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يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱجۡتَنِبُواْ كَثِيرࣰ ا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعۡضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثۡمࣱۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُواْ وَلَا يَغۡتَب بَّعۡضُكُم بَعۡضًاۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمۡ أَن يَأۡكُلَ لَحۡمَ أَخِيهِ مَيۡتࣰ ا فَكَرِهۡتُمُوهُۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابࣱ رَّحِيمࣱ‏

Believers, avoid making too many assumptions- some assumptions are sinful- and do not spy on one another or speak ill of people behind their backs: would any of you like to eat the flesh of your dead brother? No, you would hate it. So be mindful of God: God is ever relenting, most merciful

وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ فِيمَا عَرَّضۡتُم بِهِۦ مِنۡ خِطۡبَةِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ أَوۡ أَكۡنَنتُمۡ فِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّكُمۡ سَتَذۡكُرُونَهُنَّ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُوَاعِدُوهُنَّ سِرًّا إِلَّآ أَن تَقُولُواْ قَوۡلࣰ ا مَّعۡرُوفࣰ اۚ وَلَا تَعۡزِمُواْ عُقۡدَةَ ٱلنِّكَاحِ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبُ أَجَلَهُۥۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ فَٱحۡذَرُوهُۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمࣱ‏

You will not be blamed whether you give a hint that you wish to marry these women, or keep it to yourselves- God knows that you intend to propose to them. Do not make a secret arrangement with them; speak to them honourably and do not confirm the marriage tie until the prescribed period reaches its end. Remember that God knows what is in your souls, so be mindful of Him. Remember that God is most forgiving and forbearing

هَٰٓأَنتُمۡ أُوْلَآءِ تُحِبُّونَهُمۡ وَلَا يُحِبُّونَكُمۡ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡكِتَٰبِ كُلِّهِۦ وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمۡ قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوۡاْ عَضُّواْ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلۡأَنَامِلَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَيۡظِۚ قُلۡ مُوتُواْ بِغَيۡظِكُمۡۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

This is how it is: here you are, you love them, but they do not love you; you believe in all the Scriptures and when they meet you, they say, ‘We believe,’ but when they are alone, they bite their fingertips in rage at you. [Prophet], say, ‘Die of rage [if you wish]!’ God knows exactly what is in everyone’s hearts

ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلۡغَمِّ أَمَنَةࣰ نُّعَاسࣰ ا يَغۡشَىٰ طَآئِفَةࣰ مِّنكُمۡۖ وَطَآئِفَةࣱ قَدۡ أَهَمَّتۡهُمۡ أَنفُسُهُمۡ يَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡحَقِّ ظَنَّ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِيَّةِۖ يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِن شَيۡءࣲۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ كُلَّهُۥ لِلَّهِۗ يُخۡفُونَ فِيٓ أَنفُسِهِم مَّا لَا يُبۡدُونَ لَكَۖ يَقُولُونَ لَوۡ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ شَيۡءࣱ مَّا قُتِلۡنَا هَٰهُنَاۗ قُل لَّوۡ كُنتُمۡ فِي بُيُوتِكُمۡ لَبَرَزَ ٱلَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡقَتۡلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمۡۖ وَلِيَبۡتَلِيَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمۡ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

After sorrow, He caused calm to descend upon you, a sleep that overtook some of you. Another group, caring only for themselves, entertained false thoughts about God, thoughts more appropriate to pagan ignorance, and said, ‘Do we get a say in any of this?’ [Prophet], tell them, ‘Everything to do with this affair is in God’s hands.’ They conceal in their hearts things they will not reveal to you. They say, ‘If we had had our say in this, none of us would have been killed here.’ Tell them, ‘Even if you had resolved to stay at home, those who were destined to be killed would still have gone out to meet their deaths.’ God did this in order to test everything within you and in order to prove what is in your hearts. God knows your innermost thoughts very well

وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَمِيثَٰقَهُ ٱلَّذِي وَاثَقَكُم بِهِۦٓ إِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ سَمِعۡنَا وَأَطَعۡنَاۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

Remember God’s blessing on you and the pledge with which you were bound when you said, ‘We hear and we obey.’ Be mindful of God: God has full knowledge of the secrets of the heart

إِذۡ يُرِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلࣰ اۖ وَلَوۡ أَرَىٰكَهُمۡ كَثِيرࣰ ا لَّفَشِلۡتُمۡ وَلَتَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَمۡرِ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَلَّمَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

