john herr psychologist los gatos saratoga california

On Sabbatical

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TITLE: Estrogen modulation of oxytocin and its relation to behavior.
AUTHOR: McCarthy MM
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA.
SOURCE: Adv Exp Med Biol 1995;395:235-45
NLM CIT. ID: 96283885
ABSTRACT: Establishment of the behavioral significance of oxytocin neurotransmission in the brain has been a leading component in the emerging concept of neuropeptide regulation of behavior. Elucidating the behavioral effects of oxytocin has been facilitated by its profound regulation by estrogen in discrete brain areas and its subsequent role in estrogen-dependent responses. For example, female sexual behavior is estrogen dependent, estrogen markedly increases oxytocin binding in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and infusion of oxytocin in this brain area increases female sexual behavior. A similar correlation exists for the role of oxytocin and estrogen in the regulation of maternal behavior. A possible underlying cause of these behavioral effects is that by acting as an anxiolytic, oxytocin reduces the inhibition inherent in social encounters. Behavioral tests in the laboratory frequently involve the exposure of the animal to a novel environment, such as a pup-retrieval apparatus or mating arena, combined with exposure to an unfamiliar conspecific. These stimuli are likely to induce a stress response and perhaps this anxiety is reduced by oxytocin. Recent evidence in mice suggests that oxytocin has anxiolytic properties in estrogen-treated females (McCarthy and Goldman, 1994) and supports the hypothesis that a unifying principal in oxytocin action in the brain is to facilitate social encounters by reducing the associated anxiety.
MAIN MESH SUBJECTS: Behavior/*PHYSIOLOGY
Estrogens/*PHYSIOLOGY
Oxytocin/*PHYSIOLOGY
ADDITIONAL MESH SUBJECTS: Animal
Behavior, Animal/PHYSIOLOGY
Brain/PHYSIOLOGY
Female
Human
Male
Maternal Behavior/PHYSIOLOGY
Mice
Pregnancy
Rats
Receptors, Oxytocin/PHYSIOLOGY
Sex Behavior, Animal/PHYSIOLOGY
PUBLICATION TYPES: JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
REVIEW, TUTORIAL
LANGUAGE: Eng
REGISTRY NUMBERS: 0 (Estrogens)
0 (Receptors, Oxytocin)
50-56-6 (Oxytocin)

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On Sabbatical!

When my office lease expired at the end of 2004, I decided to turn it into a "sabbatical" from my private practice. Many years ago, in my grandfather's 89th year of life, he told me, "John, it is important to smell the roses while you can still smell them." His life gave living a very good reputation. It is also true that the pursuit of that philosophy required my grandfather to to re-open his assay office/ore market in Wickenburg, Arizona as a 75-year-old because he had run a little short of retirement money. Thus, if blessed with his luck and health, I'll be back.. --jjh

Copyright 1998-2007  John J. Herr, Ph.D.                                   Please send comments to jjherr@clinicalpsychologist.com