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Oxytocin, a hormone renowned for fostering emotional bonds and psychological well-being in animals, also plays a pivotal role in cognitive functions such as learning and memory.

Fascinating new research led by Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh and Junpei Takahashi from the Tokyo University of Science has shed light on how oxytocin influences memory, opening new avenues for dementia treatment.

Their study delves into the intricate neural pathways and signaling mechanisms triggered by oxytocin. By employing pharmacogenetic techniques to activate oxytocin neurons in specific brain areas, the researchers offered novel insights into its impact on cognitive functions.

"Previously we had suggested that oxytocin may be a new therapeutic candidate for dementia based on studies using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. To investigate this further, in this study, we examined the role of endogenous OXT in mouse cognitive function," Professor Saitoh explained.

"This was done by using pharmacogenetic techniques to specifically activate OXT neurons in specific brain regions. The cognitive function of mice was then evaluated using the Novel Object Recognition Task (NORT)."

The study underscores oxytocin's critical function in regulating social memory, linking deficiencies in the hormone or its receptors to abnormal social memory in mice.

The focus, however, shifts to exploring the influence of endogenous oxytocin on learning and memory, particularly within the supramammillary nucleus (SuM).

Researchers visualized mouse brain slices after activating oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), observing significant activity in the PVN and its projections to the SuM.

This activation was further validated by an increase in c-Fos positive cells, indicative of neuron activation, following clozapine N-oxide administration.

Interestingly, while no changes were noted in short-term spatial memory in the Y-maze test, activating oxytocin neurons markedly enhanced long-term object recognition memory in the NORT.

This was evidenced by an increase in c-Fos positive neurons in the SuM and the dentate gyrus, implicating oxytocin neurons in maintaining long-term memory.

Moreover, the selective activation of oxytocin axons in the SuM encouraged mice to spend more time exploring novel objects, directly linking oxytocin's modulation of object recognition memory to its axonal projections from the PVN to the SuM.

This research marks the first evidence of oxytocin's involvement in object recognition memory via the SuM, highlighting its potential role in Alzheimer's disease and the modulation of recognition memory.

"There is a widely acknowledged belief that dementia tends to advance more rapidly in settings where individuals experience loneliness or limited social engagement. However, the scientific underpinnings of this phenomenon have remained largely elusive," Professor Saitoh noted.

"Our research seeks to elucidate the crucial role of a stimulating environment that activates oxytocin in the brain, potentially mitigating the progression of dementia."

In summary, this study illuminates the vital role of oxytocin in enhancing long-term memory, offering new insights into its potential as a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease.

By unraveling the complex mechanisms through which oxytocin operates within the brain, researchers have discovered new options for developing treatments aimed at mitigating the progression of dementia.

As we continue to explore the multifaceted effects of oxytocin on cognitive functions, the promise of innovative pharmaceutical interventions grows, potentially transforming the landscape of dementia care and offering hope to millions affected by this condition.

As discussed above, oxytocin, often dubbed the "love hormone," plays a central role in fostering connections, trust, and emotional bonds between individuals.

Beyond its well-known function in childbirth and breastfeeding, this powerful hormone influences a range of psychological and physiological processes, from enhancing social interactions to reducing stress levels.

Scientists continue to unravel the multifaceted roles of oxytocin, revealing its potential in treating various conditions, including anxiety, depression, certain aspects of autism spectrum disorder, and now even dementia.

Oxytocin's impact on mental health and social behavior captures the interest of psychologists and neuroscientists alike.

By facilitating trust and reducing fear, oxytocin encourages social bonding and empathy, making it a key player in our ability to form and maintain relationships.

Research demonstrates that oxytocin can improve social skills in individuals with autism, suggesting a pathway to enhancing social interaction and communication in neurodiverse populations.

The influence of oxytocin extends beyond the brain, affecting physical health in surprising ways.

