Foot massage evokes oxytocin release and activation of orbitofrontal cortex and superior temporal sulcus

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) plays an important role in influencing both social bonds and a number of different aspects of social cognition in a variety of different species, including humans (Kendrick et al., 2017). There is increasing evidence across cultures that basal plasma OXT concentrations are reduced in disorders with social dysfunction, such as autism, and by early life social neglect which can also lead to social dysfunction (Green et al., 2001; Oztan et al., 2018; Parker et al., 2014; Zhang et al., 2016).

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Qin Li, Benjamin Becker, Jennifer Wernicke, Yuanshu Chen, Yingying Zhang, Rui Li, Jiao Le, Juan Kou, Weihua Zhao, Keith M Kendrick Source Type: research