Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults
Abstract Oxytocin (OT) levels in blood plasma and OT receptor gene (OXTRm) methylation are two crucial pieces of the endogenous OT system that have been independently associated with social cognition. Empathy is a social-cognitive skill essential for understanding others’ emotions and intentions, ma...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07353-3 |
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| author | Rebecca J. Polk Kylie A. Wright Tian Lin Kathleen Krol Allison M. Perkeybile Hans P. Nazarloo C. Sue Carter Jessica Connelly Natalie C. Ebner |
| author_facet | Rebecca J. Polk Kylie A. Wright Tian Lin Kathleen Krol Allison M. Perkeybile Hans P. Nazarloo C. Sue Carter Jessica Connelly Natalie C. Ebner |
| author_sort | Rebecca J. Polk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Oxytocin (OT) levels in blood plasma and OT receptor gene (OXTRm) methylation are two crucial pieces of the endogenous OT system that have been independently associated with social cognition. Empathy is a social-cognitive skill essential for understanding others’ emotions and intentions, making it vital for everyday social interactions across the lifespan. Associations of plasma OT and OXTRm levels with empathy are currently not well understood among older adults, despite this period being marked by changes in both the endogenous OT system and empathy. Tying these previously separate lines of research together, this study examined the interplay of plasma OT and OXTRm on empathy in generally healthy older adults. Plasma OT levels were not directly related to empathy but for older adults with higher OXTRm levels higher plasma OT levels were associated with lower empathy scores. These results contribute to a growing literature on the intricate role of the endogenous OT system in social cognition in aging. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-69ffe5e0e62a449687257ed8bafc8aa3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-69ffe5e0e62a449687257ed8bafc8aa32025-08-20T03:05:17ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-011511910.1038/s41598-025-07353-3Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adultsRebecca J. Polk0Kylie A. Wright1Tian Lin2Kathleen Krol3Allison M. Perkeybile4Hans P. Nazarloo5C. Sue Carter6Jessica Connelly7Natalie C. Ebner8Department of Psychology, University of FloridaDepartment of Psychology, University of FloridaDepartment of Psychology, University of FloridaDepartment of Psychology, University of VirginiaDepartment of Psychology, University of VirginiaDepartment of Psychology, University of VirginiaDepartment of Psychology, University of VirginiaDepartment of Psychology, University of VirginiaDepartment of Psychology, University of FloridaAbstract Oxytocin (OT) levels in blood plasma and OT receptor gene (OXTRm) methylation are two crucial pieces of the endogenous OT system that have been independently associated with social cognition. Empathy is a social-cognitive skill essential for understanding others’ emotions and intentions, making it vital for everyday social interactions across the lifespan. Associations of plasma OT and OXTRm levels with empathy are currently not well understood among older adults, despite this period being marked by changes in both the endogenous OT system and empathy. Tying these previously separate lines of research together, this study examined the interplay of plasma OT and OXTRm on empathy in generally healthy older adults. Plasma OT levels were not directly related to empathy but for older adults with higher OXTRm levels higher plasma OT levels were associated with lower empathy scores. These results contribute to a growing literature on the intricate role of the endogenous OT system in social cognition in aging.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07353-3Plasma OxytocinEmpathyOxytocin receptor geneMethylationAging |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca J. Polk Kylie A. Wright Tian Lin Kathleen Krol Allison M. Perkeybile Hans P. Nazarloo C. Sue Carter Jessica Connelly Natalie C. Ebner Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults Scientific Reports Plasma Oxytocin Empathy Oxytocin receptor gene Methylation Aging |
| title | Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults |
| title_full | Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults |
| title_fullStr | Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults |
| title_short | Interplay of plasma Oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults |
| title_sort | interplay of plasma oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene methylation levels on empathy in older adults |
| topic | Plasma Oxytocin Empathy Oxytocin receptor gene Methylation Aging |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07353-3 |
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