ABSTRACT
Oxytocin was discovered by a British pharmacologist named Henry Dale in 1909. In humans, oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary gland. In lactating mothers who are breastfeeding, oxytocin causes milk to be released in the breasts, so that the infant can feed at the mother’s nipple. Oxytocin is also responsible for the dilation of the cervix during birth, and for contractions during labor. Human studies suggest that oxytocin levels are elevated by massage and by close intimacy, whether cuddling or by intercourse. Oxytocin is implicated in the mother-baby relationships, and in the very action of falling in love. It turns out that female prairie voles have many oxytocin receptors in their brains, while males have similarly many receptors for both oxytocin and vasopressin. Scientists suggested that oxytocin might be able to help people with autism and sufferers from shyness. When oxytocin sprays were administered to someone with borderline personality disorder, they became less trusting.