It plays a critical role in the regulation of the stress response, lowering cortisol levels and reducing blood pressure, which highlights its potential in stress-related disorders and cardiovascular health.

Furthermore, oxytocin's anti-inflammatory properties suggest its involvement in combating inflammation, offering insights into its role in chronic diseases and the aging process.

As research delves deeper into the hormone's capabilities, the future of oxytocin looks promising.

Ongoing studies aim to harness its therapeutic potential, exploring innovative treatments for mental health disorders, dementia, enhancing social functioning, and improving overall well-being.

However, scientists caution against oversimplification, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of oxytocin's effects across different contexts and individuals.

In summary, oxytocin, with its profound influence on both mind and body, underscores the complexity of human emotions and health.

As we continue to explore this fascinating hormone, the potential to improve lives through targeted oxytocin-based therapies becomes increasingly evident, marking a new frontier in medical science and psychological well-being.

The full study was published in the journal PLoS ONE.

 Oxytocin holds the keys to your heart, and also helps your mind • Earth.com 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 18 percent of US adults have some form of an anxiety disorder, and women are 60 percent more likely to develop an anxiety disorder than men.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems in the United States and can include Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and specific phobias.

While anxiety disorders are treatable, and a wide a range of medications are prescribed to sufferers, science is finding more and more that in the long term, these treatments cannot be solely relied upon to relieve symptoms, and some can have unpleasant side-effects.

Coping methods such as mindfulness, meditation, psychotherapy, exercise, and art therapy have been shown to be even more effective than medication in treating anxiety.

A new study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Conference shows how coping methods are crucial in treating anxiety disorders. Those who have a strong coping system in place were found to have a greater sense of self-worth and be less likely to exhibit anxiety symptoms.

Specifically, the study examines how coping methods can help women deal with anxiety, especially those in deprived communities or adverse situations.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, led by Olivia Remes, surveyed 10,000 women over the age of 40 taking part in a wide reaching study.

The researchers assessed the participants’ mental and physical health and used census data to determine deprived living conditions. The research team also measured each woman’s sense of fulfillment and meaning in their lives.

Of the 10,000 women participating, almost 300 (2.6 percent) had Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The researchers found that in deprived communities, women without coping skills were nearly twice as likely to have anxiety than those who lived in wealthier areas.

But the women who had solid coping methods weren’t nearly as affected by anxiety no matter their living conditions.

“Individuals with this sense of coherence, with good coping skills, view life as comprehensible and meaningful. In other words, they feel they can manage their life, and that they are in control of their life, they believe challenges encountered in life are worthy of investment and effort, and they believe that life has meaning and purpose. These are skills which can be taught,” said Remes.

 Coping skills can alleviate anxiety better than medication • Earth.com 

The idea that trauma can be transmitted across generations — originating with long-dead relatives and passed down to future great-grandchildren — can be a difficult concept to grasp.

But with regular news of mass shootings, covid deaths, police killings and climate disasters, a growing number of therapists and their patients, particularly among the millennial and Gen Z cohorts, are turning their attention to the far-reaching impact of trauma, past and present.

The Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and television shows such as “Transparent” have grappled with how trauma trickles down in families. Popular nonfiction books such as “What Happened to You?”, by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry, have taken the concept of intergenerational trauma “from the ivory tower to the general public,” said Sandra Mattar, a clinical psychologist and specialist in trauma-informed therapy.

The medical community has taken note. In April, more than 100 psychiatrists, psychologists, medical residents and other physicians gathered virtually for a Boston Medical Center “Grand Rounds” education event focused on intergenerational trauma. Mattar, who led the session, said the high turnout reflects heightened interest in the subject.

“I believe that trauma is at the core of so many mental health problems,” said Mattar, who also is director of training at the Immigrant and Refugee Health Center at Boston Medical Center.

The good news, experts say, is just as trauma can be passed through generations, so can resilience. But tapping into that resilience often requires a deeper understanding of the original source of the trauma and the routes of transmission through families and society.

