Madison Leigh Gerhard graduated from Colts Neck High School in Colts Neck, New Jersey, in 2018. Currently, Madison Leigh Gerhard is a student at Florida State University (FSU), where she is studying psychology.
Recognized for its excellence in teaching, the FSU Department of Psychology is home to world-class scholars and researchers. Their research consistently draws international attention. Recently, researchers at FSU published a study in the journal PLOS ONE showing how oxytocin in cells outside the brain influences social behavior. Elizabeth Hammock, an associate professor of neuroscience and psychology at FSU, conducted the research with the assistance of graduate and undergraduate students.
Oxytocin is a powerful hormone and neurotransmitter associated with social ties, specifically love, attraction, and caregiving. Multiple research studies have already shown how oxytocin in the brain influences and regulates social behavior. Even clinical trials are ongoing for drugs focused on the level of oxytocin in the brain. However, the new research by FSU shows that the role of oxytocin is much wider than previously anticipated.
In the study, researchers genetically altered oxytocin receptors in cells outside the brains of mice during prenatal development. After the mice grew into adulthood, the researchers compared their social behavior with mice with oxytocin receptors in cells outside their brains. They found that the mice without oxytocin receptors had limited social interest. Further, the males expressed aggression much quicker.
Researchers concluded that the role of oxytocin in modulating social behavior stretches beyond the brain. As such, scientists ought to look at the brain not as an isolated organ but as one integrated into a larger system, specifically concerning the hormone oxytocin and its effects on social behavior.
