Oxytocin ameliorates early life stress-induced anxiety-like behavior by normalizing corticotropin-releasing hormone neuron activity in the PVN.
Overview
- Department of Neonatology, Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Women and Children’s Medical Center, Shenzhen School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, Shenzhen Neher Neural Plasticity Laboratory, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- The fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen 510833, Guangdong, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Maternal and Child Health and Diseases, Shenzhen 518055, China
Abstract
Maternal separation (MS), a prevalent form of early life stress (ELS) exposure, elevates vulnerability to anxiety disorders in later developmental stages. Despite its clinical relevance, the neural mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, we demonstrate that ELS-exposed offspring exhibit sustained anxiety-like behaviors. Through integrated c-Fos immunostaining and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we identified hyperactivation of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus (PVNCRH) of ELS mice, characterized by enhanced neuronal activity and increased intrinsic excitability. Critically, chemogenetic suppression of PVNCRH neurons effectively alleviated anxiety-like phenotypes in ELS mice. Systemic oxytocin (OXT) administration reversed ELS-associated anxiety behaviors and normalized both synaptic hyperexcitability and intrinsic hyperactivation of PVNCRH neurons. Importantly, chemogenetic activation of PVNCRH neurons abolished OXT’s anxiolytic effects. These findings delineate a neurobiological pathway through which ELS programs anxiety susceptibility, and identify OXT-mediated regulation of PVNCRH neuronal excitability as a potential therapeutic strategy for stress-related psychopathologies.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 9 authors, 2 keywords, 8 funders, 36 references, 10 RRIDs.
Cite
This paper
Li, C., Xu, Y., Lin, B., Huang, X., Huang, Z., Zheng, F., Zhu, L., Zhu, Y., & Yang, C. (2026). Oxytocin ameliorates early life stress-induced anxiety-like behavior by normalizing corticotropin-releasing hormone neuron activity in the PVN. iScience, 29(4), 115349. https://
BibTeX
@article{li2026oxytocin,
author = {Li, Cuihui and Xu, Yunlong and Lin, Bingchun and Huang, Xiaoyan and Huang, Zhixi and Zheng, Fuxiang and Zhu, Lin and Zhu, Yingjie and Yang, Chuanzhong},
title = {{Oxytocin ameliorates early life stress-induced anxiety-like behavior by normalizing corticotropin-releasing hormone neuron activity in the PVN}},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {29},
number = {4},
pages = {115349},
publisher = {Elsevier},
issn = {2589-0042},
doi = {10.1016/
url = {https://
pmid = {41952978},
pmcid = {PMC13053683}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Li, Cuihui
AU - Xu, Yunlong
AU - Lin, Bingchun
AU - Huang, Xiaoyan
AU - Huang, Zhixi
AU - Zheng, Fuxiang
AU - Zhu, Lin
AU - Zhu, Yingjie
AU - Yang, Chuanzhong
TI - Oxytocin ameliorates early life stress-induced anxiety-like behavior by normalizing corticotropin-releasing hormone neuron activity in the PVN
T2 - iScience
J2 - iScience
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 29
IS - 4
SP - 115349
SN - 2589-0042
PB - Elsevier
DO - 10.1016/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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