Intergenerational trauma can stem from biology, learned behaviors and even the collective experiences of a group. Some research suggests that trauma can affect a person’s DNA and potentially influence the health of future generations far removed from the traumatic event.

Researchers have investigated whether Holocaust survivors and their children showed changes to what are known as “epigenetic markers,” chemical tags that attach to DNA and can switch genes on or off, which in turn can influence inherited traits or diseases.

These studies, led by Rachel Yehuda, director of the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, compared blood samples of people who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust with those of Jews living outside Europe during the war.

Through molecular analyses, researchers found an important difference: Mothers exposed to the Holocaust showed changes in the activity of a DNA segment involved in regulating the stress response. Their children, who were not directly exposed, also showed these changes.

The implications of this research are far from conclusive but suggest that the environmental wounds inflicted on one generation may be transmitted to the next. “Clearly there is a signal of something interesting happening on a molecular level with intergenerational trauma,” said Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience. “It will be a while before we figure it all out.”

It’s not the traumatic experience that is passed on, it’s the anxiety and world view of the survivors, said Ed Tronick, a developmental and clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester. Many Holocaust survivors developed a view that the world is a dangerous place where terrible things can happen anytime. Their children intuitively sensed this fear. “Children are like anxiety detectors,” Tronick said, and they pick up and adapt to these cues.

Even the great-great-grandchildren of enslaved people can experience the anxiety their parents feel about the danger of sending them out into the community. In response to parents’ behavior, a child’s “body has already begun to experience the world as dangerous, even though he doesn’t understand the dangers at that young an age,” Tronick said.

Researchers have found that a range of toxic environmental and social exposures during pregnancy, whether it’s ingesting drugs and alcohol, or the stress of living in poverty, can also be transmitted in utero.

Studies show that an abusive childhood can profoundly affect future generations.

Researchers interviewed volunteers from the Nurses’ Health Study about the levels of abuse inflicted on them in childhood — whether they were hit with a belt, left with bruises, or sexually or verbally abused.

The imprint of this violence took a lasting toll on the women’s children, the researchers found: Depression rates were 1.7 times higher and chronic depression 2.5 times higher among the children of women who experienced severe child abuse compared with children of mothers who had not endured such abuse. 

“Childhood abuse has a profound impact on adult mental health, which can then affect family members,” said Andrea Roberts, the study’s lead author and a senior research scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Bessel van der Kolk, author of the best-selling book “The Body Keeps the Score,” characterizes trauma not merely as an event in the past, but also as something having a lasting imprint on the mind, brain and body.

In an interview, van der Kolk said intergenerational trauma can be tracked in the ways children adjust themselves to their parents’ behavior. “When your mother freezes in response to your laughing, you learn not to laugh in front of your mom,” he said.

“Collective” intergenerational trauma and “racial trauma” refer to the psychological distress passed through generations as a result of historic events, including colonization, slavery and other forms of oppression.

This type of trauma reaches far beyond individuals and families and is a shared experience among a particular group, such as descendants of the 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals who were detained in incarceration camps during World War II.

Such trauma can manifest in many ways, from heightened anxiety, depression and insomnia to other mental and emotional health problems.

Thema Bryant, a specialist on healing from trauma and president of the American Psychological Association, said many people must cope with multiple forms of trauma at the same time.

She said her own view of the world was filtered through her experience growing up in Baltimore with descendants of the transatlantic slave trade and a World War II veteran grandfather with PTSD. She’s also endured a lifetime of racism and survived sexual assault. “I’m both a survivor of trauma within my lifetime and of intergenerational trauma,” Bryant said.

In the memoir “What My Bones Know,” Stephanie Foo confronts a punishing personal history of abuse and, after being diagnosed with complex PTSD, explores how trauma can be inherited through generations.

