Social Avoidance
Mapping the Neural Circuit of Social Avoidance

Oxytocin released in a region of the hypothalamus helps mice remember who to avoid.

Oxytocin released in a region of the hypothalamus helps mice remember who to avoid.

oxytocin

A pair of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)
Monogamous Rodents Don’t Need “Love Molecule” To Pair Up
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Jan 27, 2023 | 4 min read
Prairie voles lacking functional receptors for oxytocin form normal social bonds, a finding that could explain the hormone’s clinical failures.
A black dog with tearful eyes looks at the camera
Dogs Cry Tears of Joy: Study
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Aug 22, 2022 | 6 min read
Pet dogs produce a larger volume of tears when they are reunited with their owners than with acquaintances, possibly because of surging oxytocin levels—findings that could be the first evidence of emotional crying in nonhuman animals.
smiling woman with hands on hips with blackboard in background
In Deep Water With Gül Dölen
Peter Hess, Spectrum | Aug 4, 2022 | 10 min read
A researcher’s existential crisis led to a scientific breakthrough.
A Black woman stands in profile with her head turned towards the camera, smiling
Bianca Jones Marlin Traces How Sensory Inputs Shape the Brain
Annie Melchor | Oct 1, 2021 | 3 min read
The Columbia University neuroscientist researches the biology behind some of our most human experiences, including building family relationships. 
The Neuroscience of Motherhood
The Scientist | Apr 27, 2021 | 1 min read
Robert Froemke and Liisa Galea will discuss the neurological changes that occur during motherhood and their effect on behavior and brain health.
Contributors
Amanda Heidt | Oct 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the October 2020 issue of The Scientist.
Infographic: Measurements that Predict People’s Behavior
Paul J. Zak | Oct 1, 2020 | 1 min read
Changes in blood levels of oxytocin and adrenocorticotropic hormone and patterns of neural activity predict how much money people will donate to a cause with high accuracy.
Losing Touch: Another Drawback of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ashley Yeager | May 19, 2020 | 6 min read
Affectionate touches tap into the nervous system’s rest and digest mode, reducing the release of stress hormones, bolstering the immune system, and stimulating brainwaves linked with relaxation.
Autism Symptoms May Improve with Modification of Hormone Pathway
Catherine Offord | May 2, 2019 | 2 min read
Two clinical trials that altered vasopressin signaling report improved social functions in people with autism spectrum disorder, but researchers caution against overinterpreting the results.
Oxytocin Makes Time Fly
Sukanya Charuchandra | Aug 1, 2018 | 2 min read
Can people’s social skills affect their experience of time?
Rewarding Companions
Rina Shaikh-Lesko | Oct 26, 2015 | 2 min read
Oxytocin and social contact together modulate endocannabinoid activity in the mouse brain, which could help explain the prosocial effects of marijuana use. 
Puppy Love
Jef Akst | Apr 17, 2015 | 2 min read
Dog owners bond with their four-legged friends via the same hormonal pathways through which human mothers bond with their babies.
Oxytocin Trains Mouse Mom Hearing
Jenny Rood | Apr 16, 2015 | 1 min read
The hormone activates neurons that trigger female mice to respond to the distress calls of lost pups.
Oxytocin for Autism?
Ruth Williams | Jan 21, 2015 | 3 min read
Scientists find that the hormone improves sociability in a mouse model of autism.
Week in Review: March 31–April 4
Tracy Vence | Apr 4, 2014 | 3 min read
Transcriptional landscape of the fetal brain; how a parasitic worm invades plants; difficulties reproducing “breakthrough” heart regeneration method; oxytocin and dishonesty
Oxytocin Boosts Dishonesty
Ed Yong | Mar 31, 2014 | 3 min read
The so-called “love hormone” can make people more dishonest when it serves the interests of their group. 
Epigenetics Play Cupid for Prairie Voles
Kate Yandell | Jun 2, 2013 | 3 min read
Females of the pair-bonded rodent species become attached to their lifelong mates following histone modifications near oxytocin and vasopressin receptor genes.
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