[Prophet], remember when God made you see them in your sleep as few: if He had shown them to you [believers] as many, you would certainly have lost heart and argued about it, but God saved you. He knows the secrets of the heart

O you who believe shun much suspicion. Indeed some suspicions are sins that is to say it causes one to fall into sin. This suspicion may have many forms such as thinking ill of the good folk from among the believers — and such good folk are many — in contrast to the immoral individuals among them in whose case there is no sin so long as it the suspicion is in accordance with their outward behaviour. And do not spy tajassasū one of the two tā’ letters of tatajassasū has been omitted do not pursue the imperfections and faults of Muslims by searching them out; nor backbite one another do not speak of him by mentioning something which he is averse to having mentioned of himself even if it be true. Would any of you love to eat the flesh of his brother dead? read maytan or mayyitan. That is to say it would not be right for him to do so. You would abhor it. Thus to backbite him in life would be

O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicion is sin. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. And have Taqwa of Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful (12) The Prohibition of Unfounded Suspicion Allah the Exalted forbids His faithful servants from being suspicious, which includes having doubts and suspicions about the conduct of one's family, relatives and other people in general. Therefore, Muslims are to avoid suspicion without foundation. The Leader of the faithful 'Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "Never think ill of the word that comes out of your believing brother's mouth, as long as you can find a good excuse for it." Malik recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ فَإِ

Ha! There you are: You love them, but they do not love you. The faithful had limpid hearts and generous natures, and they did not keep tenderness and mercy back from the estranged. They wanted good for them and attached their hearts to their submission. They wanted their salvation and did not hold back God's mercy from them-whether they were acquaintances or strangers. This kept on crossing their minds: Bring the sweetmeat, for it is the heart's beloved, suited for both the elect and the common. This is the same tenderness that MuḤammad showed to the estranged. He said, “O God, guide my people, for they do not know.” As for the unbelievers, those who had no limpidness in their hearts or loyalty in their natures, they never wanted good for the people of faith, nor did they love them. They grieved at the good that reached them and became happy at the bad. God says, “If something beautiful

You would not be at fault regarding the proposal with the intention of marriage you present offer or hide in your hearts during the waiting period to women whose spouses have died such as men saying ‘How beautiful you are!’ or ‘Who could find one like you?’ or ‘How many a man must desire you!’. God knows that you will be mindful of them in proposing to them impatiently and so He has permitted you to make such offers; but do not make arrangements of marriage with them secretly unless you speak honourable words such as are acknowledged by the Law in other words such as proposals that which is permitted to you. And do not resolve on the knot the consummation of marriage until that which is written the period prescribed has reached its term and has been completed; and know that God knows what is in your souls of resolve or otherwise; so be fearful of Him that He should chastise you if you ha

And there is no sin on you if you make a hint of betrothal or conceal it in yourself, Allah knows that you will remember them, but do not make a promise (of contract) with them in secret except that you speak an honorable saying. And do not be determined on the marriage bond until the term prescribed is fulfilled. And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him. And know that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing (235) Mentioning Marriage indirectly during the 'Iddah Allah said: وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ (And there is no sin on you) meaning, to indirectly mention marriage to the widow during the term of 'Iddah for her deceased husband. Ath-Thawri, Shu'bah and Jarir stated that Ibn 'Abbas said: وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا عَرَّضْتُم بِهِ مِنْ خِطْبَةِ النِّسَاءِ (And there is no sin on you if you make a hint of betrothal) "means saying, 'I want to marry and I am lo

Lo hā ‘lo!’ is for calling attention to something there you are O believers you love them on account of their kinship and their pretence of friendship towards you but they love you not since they oppose you in religion; you believe in the Book all of it that is to say in the Books all of them but they do not believe in your Book and when they meet you they say ‘We believe’ but when they are alone they bite at you their fingertips in rage in extreme fury at what they see of your mutual affection the biting of the fingertips is used to figuratively express the severity of rage even if there be no biting involved. Say ‘Perish in your rage that is be this way until the end of your lives for you shall not see what will please you; God knows what is in the breasts’ what is in the hearts including that which these conceal.