“We are all products of our history,” she said in an email interview. “I don’t really think it’s surprising that we carry our fears, traumas, tics and insecurities and pass them on to their children to some degree, whether it’s a depression-era recipe for potato salad or a deep-seated fear of abandonment.”

Foo’s great-grandmother and grandmother survived the Japanese occupation of Malaysia during World War II and a brutal guerrilla war with Britain known as the Malayan Emergency.

“I personally believe that because my great-grandmother and grandmother had to hustle desperately to survive,” Foo said, “that has contributed to the hustle and creativity I’ve possessed in building my own career and survival skills here in America. It’s probably also contributed to my intense anxiety.”

It often requires a holistic approach to break the grip of generational trauma, experts say.

• Awareness: Jason Wu, a Bay Area psychologist and child of refugee parents, said the first step is building awareness. A patient may have internalized the belief they’re not good enough, “but upon unpacking it, they can see how their parents’, and maybe even their parents’ parents’, constant criticisms and lack of warmth or praise is the source of this belief.”
• Mind-body therapy: Somatic, or body-based therapies such as yoga, have been found to be effective for trauma. Increasingly, expressive arts therapies employing movement, music or visual arts, are being used to help patients find more adaptive ways to cope, said Cécile Rêve, co-founder of ARTrelief, a center that provides these arts-based therapies.
• Reframing: Foo said it was important to reframe the damaging stories she’d been fed as a child. “My mother’s voice saying, ‘You’re worthless, you’re unlovable, you’re stupid,’ ” she said. “I think the essence of healing has been the effort to rewrite that narrative to something more loving, forgiving and kind.”
• Breaking the cycle: Studies suggest that even children who did not experience nurturing parenting can overcome this history if, as adults, they consciously adopt positive parenting strategies with their own children.
• Activism: Directly addressing the sources of trauma, such as gun violence or racism, through activism and advocacy are also powerful tools for overcoming its grip, said Bryant, the APA president.
• Talk about it: How trauma is talked about in families can also be important. “Is it never discussed and therefore labeled as unspeakable? Or is it one part of the family’s story that is owned and claimed by each family member?” asked Arielle Scoglio, an assistant professor of health studies at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. “The second response dispels shame related to the trauma and integrates it into a narrative that is flexible.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/12/generational-trauma-passed-healing/

