Alcohol Consumption Decreases Oxytocin Neurons in the Anterior Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus in Prairie Voles

摘要

BackgroundAlcohol use disorders are associated with dysfunctional social relationships and stress responses. The neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are known to orchestrate or mediate many aspects of social behavior, stress responses, and ingestive behaviors. Because of the overlap between the effects of alcohol and the roles of OT and AVP, we sought to determine whether alcohol consumption altered expression of OT and AVP in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, one of the key sites for OT and AVP synthesis.