حَدَّثَنِي عُقْبَةُ بْنُ مُكْرَمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ، مَرْزُوقٍ حَدَّثَنَا رَوْحٌ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي زِيَادٌ، أَنَّ ثَابِتًا، مَوْلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ يُسَلِّمُ الرَّاكِبُ عَلَى الْمَاشِي وَالْمَاشِي عَلَى الْقَاعِدِ وَالْقَلِيلُ عَلَى الْكَثِيرِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:The rider should first greet the pedestrian, and the pedestrian the one who is seated and a small group should greet a larger group (with as-Salam-u-'Alaikum)

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زِيَادٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ حَكِيمٍ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو طَلْحَةَ كُنَّا قُعُودًا بِالأَفْنِيَةِ نَتَحَدَّثُ فَجَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَامَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ ‏"‏ مَا لَكُمْ وَلِمَجَالِسِ الصُّعُدَاتِ اجْتَنِبُوا مَجَالِسَ الصُّعُدَاتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقُلْنَا إِنَّمَا قَعَدْنَا لِغَيْرِ مَا بَاسٍ قَعَدْنَا نَتَذَاكَرُ وَنَتَحَدَّثُ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِمَّا لاَ فَأَدُّوا حَقَّهَا غَضُّ الْبَصَرِ وَرَدُّ السَّلاَمِ وَحُسْنُ الْكَلاَمِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Talha reported:While we were sitting in front of the houses and talking amongst ourselves, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) happened to come there. He stood by us and said: What about you and your meetings on the paths? Avoid these meetings on the paths. We said: We were sitting here without (any intention of doing harm to the passers-by) ; we are sitting to discuss matters and to hold conversation amongst ourselves. Thereupon he said: If there is no help (for you but to sit on these paths), then give the paths their rights and these are lowering of the gaze, exchanging of greetings and good conversation

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُوسَى الْمَخْزُومِيُّ الْمَدَنِيُّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ سِتُّ خِصَالٍ يَعُودُهُ إِذَا مَرِضَ وَيَشْهَدُهُ إِذَا مَاتَ وَيُجِيبُهُ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ إِذَا لَقِيَهُ وَيُشَمِّتُهُ إِذَا عَطَسَ وَيَنْصَحُ لَهُ إِذَا غَابَ أَوْ شَهِدَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُوسَى الْمَخْزُومِيُّ الْمَدَنِيُّ ثِقَةٌ رَوَى عَنْهُ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَابْنُ أَبِي فُدَيْكٍ ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Hurairah:that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There are six things due from the believer to another believer: Visiting him when he is ill, attending (his funeral) to him when he dies, accepting his invitation when he invites, giving him Salam when he meets him, replying to him when he sneezes, and wishing him well when he is absent and when he is present

حَدَّثَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا زِيَادُ بْنُ الرَّبِيعِ، حَدَّثَنَا حَضْرَمِيٌّ، مَوْلَى آلِ الْجَارُودِ عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، عَطَسَ إِلَى جَنْبِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَأَنَا أَقُولُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَلَيْسَ هَكَذَا عَلَّمَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَّمَنَا أَنْ نَقُولَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ زِيَادِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ ‏.‏

Narrated Hadrami, the freed slave of the family of Al-Jarud:from Nafi: "A man sneezed beside Ibn 'Umar and said: 'Al-Hamdulillah Was-Salamu 'Ala Rasulillah. (All praise is due to Allah, and peace upon the Messenger of Allah)'. So Ibn 'Umar said: 'I too say Al-Hamdulillah Was-Salamu 'Ala Rasulillah, but this is not what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us. He taught us to say: "Al-Hamdulillah 'Ala Kulli Hal (All praise is due to Allah in every circumstance)

حدثنا محمد بن أحمد الرقام بتستر حدثنا أبو الخطاب زياد بن يحيى حدثنا أبو داود حدثنا سليمان بن حيان عن أبيه عن أبي هريره قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ? < أياكم والظن فإن الظن أكذب الحديث ولا تجسسوا ولا تحسسوا ولا تباغضوا وكونوا عباد الله إخوانا > ?

