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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Sep 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Jun 2;128:592–620. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.028

Fig. 5.

Fig. 5.

Importance of oxytocin in pair bonding and maternal feelings. Oxytocin (OT) has been identified as an essential neurochemical in the formation of social attachment. Brain regions dense in OT and OT receptors (among other neuropeptides and monoamines) include the pre-optic anterior hypothalamic area, the septal region, and closely associated basal forebrain structures. Damage to this system interrupts naturally occurring monogamous pair-bonds in prairie voles, and formation of mother-child attachments.