Abstract
Oxytocin plays an important role in human attachment, trust, social perception, memory, and fear regulation. Evidence suggests that CD38, a regulator of oxytocin release, may also be critical in these processes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of plasma oxytocin level measured after a task requiring intimate trust (secret sharing), modeling psychotherapeutic processes, and a neutral social interaction. Results revealed that peripheral CD38 expression positively predicted both trust-related and trust-unrelated oxytocin levels. In addition, habituation of arousal, as measured by skin conductance response, and attachment anxiety also emerged as predictors of oxytocin level in the trust-related condition. These results suggest that CD38 plays a general role in oxytocin secretion, whereas habituation of arousal and attachment anxiety are specifically related to situations involving intimate trust.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 223-226 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Biological Psychology |
Volume | 88 |
Issue number | 2-3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The study was supported by the Hungarian Research Fund (OTKA NF72488 ).
Funding
The study was supported by the Hungarian Research Fund (OTKA NF72488 ).
Funders | Funder number |
---|---|
Hungarian Scientific Research Fund | NF72488 |
Keywords
- Attachment
- Autonomic arousal
- CD38
- Oxytocin
- Skin conductance response
- Trust