Ocytocine hormone: a drug of faith?

The brain regions associated with trust have been identified. The results published in the journal Neuron show the effect of ocytocine hormones on the mechanism of trust.

Thomas Baumgartner and his colleagues at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) have asked volunteers to participate in two types of games: a belief in faith, a favoritism. The game of trust requires participants to invest money. At the same time, they must trust the manager, who may redistribute their profits, or will keep the profit for themselves. In a more adventurous game, the manager is replaced by a computer, which will randomly select whether redistribution or redistribution of profits to the player.

Before the start of the game, participants were allowed to inhale an amount of ocytocine hormone, or a sedative Hormone hormone ocytocine, to be released for development. A previous study has demonstrated the ability of this hormone to "trust" : believe in someone, or make someone trust you.

Ocytocine molecule.(Photo: wikimedia)

In the process of playing, players who use tranquilizers have reduced their trust in managers when not distributing profits, but not reducing confidence when computers do not distribute their profits. In contrast, volunteers who took inhaled ocytocine hormones continued to invest money for managers.

Thanks to the image of magnetic resonance (IRMf), researchers were able to obtain a 'picture' of the participants ' brain activity. They found that when players send their money to managers, ocytocine hormone reduces the activity of the two brain regions: amygdala (the almond), the center of fear and danger and striatum (striatum), the brain region regulating behavior. In relationships with other people, ocytocine hormone reduces suspicion.

Understanding the underlying mechanism of trust and decoding the role of ocytocine in social relationships has allowed a new approach to curing social disturbances, notably autism and evidence. fearless cause.