ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
Cooperation, fMRI, oxytocin, oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism, rs53576
Zusammenfassung:
Intranasal oxytocin (OT) can modulate social-emotional functioning and
related brain activity in humans. Consequently, OT has been discussed as
a potential treatment for psychiatric disorders involving social
behavioral deficits. However, OT effects are often heterogeneous across
individuals. Here we explore individual differences in OT effects on the
neural response to social cooperation as a function of the rs53576
polymorphism of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). Previously, we
conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which healthy men
and women were randomized to treatment with intranasal OT or placebo.
Afterwards, they were imaged with functional magnetic resonance imaging
while playing an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma Game with same-sex
partners. Within the left ventral caudate nucleus, intranasal OT
treatment increased activation to reciprocated cooperation in men, but
tended to decrease activation in women. Here, we show that these sex
differences in OT effects are specific to individuals with the rs53576
GG genotype, and are not found for other genotypes (rs53576 AA/AG).
Thus, OT may increase the reward or salience of positive social
interactions for male GG homozygotes, while decreasing those processes
for female GG homozygotes. These results suggest that rs53576 genotype
is an important variable to consider in future investigations of the
clinical efficacy of intranasal OT treatment.
