Figure 4.

Translation of oxytocin neuroscience from bench to bedside. During the past decades there has been a growing interest in the therapeutic potential of oxytocin in psychiatric disorders, especially those characterized by social dysfunctions, which the available therapeutic compounds cannot fully target. Recent meta-analyses revealed a small effect size of oxytocin efficacy in schizophrenia and repetitive behaviors in autistic spectrum disorders (Peled-Avron and others 2020). From a mechanistic perspective, the prosocial effects of oxytocin seem particularly promising in clinical disorders of anxiety and antisociality (including psychopathy). Given oxytocin’s susceptibility to individual personality and situational variables, the clinical translation of oxytocin neuroscience to psychotherapy faces the crucial caveat that the therapeutic context should be strictly controlled.