Monday, November 9, 2009

Oxytocin - Lesson 1

Evil Monkey (misnomer, I hope) promises multiple post's on Oxytocin and for someone like me who isn't a scientist, its gonna be an eye opener. So thank you Mr.Ape. Oxytocin has had a profound (self diagnosed of-course) effect on my life.




"Oxytocin is one of the two major hormones which are secreted from an area of the brain called the posterior pituitary (the other one is called vasopressin, and is involved in water regulation, though it also has been known to curl the toes of male voles).
The posterior pituitary is the one further toward the back of the head. But oxytocin is not made there, it's actually made ABOVE the pituitary, 
in the area of the brain called the hypothalamus (The supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, if you want to be all particular about it), and the cells within the hypothalamus extend all the way to the posterior pituitary, allowing oxytocin to be made in one place and released in another.


So oxytocin is made, and when stimulated correctly, the brain releases it. Oxytocin has endocrine actions throughout the body. It plays a very big role in sexual arousal and orgasm in both sexes. In women, oxytocin is VERY important in 
stimulating uterine contractions prior to birth, so much so that oxytocin is given to induce labor, and drugs that antagonize oxytocin are used to suppress it if labor is premature. Oxytocin also plays a huge role in milk letdown in women, allowing them to nurse.
But oxytocin doesn't just act on the body, it also has some rather big impacts on the brain.
Some studies have shown that oxytocin has strong effects on trust and generosity, making it an important chemical in human social interaction. In addition to these big effects, there may be roles for oxytocin in autism, in depression (particularly in females), and of course in things like social bonding."
This is awesome, I am not qualified to comment on this (still a student) and staying tuned.

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