eas that are “associated with advanced cognitive functions” and respond to excitatory and inhibitory signals from other neurons) [4,7]. This implies that the neural reaction to stress is different in males and in females. Thus, the authors could conclude that OxtrINs modulate sexually dimorphic social and emotional behavior. What implications could such a result have? One result is the potential to develop treatments for social and emotional disorders that are customized based on biological sex. The Cell paper
reveals a complex network of interrelating factors surrounding the levels of oxytocin and CRH, both of which need to be taken into account when developing pharmacological therapies that target the mPFC. As a result, synthetically supplying drugs that increase or decrease the levels of these hormones could have a highly specific effect on the social and emotional mechanisms regulated by OxtrINs when sex is taken into account [4]. Specifically, oxytocin is being examined as a potential therapy for conditions such as schizophrenia and social anxiety disorders
[1] Eaton NR, Keyes Km, Krueger RF, Balsis S, Skodol AE, Markon KE, et al. An Invariant Dimensional Liability Model of Gender Differences in Mental Disorder Prevalence: Evidence from a National Sample. J Abnorm Psychol 121.1 (2012): 282–288. PMC. [2] Luders E, Gaser C, Narr KL, Toga AW. Why sex matters: brain size independent differences in gray matter distributions between men and women. J Neurosci 29.45 (2009): 14265-14270. [3] Heinrichs M, Dawans B, Domes G. Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol, Volume 30, Issue 4, October 2009, Pages 548-557, ISSN 0091-3022.
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[4]. Before implementing such therapies, it will be important to consider the different ways in which male and female patients could respond. Beyond the concrete applications of the discovery, such research compels us to contemplate the nuanced differences in the way men and women respond socially and emotionally to the surrounding world, and the way in which these responses may feed into more serious issues such as mental illness.
[4] Li K, Nakajima M, Ibañez-Tallon I, Heintz N. A Cortical Circuit for Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin-Dependent Anxiety Behaviors. Cell, Volume 167, Issue 1, 2016 Sep 22, Pages 60-72.e11, ISSN 0092-8674. [5] Markram H, Toledo-Rodriguez M, Wang Y, Gupta A, Silberberg G, Wu C. Interneurons of the neocortical inhibitory system. Nat Rev Neurosci, 2004, 5, 793-807. [6] Deisseroth K. Optogenetics. Nat Meth, 2011, 8, 26-29. [7] Spruston N. Pyramidal neurons: dendritic structure and synaptic integration. Nat Rev Neurosci, 2008, 9, 206-221.