Oxytocin and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that plays critical role in mother-infant bonding, pair bonding and prosocial behaviors. Several neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, alcohol/substance addiction, aggression, suicide, eating disorders and personality disorders show abnormalities of oxytocin system. These findings have given rise to the studies searching therapeutic use of oxytocin for psychiatric disorders. The studies of oxytocin interventions in psychiatric disorders yielded potentially promising findings. This paper reviews the role of oxytocin in emotions, behavior and its effects in psychiatric disorders.

Keywords

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Oksitosin ve Psikiyatrik Bozukluklar

Öz

Oksitosin anne ve bebeğin bağlanması, çiftlerin bağlanması ve sosyal davranışlarda rol oynayan bir nöropeptiddir. Otizm, şizofreni, duygudurum bozuklukları, anksiyete bozuklukları, dikkat eksikliği/hiperaktivite bozukluğu, alkol/madde bağımlılığı, agresyon, intihar, yeme bozuklukları ve kişilik bozuklukları gibi pek çok psikiyatrik bozuklukta oksitosin sistemine ait anormallikler tespit edilmiştir. Bu bulgular oksitosinin psikiyatrik bozuklukların tedavisinde kullanımının araştırıldığı çalışmalara öncülük etmiştir. Çalışmaların sonuçları incelendiğinde oksitosinin psikiyatrik bozukluklar üzerindeki etkisi umut vericidir. Bu derlemede oksitosinin duygu ve davranışlardaki rolü ve psikiyatrik bozukluklar üzerine etkileri ele alınmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Oksitosin, psikiyatrik bozukluklar, sosyal davranış, otizm

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