Table 2.

EDCs shown to impact AVP/oxytocin (OT) pathways and related behaviors.

Chemical	Category/use	Effects	Primary mode of action	Reference
Bisphenol A (BPA)	Stabilizer in hard plastics and epoxy resins	Altered AVP and OT neuron numbers and innervation of sexually dimorphic regions associated with social and aggressive behaviors in multiple species; anxiogenic in multiple species	Estrogen disruptor	(60–66)
Chlorpyrifos	Insecticide	Altered hypothalamic AVP and OT levels (mRNA and protein); sexually dimorphic impacts on social, exploratory, and anxiety-related behaviors	Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor	(67, 68)
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)	Pesticide (restricted in the USA but still in use globally)	Demasculinized vasotocin innervation in Japanese quail	Estrogen and androgen disruptor	(69)
Genistein (GEN)	Isoflavone phytoestrogen found in soy and other legumes	Altered AVP and OT neuron numbers and innervation of sexually dimorphic regions associated with social and aggressive behaviors in multiple species; anxiogenic in males of multiple species	Estrogen and thyroid hormone disruptor	(69–74)
Methoxychlor	Insecticide	Abrogated male copulatory behavior in Japanese quail; disrupted female affiliative behavior in female prairie voles	Estrogen disruptor	(75)
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)	Fire retardants (currently being phased out of use but rapidly replaced with structurally similarly compounds)	Impaired AVP release from the SON in response to dehydration; disruption of nitric oxide release related to AVP function in rats	Thyroid hormone disruptor	(76–78)
Polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs)	Now banned organochlorides used in many industrial applications including in paints, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, adhesives, pesticide mixtures, and sealants	Impaired AVP release from the SON in response to dehydration in rats	Estrogen and thyroid hormone disruptor	(76, 77)
Vinclozolin	Fungicide	Suppressed male copulatory behavior in Japanese quail	Androgen disruptor	(79)