وسوء الظن يدعو إلى التحسس و التحسن وقد قال صلى الله عليه وسلم لا تحسسوا ولا تجسسوا ولا تقاطعوا و لاتدابروا وكونوا عباد الله إخوانا + حديث لا تحسسوا ولا تجسسوا ولا تقاطعوا ولا تدابروا و كونوا عباد الله إخوانا متفق عليه من حديث أبي هريرة وهو بعض الحديث الذي قبله +

ومن ثمرات سوء الظن التجسس فإن القلب لا يقنع بالظن ويطلب التحقيق فيشتغل بالتجسس وهو أيضا منهي عنه قال الله تعالى ولا تجسسوا فالغيبة وسوء الظن والتجسس منهي عنه في آية واحدة ومعنى التجسس أن لا يترك عباد الله تحت ستر الله فيتوصل إلى الإطلاع وهتك الستر حتى ينكشف له ما لو كان مستورا عنه كان أسلم لقلبه ودينه وقد ذكرنا في كتاب الأمر بالمعروف حكم التجسس وحقيقته

فقال وما هي فقال قد قال تعالى ولا تجسسوا وقد تجسست وقال تعالى وأتوا البيوت من أبوابها وقد تسورت من السطح وقال لا تدخلوا بيوتا غير بيوتكم حتى تستأنسوا وتسلموا على أهلها وما سلمت

الخامس أن لا يحملك ما حكى لك على التجسس والبحث لتحقق اتباعا لقول الله تعالى @QB@ ولا تجسسوا @QE@

تجسسوا} [الحجرات: 12].

Oxytocin improves behavioural and neural deficits in inferring others' social emotions in autism.: Recent studies have suggested oxytocin's therapeutic effects on deficits in social communication and interaction in autism spectrum disorder through improvement of emotion recognition with direct emotional cues, such as facial expression and voice prosody. Although difficulty in understanding of others' social emotions and beliefs under conditions without direct emotional cues also plays an important role in autism spectrum disorder, no study has examined the potential effect of oxytocin on this

MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior.: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') releases serotonin and norepinephrine. MDMA is reported to produce empathogenic and prosocial feelings. It is unknown whether MDMA in fact alters empathic concern and prosocial behavior. We investigated the acute effects of MDMA using the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), dynamic Face Emotion Recognition Task (FERT) and Social Value Orientation (SVO) test. We also assessed effects of MDMA on plasma levels of hormones involved in social behavior

An individual task meta-analysis of social cognition in euthymic bipolar disorders.: Objective: Social cognition has been shown to be affected in bipolar disorders, even during euthymia. However, the social cognitive profile of this group of disorders remains to be ascertained, given that such a broad neuropsychological construct has not been systematically examined in bipolar subjects across different tasks. The aim of this study was to quantify the magnitude of patient-control differences for distinct social cognition assessment instruments: the Hinting Task, the Eyes Test, Fa

Personality-dependent effects of oxytocin: greater social benefits for high alexithymia scorers.: Originally known for its role in labor and lactation, oxytocin (OT) has recently been shown to facilitate social behaviour by improving socio-emotional abilities. However, whether OT is equally beneficial to all people, or whether is it particularly beneficial to less emotionally/socially competent (i.e., high alexithymia) individuals it is not yet known. We investigated the effects of OT on individuals of varying socio-emotional ability by randomly assigning sixty male students to receive eithe

Empathy in adults with clinical or subclinical depressive symptoms.: Background: Depression is associated with problems in social functioning. Impaired empathic abilities might underlie this association. Empathy is a multidimensional construct and involves both affective and cognitive processes. We reviewed the literature to find out to what extent depression may be associated with abnormal levels of affective and cognitive empathy. We also explored potential gender differences in these associations. Methods: We used PsycInfo and Medline to conduct a systematic r

Preliminary evidence about the effects of meditation on interoceptive sensitivity and social cognition.: Background: Interoception refers to the conscious perception of body signals. Mindfulness is a meditation practice that encourages individuals to focus on their internal experiences such as bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions. In this study, we selected a behavioral measure of interoceptive sensitivity (heartbeat detection task, HBD) to compare the effect of meditation practice on interoceptive sensitivity among long term practitioners (LTP), short term meditators (STM, subjects that compl

Social touch experience in different contexts: A review.

Social touch is increasingly utilized in a variety of psychological interventions, ranging from parent-child interventions to psychotherapeutic treatments. Less attention has been paid, however, to findings that exposure to social touch may not necessarily evoke positive or pleasant responses. Social touch can convey different emotions from love and gratitude to harassment and envy, and persons' preferences to touch and be touched do not necessarily match with each other. This review of altogether 99 original studies focuses on how contextual factors modify target person's behavioral and brain responses to social touch. The review shows that experience of social touch is strongly modified by a variety of toucher-related and situational factors: for example, toucher's facial expressions, physical attractiveness, relationship status, group membership, and touched person's psychological dis…

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The impact of early life stress on the central oxytocin system and susceptibility for drug addiction: Applicability of oxytocin as a pharmacotherapy.

