Figure 2.

Diagram of HPA axis-oxytocin-GABA-NO from actions (e.g., mindfulness meditation and placebo) to effects (e.g., well-being upregulation and anxiety downregulation) in humans. Abbreviations: OXT, oxytocin; PVN, paraventricular nucleus; HPA axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; LC-NE, locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (noradrenaline); HNS, hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal system; SNS, sympathetic nervous system; PSNS, parasympathetic nervous system. + indicates upregulation, and − indicates downregulation.