 When it comes to childhood trauma, your brain may repress memories as a coping mechanism. Throughout adulthood, you might feel something is not right and not know why. This article discusses signs and symptoms that indicate you may have repressed memories from childhood trauma. It also reviews other possible reasons for these emotions or behaviors and ways to cope. Trauma and Memory Your brain processes and stores memories. Over time it decides which to keep, delete, suppress, or repress. Stress and fear can cause your brain to vividly remember events to protect you later in life. However, the brain can also repress or push traumatic memories aside, allowing a person to cope and move forward. Memory Wars There is a long-standing debate about the validity of memory repression. A review of research shows that this controversy, which is sometimes referred to as the “memory wars,” is still controversial in the scientific community today. Most researchers today believe that it is rare to completely forget trauma that occurred after early childhood and that "recovered memories" are not always accurate. Causes of Childhood Trauma By Brandi Jones, MSN-ED RN-BC Published on December 21, 2021 Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD Traumas experienced as a child are also called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs may leave emotional scars that can cause repressed emotions to emerge as an adult. ACEs Some ACEs include: Verbal, physical, or sexual abuse Neglect Alcoholic parents Mental illness of family members Abandonment of a parent (divorce, death, or prison) Severe childhood illness Learning disabilities Extreme bullying Refugee trauma Natural disasters Almost half of the children in the United States are exposed to at least one ACE throughout their lives. Signs and Symptoms The following signs may be ways that the emotional impact of childhood trauma can present. These symptoms may occur or worsen during stressful times. Strong reactions: Strong reactions can often catch you off guard. You might feel unsafe around a person you just met because the person reminds you of someone involved in your childhood trauma. Anxiety: Childhood trauma increases the risk of anxiety. Anxiety triggers a reaction where adrenaline courses through the body, telling it to fight or leave a situation. Your heart rate increases, and you may feel sick to your stomach. Childish reactions: Childish reactions may look like a tantrum. You speak in a childlike voice, show stubbornness, and have outbursts that are difficult for you to control. Inability to cope with change: Stress is normal when you are pushed out of your comfort zone. It becomes concerning when change triggers persistent extreme emotions that interfere with daily life or relationships. Intense mood swings: Trauma survivors might either feel numb or have overwhelming emotions. Some find it difficult to identify why they feel irritable, stressed, or angered. Certain places make you uncomfortable: Certain smells, noises, environments, sights, or other sensations may cause discomfort. For example, if an ACE occurred in an elevator, other similar small spaces may cause anxiety or panic. Low self-esteem: Low self-esteem can be hard to identify but becomes apparent through fears of being judged, people-pleasing, not setting boundaries, or lack of self-worth. Frustration, social anxiety, and distrust can also occur with low selfesteem. Chronic pain or illnesses: Some studies show that people with early childhood trauma may be susceptible to developing chronic pain or illnesses later in life. Abandonment issues: In many cases, the very people who should be caring for a child hurt them. This can lead to an alteration in the development of trust that leads to an intense fear of abandonment. Abandonment issues may result in the following behaviors that may affect the quality of your relationships: Quickly getting attached Lack of commitment or trying not to get attached Staying in unhealthy relationships Distrust Feeling insecure Intense suspicion or jealousy Separation anxiety Overthinking Hypersensitive to criticism Self-blame Fear of Abandonment Example Abandonment issues may leave you feeling like you are overreacting to someone important leaving for short periods. For example, you may feel anxious when your partner goes out to dinner with friends for the evening. How to Cope With Childhood Trauma Recognizing your emotions is a great first step to start the healing process. Finding a licensed mental health professional who provides a supportive environment is one of the best things you can do to help better understand yourself. The following are types of therapy that can help with the impact of childhood trauma. Behavioral therapy: Behavioral therapy gives you a safe place to process emotions or experiences to decrease their negative effect on your life. The goal is to help you identify and correct destructive thoughts and behaviors that stem from trauma rather than just automatically playing them out. Benefits of Behavioral Therapy Behavioral therapy can provide tools to help you with: Relaxation Trust Regulating difficult emotions Coping strategies Problem-solving Exposure therapy: Exposure therapy is a type of behavioral therapy that helps a person confront their fears. It sometimes includes a technique called desensitization. This is where someone is progressively exposed to increasingly fearful situations along with learning ways to replace fear with relaxation. Cognitive processing therapy: Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a specific behavioral therapy that helps you restructure beliefs related to the trauma. CPT can be done individually or in structured group therapy. Coping Strategies Outside of Therapy While undergoing treatment, you can also attend support groups, practice mindfulness, journal, and learn coping strategies through self-help books and podcasts. Other Reasons