Epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor is associated with neural response during selective social attention.

ABSTRACT: Aberrant attentional biases to social stimuli have been implicated in a number of disorders including autism and social anxiety disorder. Oxytocin, a naturally-occurring mammalian hormone and neuromodulator involved in regulating social behavior, has been proposed to impact basic biological systems that facilitate the detection of and orientation to social information. Here, we investigate a role for naturally-occurring variability in the endogenous oxytocinergic system in regulating neural response during attention to social information. Participants performed a selective social attention task while undergoing fMRI, provided a blood sample for epigenetic analysis, and completed self-report measures of social functioning. We find that a functional epigenetic modification to the oxytocin re

SUBMITTER: Puglia MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6003910 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature