Inga D. Neumann working at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone, preparing enrichment material for chimpanzee orphans. (Credit: Inga D. Neumann)
Professor Inga Neumann, Chair of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Regensburg, offers groundbreaking insights into oxytocin’s influence on social behavior and emotional responses in a new interview with Genomic Press, published in Brain Medicine. This interview highlights Professor Neumann’s pioneering research on neuropeptides, particularly oxytocin, moving beyond the simplistic “love hormone” label to reveal its complex role in the brain.
Neuropeptides are small protein-like molecules (peptides) used by neurons in the brain to communicate with each other. They act as signaling molecules, influencing a wide range of brain functions and behaviors.
Oxytocin, often dubbed the “love hormone,” is a fascinating molecule with a wide range of functions in the body and brain. It plays a crucial role in childbirth, social bonding, and emotional responses. Oxytocin promotes feelings of trust, empathy, and attachment, which are essential for social bonding and relationships. It’s released during physical touch, like hugging and cuddling, strengthening connections between people.
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“I am convinced that increasing our knowledge about the stimuli, dynamics, and consequences of their intracerebral release at the behavioral, physiological, cellular, and molecular levels will improve our understanding of general brain mechanisms,” explains Professor Neumann, whose work spans from molecular mechanisms to behavioral outcomes.
Her research team has developed innovative approaches to studying social anxiety, including a breakthrough mouse model of social fear conditioning. This work has opened new avenues for understanding how chronic stress and early life experiences influence social behavior patterns.
“We started to focus on the potential role of the brain’s oxytocin and AVP systems as therapeutic targets for psychiatric diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders or autism,” Professor Neumann notes, highlighting the clinical implications of her research. “The hope is that one day it will be possible to apply oxytocin reliably to treat – for example – treatment-resistant patients suffering from anxiety disorders, especially social anxiety, but also autism and schizophrenia.”
Professor Inga D. Neumann’s research explores the molecular mechanisms of social fear, with a focus on oxytocin, CRF, and other neuroactive molecules. This work has important implications for treating social anxiety disorders and understanding stress resilience. Looking to the future, her research poses key questions for psychiatric treatment: How can oxytocin-based therapies be more effectively delivered to the brain? What role do epigenetic factors play in social behavior disorders? And how can we improve the translation of findings from animal models to human therapies?
