The Biology of Resilience: Oxytocin, Social Relationships and Health

描述（由申请人提供）：这是探索性/发展性研究资助奖（R21）的第二次修订申请。积极的社会关系一直与更好的健康有关，尽管这些观察到的影响的神经生物学基础尚未得到很好的理解。从生命历程的角度来看，可能会获得有价值的见解，因为越来越明显的是，早期生活的社会经历与以后的生活功能和幸福有着至关重要的关系。这项工作的总体目标是探索新的生物学途径，这可能有助于解释社会关系如何影响整个生命过程中的健康。催产素是一种神经垂体激素，被认为可以协调积极的社会互动的原因和结果，并可能参与积极的生理适应，如缓冲压力的有害影响。拟议的研究将检验催产素是否以及如何影响人类对压力的反应，并将考虑这些影响与社会支持的关系。更具体地说，实验研究将用于确定外源性催产素（鼻内）是否会影响成年期不同性别和年龄的应激条件下的心理和生理结果。有待检验的假设有：1)催产素改善压力对神经内分泌、心血管和主观的有害影响；2)后叶催产素和社会支持具有相似的、叠加的压力缓冲作用；3)催产素对女性的作用强于男性；催产素对年轻人和老年人的影响是相似的。假设将通过从社区招募的健康男性和女性样本进行安慰剂对照双盲研究来检验。参与者将被随机分配接受催产素或安慰剂。他们将在有和没有社会支持的情况下接受社会压力操纵（随机分配），并在过程中多次获得结果测量。拟议的研究代表了一个由多学科研究人员组成的研究小组的一个新领域。这项工作将提供一个坚实的平台，以启动一个更大的研究项目，旨在确定积极的社会和情感经历如何影响成年人的健康和寿命。最终，对恢复力的神经生物学理解可以为预防和干预老年生活中常见的疾病或问题提供信息。公共卫生相关性：拟议的工作有可能为积极的社会关系对健康的保护作用背后的生物学机制提供新的见解。本实验研究采用多学科方法，关注与衰老相关的分子、心理和社会过程之间的相互作用，并将为开展更大的研究项目提供坚实的平台。最终，对恢复力的神经生物学理解可能会为预防和干预老年生活中常见的疾病或问题提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a second revised application for an exploratory/developmental research grant award (R21). Positive social relationships have consistently been associated with better health, although the neurobiological underpinnings of these observed effects are not well understood. Valuable insight may be gained by a life course perspective as it is becoming increasingly apparent that early life social experiences are crucially related to later life functioning and well-being. The overall goal of the proposed work is to explore novel biological pathways that may help to explain how social relationships influence health throughout the life course. Oxytocin is a neurohypophyseal hormone hypothesized to coordinate both the causes and effects of positive social interactions, and may be involved in positive physiological adaptations such as buffering the deleterious effects of stress. The proposed research will examine whether and how oxytocin influences responses to stress in humans and will consider these effects in relation to those of social support. More specifically, experimental research will be used to determine whether exogenously administered oxytocin (intranasal) influences psychological and physiological outcomes under conditions of stress across gender and age in adulthood. Hypotheses to be tested are: 1) Oxytocin ameliorates the deleterious neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and subjective effects of stress; 2) Oxytocin and social support have similar and additive stress-buffering effects; 3) Effects of oxytocin are stronger in women versus men; 4) Effects of oxytocin are similar across a range of both younger and older adult ages. Hypotheses will be tested with a placebo-controlled double blind study using a sample of healthy men and women recruited from the community. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either oxytocin or placebo. They will undergo a social stress manipulation with and without social support (randomly assigned), and outcome measures will be obtained at multiple times during the procedure. The proposed research represents a novel area of investigation by a multidisciplinary team of investigators. This work will provide a solid platform from which to launch a larger program of research aimed at identifying how positive social and emotional experiences influence adult health and longevity. Ultimately, a more neurobiological understanding of resilience can inform efforts for prevention and intervention of diseases or problems common in later life. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed work has the potential to provide new insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the protective effects of positive social relationships on health. This experimental study utilizes a multidisciplinary approach focusing on the interplay between molecular, psychological, and social processes as they relate to aging, and will provide a solid platform from which to launch a larger program of research. Ultimately, a neurobiological understanding of resilience may inform efforts for both prevention and intervention of diseases or problems common in later life.