Forced swimming-induced oxytocin release into blood and brain: Effects of adrenalectomy and corticosterone treatment

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 77; pp. 165 - 174
• Main Authors: Torner, Luz, Plotsky, Paul M, Neumann, Inga D, De Jong, Trynke R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2017
• Subjects: ACTH; Adrenalectomy; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone - blood; Animals; Arginine Vasopressin - blood; Corticosterone; Corticosterone - blood; Corticosterone - pharmacology; Endocrinology & Metabolism; HPA axis; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - drug effects; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - metabolism; Male; Oxytocin; Oxytocin - metabolism; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus - drug effects; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus - metabolism; Pituitary-Adrenal System - drug effects; Pituitary-Adrenal System - metabolism; Psychiatry; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Stress; Stress, Physiological - physiology; Swimming; Adrenalectomy; ACTH; HPA axis; Oxytocin; Corticosterone; Stress
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.12.006

Highlights • Adrenalectomy (ADX) caused an exaggerated secretion of OXT into the blood in response to forced swim stress (FS), which was not reversed by acute i.v. or chronic s.c. corticosterone (CORT) replacement. • ADX inhibited FS-induced release of OXT into the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus as measured with in vivo microdialysis, and this inhibition could be reversed by acute i.v. CORT infusion. • These results provide a clear example of the functional separation between stress-induced somato-dendritic OXT release and neurohypophyseal axonal OXT secretion. • The dataset adds significantly to our understanding of the complex reciprocal links between the OXT system and the HPA axis, which may play a significant role in many stress-related psychopathologies.