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. 2017 Dec 22;8:356. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00356

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Copyright © 2017 Carter.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) are components of an integrated pathway. OT and VP interact dynamically with receptors [including the OT receptor (OTR) or V1a receptor (V1aR)] to influence social engagement and defensive behaviors. In many cases, OT acts in conjunction with VP, via the V1aR or through effects on both the OTR and V1aR, thus regulating the capacity to form selective social behaviors. OT rarely acts alone but, especially under nonthreatening or “safe” conditions, may facilitate features of “love,” including social engagement, and social reward, and “immobility without fear” (36).