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An increase in vasopressin has been observed in female rats which have just given birth. Vasopressin is associated with aggressive and hostile behaviours, and is postulated to decrease sexual motivation in females. Vasopressin administered in the female rat brain has been observed to result in an immediate decrease in sexual motivation. [13]
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. [4] Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include social bonding, love, reproduction, childbirth, and the period after childbirth.
The biology of romantic love has been explored by such biological sciences as evolutionary psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology and neuroscience.Specific chemical substances such as oxytocin and dopamine are studied in the context of their roles in producing human experiences, emotions and behaviors that are associated with romantic love.
In 1950, Geoffrey Harris and Barry Cross outlined the oxytocin pathway by studying oxytocin release in response to electrical stimulation. [24] In 1974, Walters and Hatton investigated the effect of water dehydration by electrically stimulating the supraoptic nucleus—the hypothalamic center responsible for the release of vasopressin. [24]
Oxytocin and vasopressin can, thus, be released within the brain from these dendrites, as well as into the blood from the terminals in the posterior pituitary gland. [5] However, the release of oxytocin and vasopressin from dendrites is not consistently accompanied by peripheral secretion, as dendritic release is regulated differently.
The neurohypophysial hormones form a family of structurally and functionally related peptide hormones.Their representatives in humans are oxytocin and vasopressin.They are named after the location of their release into the blood, the neurohypophysis (another name for the posterior pituitary).
Oxytocin has been recognized as an important hormone involved in the mechanism of social buffering. Oxytocin is a molecule that is often called the "love hormone". [32] It is released into the blood in response to physiological and psychological stress, and increased oxytocin release from the hypothalamus inhibits activation of the HPA axis.
Neural systems, including autonomic functions, that rely on brain stem neuropeptides, such as oxytocin and vasopressin, are plausible correlates for empathic concern. Alternatively, vasopressin might be implicated in situations where a more active strategy is required for an effective response. [16]