Topic: oxytocin receptor

Oxytocin is essential in shaping social behavior across the lifespan. While the role of oxytocin signaling in parental care has been widely investigated, little is known about its function in social behavior during early life. This is partly due to the lack of precise technologies for studying the developing brain. In mice, the expression of the oxytocin receptor peaks during the second and third weeks of life, suggesting that oxytocin signaling is important at this early stage. Here, we studied the role of oxytocin in pup social behavior under acute separation from and reunion with the mother

Translational regulation plays a key role in synaptic plasticity. However, the critical targets and physiological context of how regulated translation is leveraged for neuronal adaptations is poorly understood. I am testing the hypothesis that social homeostasis engages differential regulation of translation, thereby directing neuronal plasticity for behavioral adaptations. The concept of social homeostasis proposes that social behavior is regulated by a complex feedback system to maintain a stable set-point for social interactions. The oxytocinergic system regulates key elements of social int