Forget Viagra, use Oxytocin

Forget Viagra which just improves sexual performance, oxytocin now is known to improve relationships, trust, empathy between people.

A hormone traditionally used to induce labour could eclipse Viagra as the way to boost sexual performance.

Scientists have found that a man's libido was improved when he sniffed a nasal spray containing the hormone oxytocin.

Dubbed the 'cuddle drug' the hormone is naturally made in the body and is involved in sex, sexual attraction, trust and confidence.

It is released into the blood during labour  -  triggering the production of breast milk  -  and floods the brain during breastfeeding, helping mother and baby bond.

But scientists in the U.S. say it can also dramatically improve sexual performance in men too.

Research at the University of California found that a married man who sniffed the spray twice a day saw a considerable improvement in his sexual performance.

His libido went from 'weak to strong' while arousal levels went from 'difficult to easy', the Independent on Sunday said.

His wife also said that his sexual performance improved and his relationships with his friends and work colleagues did too.

Unlike Viagra which just improves sexual performance, oxytocin is known to improve relationships and strengthen bonds and trust between people.

Dr Mike Wyllie said there was a need for a new drug such as this. He said: 'Assuming positive clinical trials, a drug based on this approach could achieve blockbuster potential'.

The new study 'Dramatic Improvement on Sexual Function Induced by Intranasal Oxytocin was reported in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

It has been known for a while that the hormone appears to make men more sensitive.

In 2010 Cambridge and German scientists gave 24 healthy men nasal sprays containing oxytocin while 24 others received a placebo.

Afterwards the men were shown heart-wrenching photographs including a little girl in tears, a child embracing a cat and a man in mourning, and asked them to describe the level of empathy they felt with those in the pictures.

'The oxytocin group showed significantly higher emotional empathy levels than those men who had taken the placebo,' said Dr Rene Hurlemann, of the Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn.

In fact, he added, they reached the 'levels of sensitivity usually found in females'.

It is thought that the hormone could prove valuable in the treatment of autism, schizophrenia and other conditions characterised by difficulty in reading emotions.

Oxytocin sprays can be bought over the internet for a variety of uses, but experts question whether all brands are equally effective.

Title Development of oxytocin- and vasopressin-network in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of fetal sheep. Author(s) Shi L, Fan Y, Xu Z  Institution Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA. zxu@llu.edu. Source Physiol Res 2012 Apr 5. Abstract The hypothalamic supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei consist of oxytocin and arginine vasopressin synthesizing neurons that send projections to the neurohypophysis. A growing body of evidence in adult animals and young animals at near term confirmed the structure and function in the vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic network. However, whether those distinctive neural networks are formed before near term is largely unknown. This study determined the special patterns in location and distribution of oxytocin- and vasopressin-neurons in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei from preterm to term in the ovine fetuses. The results showed that oxytocin- and vasopressin-neurons were present in both nuclei at the three gestational time periods (preterm, near term, and term). In the paraventricular nuclei, vasopressin-cells concentrated mainly in the core of the middle magnocellular paraventricular nuclei, and oxytocin-cells were scattered surrounding the core. In the supraoptic nuclei, vasopressin-cells mostly located in the ventral part, and oxytocin-cells in the dorsal part. The data demonstrated that the special distributed patterns of vasopressin- and oxytocin-neuron network have formed in those two nuclei at least from preterm. Intracerebroventricular injection of angiotensin II significantly increased fetal plasma oxytocin and vasopressin levels at preterm, which was associated with an increase of oxytocin- and vasopressin-neuron activity marked with c-fos expression. The data provided new evidence for the structural and functional development of the oxytocin- and vasopressin-network before birth. Language ENG Pub Type(s) JOURNAL ARTICLE PubMed ID 22480425

Source: Unbound Medline | www.dailymail.co.uk