Fig. 1.

Magnocellular oxytocin neurons coordinate both peripheral and central actions. The projections from hypothalamic magnocellular oxytocin cells (Magno-OXT neurons) to the posterior pituitary (PPi) were traditionally defined as the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS); they release oxytocin (OXT) into the peripheral blood stream to regulate peripheral function. Magno-OXT neurons also project to extra-hypothalamic nuclei, including the amygdala (AMY), caudate-putamen (CPu), nucleus accumbens (NAc), piriform cortex (Piri C), and auditory cortex (Audi C), to regulate central function.