Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

How 'love hormone' regulates sexual behaviour

Darpan News Desk IANS, 10 Oct, 2014 02:17 PM
    Researchers have uncovered a new class of oxytocin-responsive brain cells that regulates an important aspect of female sexual interest in male mice, suggesting that the same mechanism is followed in humans for selecting mate.
     
    These brain cells, found in the prefrontal cortex, may play a role in other oxytocin-related social behaviours such as intimacy, love or mother-child bonding.
     
    "The findings suggest that social interactions that stimulate oxytocin production will recruit this newly identified brain circuit to help coordinate the complex behavioural responses elicited by changing social situations in all mammals,” explained senior study author Nathaniel Heintz from the Rockefeller University.
     
    Oxytocin has been called the “love hormone” because it plays an important role in social behaviours such as maternal care and pair bonding.
     
    Lead study author Miho Nakajima from Rockefeller University discovered a population of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex that express the oxytocin receptor.
     
    When the researchers disrupted the activity of these neurons, female mice lost interest in male mice during estrus - the sexually receptive phase of their cycle - and spent about the same amount of time with them as with a plastic Lego block.
     
    By contrast, these females retained a normal level of social interest in other females and in male mice when not in estrus.
     
    Moreover, the social behaviour of male mice was unaffected by the silencing of these neurons.
     
    “This critical cell population in prefrontal cortex may mediate other aspects of behaviour in response to the elevated oxytocin levels that occur in a variety of different contexts,” Heintz noted.
     
    The study appeared in the journal Cell.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Engage with babbling infants to improve language learning

    Engage with babbling infants to improve language learning
    "Parents may not understand a baby's prattling, but by listening and responding, they let their infants know they can communicate which leads to children...

    Engage with babbling infants to improve language learning

    Over-confident workers can put firms at risk

    Over-confident workers can put firms at risk
    Over-confident people can fool others into believing they are more talented than they actually are, claim two Indian-origin researchers, adding that these...

    Over-confident workers can put firms at risk

    How positive memories can replace negative experiences

    How positive memories can replace negative experiences
    By manipulating neural circuits in the brain of mice, scientists have found that memories and experiences - stored in two different parts of the brain...

    How positive memories can replace negative experiences

    Yawning contagious in wolves too

    Yawning contagious in wolves too
    A new study has suggested that wolves tend to yawn when they see one of their brethren indulging in the act -- just like the humans...

    Yawning contagious in wolves too

    Couples' play with doll predicts parenting behaviour

    Couples' play with doll predicts parenting behaviour
    Parents who are ready to welcome a baby show a lot about their future co-parenting behaviour during pregnancy, reveals a new study...

    Couples' play with doll predicts parenting behaviour

    Indian men want women to propose: Survey

    Indian men want women to propose: Survey
    Traditionally, it's the guys who pop the question to take a relationship forward but an increasing number of Indian men now prefer if women make the first move...

    Indian men want women to propose: Survey