Salivary levels of oxytocin remain elevated for more than two hours after intranasal oxytocin administration.

OBJECTIVE This is the first study investigating whether levels of oxytocin in saliva remained elevated after intranasal oxytocin administration for the duration of an experiment (in which neurobehavioral effects of oxytocin were observed) taking more than two hours. METHODS Oxytocin levels were measured in saliva samples collected from 57 female participants right before (T0), approximately 1¼ h (T1), and approximately 2¼ h (T2) after intranasal administration of 16 IU of oxytocin or a placebo, using a double-blind, within-subjects design. RESULTS Average levels of oxytocin did not differ between conditions before use of the nasal spray, markedly increased only after oxytocin administration, and were still elevated after 2¼ h. CONCLUSION Salivary levels of oxytocin remained persistently elevated over the course of our experiment, i.e. for more than two hours after intranasal oxytocin administration and over a time-period in which neurobehavioral effects of oxytocin are commonly observed. This suggests that salivary concentrations may be a valuable biomarker for oxytocin, and may help to explain its effects on brain activity, information processing, and behavior.

[1]  M. Bakermans-Kranenburg,et al.  The impact of oxytocin administration and maternal love withdrawal on event-related potential (ERP) responses to emotional faces with performance feedback , 2013, Hormones and Behavior.

[2]  M. Bakermans-Kranenburg,et al.  Oxytocin decreases handgrip force in reaction to infant crying in females without harsh parenting experiences. , 2012, Social cognitive and affective neuroscience.

[3]  Maarten A. S. Boksem,et al.  No Laughing Matter: Intranasal Oxytocin Administration Changes Functional Brain Connectivity during Exposure to Infant Laughter , 2012, Neuropsychopharmacology.

[4]  M. Bakermans-Kranenburg,et al.  The Impact of Oxytocin Administration on Charitable Donating is Moderated by Experiences of Parental Love-Withdrawal , 2011, Front. Psychology.

[5]  Maarten A. S. Boksem,et al.  Oxytocin Modulates Amygdala, Insula, and Inferior Frontal Gyrus Responses to Infant Crying: A Randomized Controlled Trial , 2011, Biological Psychiatry.

[6]  N. Bolger,et al.  Social effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter , 2011, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[7]  Marinus H. van IJzendoorn,et al.  The Role of Oxytocin in Mother‐Infant Relations: A Systematic Review of Human Studies , 2011, Harvard review of psychiatry.

[8]  H. Engeland,et al.  Intranasal oxytocin increases fathers’ observed responsiveness during play with their children: A double-blind within-subject experiment , 2010, Psychoneuroendocrinology.

[9]  K. Grewen,et al.  An investigation of plasma and salivary oxytocin responses in breast- and formula-feeding mothers of infants. , 2010, Psychophysiology.

[10]  K. Macdonald,et al.  The peptide that binds: a systematic review of oxytocin and its prosocial effects in humans. , 2010, Harvard review of psychiatry.

[11]  C. Nemeroff,et al.  Lower CSF oxytocin concentrations in women with a history of childhood abuse , 2009, Molecular Psychiatry.

[12]  Markus Heinrichs,et al.  Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior , 2009, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology.

[13]  R. White-Traut,et al.  Detection of salivary oxytocin levels in lactating women. , 2009, Developmental psychobiology.

[14]  David H. Skuse,et al.  Dopaminergic-neuropeptide interactions in the social brain , 2009, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[15]  Paul J. Zak,et al.  Monetary sacrifice among strangers is mediated by endogenous oxytocin release after physical contact , 2008 .

[16]  J. Holt-Lunstad,et al.  Influence of a “Warm Touch” Support Enhancement Intervention Among Married Couples on Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Oxytocin, Alpha Amylase, and Cortisol , 2008, Psychosomatic medicine.

[17]  A. Campbell,et al.  Attachment, aggression and affiliation: The role of oxytocin in female social behavior , 2008, Biological Psychology.

[18]  Orna Zagoory-Sharon,et al.  Evidence for a Neuroendocrinological Foundation of Human Affiliation , 2007, Psychological science.

[19]  P. Gray,et al.  Hormonal correlates of human paternal interactions: A hospital-based investigation in urban Jamaica , 2007, Hormones and Behavior.

[20]  A. A. Wijers,et al.  Anxiety, cortisol, and attachment predict plasma oxytocin. , 2007, Psychophysiology.

[21]  K. J. Parker,et al.  Intranasal oxytocin administration attenuates the ACTH stress response in monkeys , 2005, Psychoneuroendocrinology.

[22]  K. Light,et al.  More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women , 2005, Biological Psychology.

[23]  R. Landgraf,et al.  Vasopressin and oxytocin release within the brain: a dynamic concept of multiple and variable modes of neuropeptide communication , 2004, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology.

[24]  C. Carter,et al.  Developmental consequences of oxytocin , 2003, Physiology & Behavior.

[25]  Thomas R. Insel,et al.  Oxytocin — A neuropeptide for affiliation: Evidence from behavioral, receptor autoradiographic, and comparative studies , 1992, Psychoneuroendocrinology.

[26]  B. McEwen.  Brain-fluid barriers: relevance for theoretical controversies regarding vasopressin and oxytocin memory research. , 2004, Advances in pharmacology.

[27]  C. Eriksen,et al.  Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task , 1974 .