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Review
. 2021 Feb 21;22(4):2146.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22042146.

Oxytocin in Schizophrenia: Pathophysiology and Implications for Future Treatment

Kah Kheng Goh  1   2 , Chun-Hsin Chen  1   2   3 , Hsien-Yuan Lane  4   5   6
Affiliations
Review

Oxytocin in Schizophrenia: Pathophysiology and Implications for Future Treatment

Kah Kheng Goh et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a form of mental disorder that is behaviorally characterized by abnormal behavior, such as social function deficits or other behaviors that are disconnected from reality. Dysregulation of oxytocin may play a role in regulating the expression of schizophrenia. Given oxytocin's role in social cognition and behavior, a variety of studies have examined the potential clinical benefits of oxytocin in improving the psychopathology of patients with schizophrenia. In this review, we highlight the evidence for the role of endogenous oxytocin in schizophrenia, from animal models to human studies. We further discuss the potential of oxytocin as a therapeutic agent for schizophrenia and its implication in future treatment.

Keywords: oxytocin; psychopathology; schizophrenia; social cognition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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