Chinese scientists have revealed that oxytocin can affect emotional behavior by projecting fibers in the brain

Neuron magazine published online the results of a team collaboration between Zhejiang University and Hua zhong University of Science and Technology, "Resal from the Hypothalamo-Neurohypophysial System and Functional Dissection of Magnocellular Oxytocin Neurons in the Brain".
The team analyzed the three-dimensional fine structure and central function of the hylandostalin-neuropulbinal endocrine system (HNS), and the study revealed that oxytocin does not only act as a hormone by releasing it to the outer week, but can also affect our emotional behavior by projecting it into the emotional regulatory region of the brain.
There is a special group of neuroendocrine cells in the hemland, which not only retain the discharge properties of neurons, but also release hormones into the blood, act on the outer target organs, and play an important role in regulating the growth and development of the body, metabolic reproduction and internal environmental stability.
, neurons that secrete angiopressin (AVP, also known as anti-diuretic hormone) and oxytocin (OXT) are located primarily in the hyalural cervial nib (PVN) and visual nucleus (SON).
their cytosomes are large, axons are long and directly projected to the pituitary gland, forming the hemland-neuro-pituitary system, or large cellular neuroendocrine system.
AVP and OXT released into the blood from the pituitary gland regulate the body's water salt balance, delivery and lactation and other important processes, pharmacological studies in recent years show that AVP and OXT as neuropeptide neuromodulation, in the brain can regulate the body's social, fear and emotion, but endogenous OXT is released into the brain after the outer week, or large cell endocrine neurons (MNCs) directly in the brain release OXT function is not clear.
the role and mechanism of endogenous OXT depends on the fine 3D reconstruction of MNCs whole brain projection and the precise targeting of its functional activities.
researchers cleverly injected the reverse tracer virus into the pituitary glands of rats, lit up the entire HNS by using the characteristics of the virus's efficient reverse transport along the axis, and used the self-developed fluorescent micro-optical sliced fault imaging (fMOST) technology to image the whole brain of rats and completed the high-resolution three-dimensional reconstruction of HNS for the first time.
The study found that in addition to the classic PVN and SON, there are AVP and OXT neurons projected into the pituitary glycoplasm in multiple nucleus groups in the hem, and some OXT-positive large cells can emit axon side branches projected to the outer area of the hem of the cortical layer, amygdala, volt kernel, sprite, etc., suggesting that they may release OXT simultaneously to the outer perith and center.
To further explore the function of OXT large cells, the researchers constructed OXT-Cre genetically modified rats (which express Cre recombinant enzymes in OXT-positive cells) and injected Cre-dependent, reverse-transmissive chemical genetic viruses into their pituitary glands, using drug induction to specifically manipulate OXT large cells.
study found that activating OXT large cells not only releases OXT through spindle protrusions projected into the pituitary glycopter, increasing the amount of OXT in the outer blood, but also releases OXT through the lateral branches of the brain, promoting social behavior in rats;
suggests that OXT large cells can release OXT in the outer and central regions, coordinating the body's steady state and central behavior.
this research, through the application of new technologies and sophisticated experimental design, has given us a new understanding of the classical structure of the heteroclin-pituitary neuroendocrine system.
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