New properties of the hormone oxytocin studied

The posterior lobe of the hypothalamus produces the hormone oxytocin. This hormone is needed for many processes and body systems. There is always a lot of controversy and questions around hormones, because each hormone has the ability to influence not only a separate organ, but also the body as a whole. Today, the properties of hormones are being intensively studied for their further use in medicine. What properties are found in the hormone oxytocin, read on estet-portal.com.

Role  oxytocin hormone during childbirth and lactation

The hormone oxytocin is actively involved in the process of childbirth and lactation. In lactating breasts, oxytocin stimulates the contraction of myoepithelial cells that surround the alveoli and ducts of the mammary glands. During breastfeeding, the hormone oxytocin enters the mammary gland, which helps milk pass through the subareolar ducts, where milk is released from the nipples. The release of the hormone oxytocin during breastfeeding in the first weeks of lactation contributes to uterine contraction. This is necessary for blood clotting at the site of attachment of the placenta.

The hormone oxytocin has a stimulating effect on the smooth muscles of the uterus, increasing the contractile function of the myometrium. This ability of oxytocin makes the hormone one of the main in the birth process. More and more research is being conducted that studies the effect of the hormone oxytocin on the human body, on the state, behavior and sensations, on its ability to control anxiety, fear and trust.

How does oxytocin affect the cortex of the brain?

Oxytocin plays an important role in the process of sexual arousal and maternal attachment to the fetus. Recent studies have noted that the hormone oxytocin affects a person's actions in a similar way to alcohol.

Thus, it was found that the hormone oxytocin increases empathy, altruism, generosity, making a person more trusting, since the activity of the limbic and prefrontal cortex systems decreases, while fear, stress and anxiety decrease. Since alcohol has the same application points, the scientists decided to find out how similar the effects of alcohol and oxytocin are.

It turned out that these substances act in the same way. The action receptors are different, but the effects on gamma-aminobutyric acid signals in the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system of the brain are the same. Another study found that the hormone oxytocin affects a woman's social behavior.

What properties of the hormone oxytocin can be useful in psychiatry?

The hormone oxytocin boosts processing in the brain's left auditory cortex, causing women to respond to distress calls. their children, that is, to scream and cry. It turns out that there are a lot of receptors for the hormone oxytocin in the left auditory cortex. When it enters the bloodstream, it binds to them and increases the susceptibility of the female body to the crying of a child, even someone else's.

Based on these properties of the hormone oxytocin, it is hypothesized that the role of oxytocin in social behavior will lead to its use in the treatment of human anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, speech disorders, and other psychological trauma.