Table 1.
Literature Review on Oxytocin and Aging.
| Authors | Species | Age group | Measurement | Difference | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVIDENCE OF STABILITY IN THE OT SYSTEM IN AGING | |||||
| Arletti et al. (1995) | Rats (M) | O | Intraperitoneal OT injection | O = Y | Comparable improved social memory and anti-depressant effect of OT injection |
| Fliers et al. (1985) | Rats (M) | Y/O | OT fiber density | O = Y | Comparable OT fiber density in the brain |
| Wierda et al. (1991) | Human (M, F) | Y/O | Number of OT cells in PVN (post-mortem) | O = Y | Comparable numbers of OT-expressing cells in PVN (normal aging and Alzheimer's Disease) |
| Yu et al. (2006) | Rats (M) | Y/O | OT cell size and numbers in SON | O = Y | Comparable cell numbers, cell size, or reactive density of NOS-expressing neurons |
| EVIDENCE OF CHANGE IN THE OT SYSTEM WITH AGE | |||||
| Arsenijevic et al. (1995) | Rats (M) | Y/O | OT receptor binding | O < Y | Age-related decrease in binding to OT receptors in caudate putamen, olfactory tubercle, and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus |
| Fliers and Swaab (1983) | Rats (M) | Y/MA/O | Plasma OT levels | O > Y (neurosecretory activity) | Age-related increase in OT secretion in PVN (but not SON); Comparable plasma OT levels |
| O = Y (plasma levels) | |||||
| Keck et al. (2000) | Rats (M) | O | Intracerebral and peripheral OT release patterns | O > Y (peripheral) | Age-related increase in basal peripheral OT secretion and decrease in stress-induced intra-PVN OT secretion |
| O < Y (intracerebral) | |||||
| Melis et al. (1992) | Rats (M) | Y/MA/O | OT levels | O < Y (CNS) | Age-related decrease in OT levels in septum and hippocampus; comparable OT levels in hypothalamus and hypophysis, and no change for plasma OT levels |
| O = Y (HNS and plasma) | |||||
| Melis et al. (1995) | Rats (M) | Y/MA/O | OT-like immunoreactive peptides in thymic extract | O > Y | Age-related increase in content of OT-like immunoreactive peptides in thymic extract |
| Parker et al. (2010) | Rhesus monkeys (F) | Y/O | CSF OT levels | O > Y | CSF OT levels positively correlated with adult female age (but negatively correlated with infant age) |
| Zbuzek et al. (1988) | Rats (M) | O | Plasma and hypothalamic OT concentration | O = Y (plasma, hypothalamic concentration) | Comparable OT concentration in plasma and hypothalamus; age-related increase in secretory release of OT |
| O > Y (secretory release) | |||||
Y, Young subjects; MA, Middle-aged subjects; O, Older subjects; M, Male; F, Female; OT, Oxytocin; PVN, Paraventricular nuclei of hypothalamus; SON, Supraoptic nuclei (SON) of hypothalamus; AVP, Arginine vasopressin; NOS, Nitric oxide synthase; CSF, Cerebrospinal fluid.