# Oxytocin Modulation of Neural Circuit Function and Behavior - Revision - 3

> **NIH NIH U19** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $98,039

## Abstract

Project Summary
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone synthesized and released from the hypothalamus for reproduction and maternal
behavior. Recent studies have tagged oxytocin as a “trust” hormone, promising to improve social deficits in
various mental disorders, such as autism. Despite the enthusiasm for oxytocin, contradictory results in the
efficacy of oxytocin in improving human social behaviors have been reported. Such inconsistency in literature is
likely due to our poor understanding of complexity of oxytocin action, which likely varies with behavioral state,
experience and brain structures. We believe that a better understanding of the endogenous action of oxytocin is
the key to unleash the therapeutic potential of this highly evolutionary conserved neuropeptide. Advancing our
understanding requires cross-level and comparative inter-disciplinary studies by an group of investigators with
overlapping interests and the technical capability to analyze oxytocin signaling across molecular, physiological,
systems behavioral and levels. This includes multi-animal interactions, as many mental disorders are impactful
on social behavior, over the lifespan and throughout the brain. Oxytocin action in maternal brain is especially
important as it represents the most ancient and important function of oxytocin under a social context.
 Here we will address this critical knowledge gap. Recently, we generated the first specific antibodies to
the mouse oxytocin receptor, used these antibodies to determine where these receptors are localized, and
examined how oxytocin can enable pup retrieval behavior in maternal mice. Those previous studies provide a
robust foundation for the current Project, in which our team aims to understand which target neural circuits are
modulated by oxytocin, and if there are behavioral episodes that might be sensitive to oxytocin modulation during
brief periods of social interaction. The central hypothesis is that oxytocin is absolutely necessary to initiate
maternal behaviors in key areas including auditory cortex and hippocampus, but may be dispensable in
experienced mothers. We will perform behavioral, optogenetic, and circuit mapping studies in adult mice to
determine where and when oxytocin modulates neural circuits to enhance social information processing and
subsequently improve maternal behavior. In Aim 1 we will build a new behavioral recording system to
continuously monitor social interactions for days to weeks. In Aim 2, we profile oxytocin projections and oxytocin
receptor expression throughout the entire adult brain to find potential hotspots of modulation. Finally in Aims 3
and 4, we perform optogenetic loss-of-function and gain-of-function type experiments to determine where and
when oxytocin modulation is needed for maternal behavior or at what points might additional oxytocin release
accelerate maternal behavior onset or improve steady-state performance.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10601831
- **Project number:** 3U19NS107616-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** RICHARD W TSIEN
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $98,039
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-09-15 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10601831

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10601831, Oxytocin Modulation of Neural Circuit Function and Behavior - Revision - 3 (3U19NS107616-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10601831. Licensed CC0.

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