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. 2021 Oct 27;12:742236. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.742236

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Copyright © 2021 Walter, Abele and Plappert

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) and the copyright owner(s) 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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Peripheral effects of central oxytocin release during childbirth and lactation. The neuropeptide oxytocin is mainly produced by magnocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the hypothalamus. Axons of these neurons terminate in the neurohypophysis, where oxytocin is secreted – in pulses – into the blood. Mechanoreceptors in the nipple (activated by the suckling newborn) and the cervix (cf. Ferguson reflex) create a positive sensory feedback loop, which leads to the additional release of oxytocin in the brain. Oxytocinergic neurons in the hypothalamus also release oxytocin to other brain areas (sources: 7–9) via axonal transport and via dendritic release (not shown). NAc, Nucleus accumbens; PFC, Prefrontal cortex; SCN, Suprachiasmatic nucleus; BNST, Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Created with BioRender.com.