Home Department: Human Biology
Mentor: Karen J. Parker, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

“Oxytocin Disruption in Hypothalamic and Pituitary Disorders: A Review of the Literature and Theoretical Framework”

Social deficits have recently been identified in some patients with hypothalamic and pituitary (HPIT) disorders. Oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in mammalian social functioning, may underlie these impairments. Psalm aims to compile a comprehensive review of pre-clinical and clinical literature to elucidate how damage to the hypothalamus and pituitary in individuals with HPIT disorders alters oxytocinergic systems and how this may relate to social functioning in this population.