for Repressed Memory Other psychiatric reasons for memory issues include: Dissociation: Dissociation means disconnection from yourself, others, and the world. This is the brain’s short-term way of escaping pain. Long-term dissociation can separate a person from reality or cause them to lose memories of entire chunks of time, called dissociative amnesia. Denial: Denial is a psychological defense mechanism in which there is a refusal to recognize or acknowledge something painful. While denial is helpful when coping with traumatic events in the short term, ongoing denial can cause emotional, mental, or physical health problems. Forgetting: While forgetting things is a normal part of life, those who experience extreme trauma may purposefully suppress it rather than unconsciously repress it. Childhood Trauma's Association With Dementia Evidence suggests an association between childhood trauma and a higher risk of dementia. While trauma may not cause dementia, it can aggravate symptoms such as memory loss. Dissociative identity disorder (DID): DID is a mental health condition where a person has multiple, distinct personalities. It can cause memory loss while one or the other identity controls the person’s behavior. Borderline personality disorder (BPD): BPD is a mental health illness characterized by mood dysregulation and unstable relationships. What Is Dissociative Amnesia? An inability to recall information related to personal traumas is sometimes called dissociative amnesia. Dissociative memory loss can affect a specific part of a person’s life or significant parts of a person’s identity. BPD Symptoms While this is not a comprehensive list, symptoms of BPD include: Dissociation Extreme emotions Distrust Distorted self-image Chronic empty feeling Reckless behaviors Self-harming Suicidal ideations Summary Childhood trauma can cause a variety of emotional problems in adulthood. When you experience childhood trauma, your brain may choose to repress details of the memories or the emotions associated with them as a coping mechanism. It’s best to seek treatment from a licensed mental health professional such as a psychiatrist or psychologist so they can help you identify your emotions and patterns of behavior. A Word From Verywell Understanding what is going on with your emotions is the first step in healing. It’s always best to seek treatment with a trained mental health professional if you are struggling with the impact of childhood trauma. They can help you work through your feelings, form better relationships, and enjoy a fulfilling life. Mental Health Hotline If you or a loved one are struggling with repressed childhood trauma, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National 16 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. 1. Otgaar H, Howe M, Patihis L et al. The return of the repressed: The persistent and problematic claims of long-forgotten trauma. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2019;14(6):1072-1095. doi:10.1177/1745691619862306 Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How does childhood trauma affect you over a lifetime? Childhood trauma may leave emotional scars that last into adulthood. How can you remember childhood trauma? Although it is unlikely that you will have completely forgotten significant trauma experienced during childhood, details or repressed emotional reactions might return as you talk to your therapist about other events. How should you process trauma? Trauma should be processed slowly in a safe and supportive environment with a mental health professional to gain coping strategies to use if and when trauma memories emerge. A mental health professional's goal will be to help you identify and process your emotions rather than asking you to relive traumatic events in a way that retraumatizes you or overwhelms you. 2. Johns Hopkins University Hub. Study: Nearly half of U.S. kids exposed to traumatic social or family experiences. 3. Mental Health Center. How childhood trauma affects us as adults. 4. Horizons Clinic. Signs you might have repressed unresolved trauma from childhood. 5. Gooden Center. Adjustment disorder. 6. Rodriguez LM, DiBello AM, Øverup CS, Neighbors C. The price of distrust: Trust, anxious attachment, jealousy, and partner abuse. Partner Abuse. 2015;6(3):298-319. doi:10.1891/1946- 6560.6.3.298 7. National Institute of Mental Health. Psychotherapies. 8. American Psychological Association. Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: What is exposure therapy?. 9. American Psychological Association. Clinical Practice Guidline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). 10. Cleveland Clinic. Dissociative Disorders. 11. Cleveland Clinic. Dissociative Amnesia. 12. Science Daily. Can you unconsciously forget an experience? Updated 2016. 13. Burri A, Maercker A, Krammer S, Simmen-Janevska K. Childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms increase the risk of cognitive impairment in a sample of former indentured child laborers in old age. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e57826. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057826 14. Cleveland Clinic. Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). 15. National Institute of Mental Health. Borderline Personality Disorder. 16. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Recovered memories of childhood trauma. Additional Reading Kascakova N, Furstova J, Hasto J, Madarasova Geckova A, Tavel P. The Unholy Trinity: Childhood Trauma, Adulthood Anxiety, and Long-Term Pain. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(2):414. doi:10.3390/ijerph17020414. Michigan Ace Initiative. How To Recognize If Your Childhood Trauma Is Affecting You As An Adult (& How To Heal). Updated 2019. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 57. Rockville, MD: HHS Publication; 2014:Chapter 3.  

 Signs of Repressed Childhood Trauma in Adulthood (verywellhealth.com)