A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return
The present paper is the personal narration of the author reviewing her scientific pathways that led her toward the study of oxytocin. My work began with a pioneering study showing a decreased number of the serotonin transporter proteins in romantic lovers. This unexpected finding promoted my intere...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497623000322 |
| _version_ | 1797398473209806848 |
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| author | Donatella Marazziti |
| author_facet | Donatella Marazziti |
| author_sort | Donatella Marazziti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present paper is the personal narration of the author reviewing her scientific pathways that led her toward the study of oxytocin. My work began with a pioneering study showing a decreased number of the serotonin transporter proteins in romantic lovers. This unexpected finding promoted my interest in the neurobiology of human emotions and feelings, and significantly shifted my research focus from diseases to physiological states that underlie “love.” During this time increasing experimental data broadened the spectrum of activities of oxytocin from female functions, such as parturition and lactation, to modulation of the stress and immune system. The literature also began to reveal an important role for oxytocin in a sense of safety and wellbeing, processes that are critical to both love and survival. I suggest here that future studies should disentangle different emerging questions regarding the exact role of oxytocin within human nature, as well as its possible therapeutic applications in different physiological conditions and pathological states. Understanding these, in turn, holds the potential to improve the lives of both individuals and societies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:26:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1cb1243b85824220bde0abedd544156d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-4976 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:26:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1cb1243b85824220bde0abedd544156d2023-12-10T06:18:04ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology2666-49762023-11-0116100198A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no returnDonatella Marazziti0Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100, Pisa, Italy; Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences – UniCamillus, Rome, ItalyThe present paper is the personal narration of the author reviewing her scientific pathways that led her toward the study of oxytocin. My work began with a pioneering study showing a decreased number of the serotonin transporter proteins in romantic lovers. This unexpected finding promoted my interest in the neurobiology of human emotions and feelings, and significantly shifted my research focus from diseases to physiological states that underlie “love.” During this time increasing experimental data broadened the spectrum of activities of oxytocin from female functions, such as parturition and lactation, to modulation of the stress and immune system. The literature also began to reveal an important role for oxytocin in a sense of safety and wellbeing, processes that are critical to both love and survival. I suggest here that future studies should disentangle different emerging questions regarding the exact role of oxytocin within human nature, as well as its possible therapeutic applications in different physiological conditions and pathological states. Understanding these, in turn, holds the potential to improve the lives of both individuals and societies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497623000322Personal historyBiological psychiatrySerotoninLoveOxytocin |
| spellingShingle | Donatella Marazziti A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Personal history Biological psychiatry Serotonin Love Oxytocin |
| title | A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return |
| title_full | A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return |
| title_fullStr | A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return |
| title_full_unstemmed | A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return |
| title_short | A long and winding road: My personal journey to oxytocin with no return |
| title_sort | long and winding road my personal journey to oxytocin with no return |
| topic | Personal history Biological psychiatry Serotonin Love Oxytocin |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497623000322 |
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