Molecular genetic studies of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) and the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) in human behaviour: from autism to altruism with some notes in between

Israel, Salomon; Lerer, Elad; Shalev, Idan; Uzefovsky, Florina; Reibold, Mathias; Bachner‐Melman, Rachel; Granot, Roni; Bornstein, Gary; Knafo, Ariel; Yirmiya, Nurit; Ebstein, Richard P.

doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00434-2

Cited by 104 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Autism spectrum disorders (autism, Asperger's syndrome, and high-functioning autism) are characterized by a common pattern of marked impairments in social interactions (86). Some studies have suggested that polymorphisms of the V1a receptor gene are associated with autism spectrum disorders (242,268). Furthermore, the amygdala reactivity in a functional magnetic resonance imaging study was found to be associated with genetic variations in the promoter of the V1a receptor gene, which are linked to autism, and may therefore represent a neural mechanism that mediates the genetic risk for autism spectrum disorders (337).…”

Section: Social Interaction and Social Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vasopressin V1a and V1b Receptors: From Molecules to Physiological Systems

Koshimizu

Nakamura

Egashira

et al. 2012

Physiological Reviews

334

297

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The neurohypophysial hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) is essential for a wide range of physiological functions, including water reabsorption, cardiovascular homeostasis, hormone secretion, and social behavior. These and other actions of AVP are mediated by at least three distinct receptor subtypes: V1a, V1b, and V2. Although the antidiuretic action of AVP and V2 receptor in renal distal tubules and collecting ducts is relatively well understood, recent years have seen an increasing understanding of the physiological roles of V1a and V1b receptors. The V1a receptor is originally found in the vascular smooth muscle and the V1b receptor in the anterior pituitary. Deletion of V1a or V1b receptor genes in mice revealed that the contributions of these receptors extend far beyond cardiovascular or hormone-secreting functions. Together with extensively developed pharmacological tools, genetically altered rodent models have advanced the understanding of a variety of AVP systems. Our report reviews the findings in this important field by covering a wide range of research, from the molecular physiology of V1a and V1b receptors to studies on whole animals, including gene knockout/knockdown studies.

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Section: Social Interaction and Social Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vasopressin V1a and V1b Receptors: From Molecules to Physiological Systems

Koshimizu

Nakamura

Egashira

et al. 2012

Physiological Reviews

334

297

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In combination with an enriched social-sensory developmental environment, this enhanced developmental expression of neocortical OXTR should lead to enhanced social expertise in adulthood because of more facile neural computation of sensory input as adults (Figure 4). Atypical neocortical multisensory processing is a proposed etiological factor in autism, indicating that this mechanism may help explain some of the gene association studies implicating OXTR in autism (Wu et al, 2005;Jacob et al, 2007;Israel et al, 2008;Lerer et al, 2008;Liu et al, 2010;Campbell et al, 2011), and also that it may be difficult to detect the effect of OXTR alleles on autism risk (Tansey et al, 2010) without controlling for social and sensory environment in early life. As sensory systems are exceptionally tractable experimental targets in human neuroscience research, exploring the interaction between oxytocin and neocortical function should be a highly informative research area in the near term.…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Perspectives on Oxytocin and Vasopressin

Hammock

2014

Neuropsychopharmacol

167

146

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The related neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin are involved in species-typical behavior, including social recognition behavior, maternal behavior, social bonding, communication, and aggression. A wealth of evidence from animal models demonstrates significant modulation of adult social behavior by both of these neuropeptides and their receptors. Over the last decade, there has been a flood of studies in humans also implicating a role for these neuropeptides in human social behavior. Despite popular assumptions that oxytocin is a molecule of social bonding in the infant brain, less mechanistic research emphasis has been placed on the potential role of these neuropeptides in the developmental emergence of the neural substrates of behavior. This review summarizes what is known and assumed about the developmental influence of these neuropeptides and outlines the important unanswered questions and testable hypotheses. There is tremendous translational need to understand the functions of these neuropeptides in mammalian experience-dependent development of the social brain. The activity of oxytocin and vasopressin during development should inform our understanding of individual, sex, and species differences in social behavior later in life.

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“…The human OTR and AVPR1a genes each contain a distinct type of polymorphism in noncoding sequences that were shown to be associated with changes in social behavior [135,136] . In the case of AVPR1a , the main polymorphism is in 4 microsatellite elements that are located in the promoter and intronic regions ( fig.…”

Section: Human Avpr1a and Otr Genesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Contribution of Oxytocin and Vasopressin to Mammalian Social Behavior: Potential Role in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Harony

Wagner²

2010

Neurosignals

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Oxytocin (OT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) are 2 peptides that are produced in the brain and released via the pituitary gland to the peripheral blood, where they have diverse physiological functions. In the last 2 decades it has become clear that these peptides also play a central role in the modulation of mammalian social behavior by their actions within the brain. Several lines of evidence suggest their involvement in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is known to be associated with impaired social cognition and behavior. Recent clinical trials using OT administration to autistic patients have reported promising results. Here, we aim to describe the main data that suggest a connection between these peptides and ASD. Following a short illustration of several major topics in ASD biology we will (a) briefly describe the oxytocinergic and vasopressinergic systems in the brain, (b) discuss a few compelling cases manifesting the involvement of OT and AVP in mammalian social behavior, (c) describe data supporting the role of these peptides in human social cognition and behavior, and (d) discuss the possibility of the involvement of OT and AVP in ASD etiology, as well as the prospect of using these peptides as a treatment for ASD patients.

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Molecular genetic studies of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) and the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) in human behaviour: from autism to altruism with some notes in between

Cited by 104 publications

References 75 publications

Vasopressin V1a and V1b Receptors: From Molecules to Physiological Systems

Vasopressin V1a and V1b Receptors: From Molecules to Physiological Systems

Developmental Perspectives on Oxytocin and Vasopressin

The Contribution of Oxytocin and Vasopressin to Mammalian Social Behavior: Potential Role in Autism Spectrum Disorder

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