# Sex-dependent regulation of social reward by oxytocin in the mesolimbic reward circuitry

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $550,538

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The rewarding properties of social interactions are critical to the expression of adaptive social behavior and to
the development and maintenance of social relationships. Little is known, however, about the factors that
determine the reward value of social interactions or about the basic neural mechanisms that underlie social
reward, particularly in females. We do know that the mesolimbic dopamine system (MDS) is central to the
neural circuitry controlling the rewarding properties of many other stimuli such as drugs of abuse. A primary
component of the MDS is dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that project
to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) as well as to other sites such as the medial prefrontal cortex. Critical inputs
to the MDS include oxytocin (OT)-containing projections from the hypothalamus. We and others have
demonstrated that, in male rodents, activation of OT receptors in the caudal VTA and in the NAc is
essential for the rewarding properties of social interaction. Remarkably, despite the considerable
evidence for sex differences in OT regulation of social behaviors, the role of OT in regulating social reward in
females has not been investigated. This project will provide substantial new information on the factors that
determine the reward value of social interactions and on the neural mechanisms that mediate social reward
by testing this series of integrated hypotheses in male and female Syrian hamsters. Based on published
and preliminary data from our lab and others, we have hypothesized that: 1) there is an inverted U
relationship between the “dose” of social interactions and social reward, 2) this dose-response
relationship is initiated at lower doses in females than in males, and 3) this sex difference is mediated
by differential OT-induced DA release in the MDS. This project has substantial potential for translation to
clinically-related problems by providing: 1) new information on how social stimuli can transition from being
rewarding to being less rewarding or even aversive, 2) potential mechanisms for understanding well-known
sex differences in the incidence of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders for which
dysfunctional social relationships are an important symptom, and 3) the potential for development of gender-
specific treatments for these disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10380844
- **Project number:** 5R01MH122622-02
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** H. Elliott Albers
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $550,538
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-04-06 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10380844

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10380844, Sex-dependent regulation of social reward by oxytocin in the mesolimbic reward circuitry (5R01MH122622-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10380844. Licensed CC0.

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