Early life trauma is strongly associated with an increased vulnerability to abuse illicit drugs and the impairment of neural development. This includes alterations to the development of the oxytocin system, which plays a pivotal role in the regulation of social behaviours and emotion. Dysregulation of this important system also contributes to increased susceptibility to develop drug addiction. In this review, we provide an overview of the animal models of early life stress that are widely used, and discuss the impact that early life stress has on drug-taking behaviour in adolescence and adulthood in both sexes. We link this to the changes that early life stress has on the endogenous oxytocin system, and how exogenously administered oxytocin may help to re-establish functioning of the system, and in turn, reduce drug-taking behaviour.

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The oxytocin receptor signalling system and breast cancer: a critical review.

Breast cancer is making up one-quarter of all new female cancer cases diagnosed worldwide. Breast cancer surgeries, radiation therapies, cytotoxic chemotherapies and targeted therapies have made significant progress and play a dominant role in breast cancer patient management. However, many challenges remain, including resistance to systemic therapies, tumour recurrence and metastasis. The cyclic neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) elicits a plethora of biological responses via the oxytocin receptor (OTR) in both the central and peripheral nervous system, including social bonding, stress, maternal behaviour, sexual activity, uterus contraction, milk ejection and cancer. As a typical member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, OTR represents also an intriguing target for cancer therapy. There is emerging evidence that OTR plays a role in breast cancer development and progression, and several …

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Is Oxytocin "Nature's Medicine"?

Oxytocin is a pleiotropic, peptide hormone with broad implications for general health, adaptation, development, reproduction, and social behavior. Endogenous oxytocin and stimulation of the oxytocin receptor support patterns of growth, resilience, and healing. Oxytocin can function as a stress-coping molecule, an anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant, with protective effects especially in the face of adversity or trauma. Oxytocin influences the autonomic nervous system and the immune system. These properties of oxytocin may help explain the benefits of positive social experiences and have drawn attention to this molecule as a possible therapeutic in a host of disorders. However, as detailed here, the unique chemical properties of oxytocin, including active disulfide bonds, and its capacity to shift chemical forms and bind to other molecules make this molecule difficult to work with and t…

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Anxiolytic and Anxiogenic? How the Transcription Factor MEF2 Might Explain the Manifold Behavioral Effects of Oxytocin.

The neuromodulator oxytocin, since its first synthesis by du Vigneaud in 1953, has mainly been associated with beneficial physiological effects, as well as positive social and emotional behaviors. This overall positive picture of oxytocin as the "love-, cuddle-, or bonding-hormone" has repeatedly been challenged since then. Oxytocin-induced effects that would be perceived as negative by the individual, such as increased anxiety or potentiation of stress-induced ACTH release, as well as the regulation of negative approach-related emotions, such as envy and schadenfreude (gloating) have been described. The general consent is that oxytocin, instead of acting unidirectional, induces changes in the salience network to shift the emphasis of emotional contexts, and therefore can, e.g., produce both anxiolytic as well as anxiogenic behavioral outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms leading …

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The role of oxytocin and vasopressin dysfunction in cognitive impairment and mental disorders.

Oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) are structurally homologous peptide hormones synthesized in the hypothalamus. Nowadays, the role of OXT and AVP in the regulation of social behaviour and emotions is generally known. However, recent researches indicate that peptides also participate in cognitive functioning. This review presents the evidence that the OXT/AVP systems are involved in the formation of social, working, spatial and episodic memory, mediated by such brain structures as the hippocampal CA2 and CA3 regions, amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Some data have demonstrated that the OXT receptor's polymorphisms are associated with impaired memory in humans, and OXT knockout in mice is connected with memory deficit. Additionally, OXT and AVP are involved in mental disorders' progression. Stress-induced imbalance of the OXT/AVP systems leads to an increased risk of various men…

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Birth as a neuro-psycho-social event: An integrative model of maternal experiences and their relation to neurohormonal events during childbirth.

Background: Psychological aspects of labor and birth have received little attention within maternity care service planning or clinical practice. The aim of this paper is to propose a model demonstrating how neurohormonal processes, in particular oxytocinergic mechanisms, not only control the physiological aspects of labor and birth, but also contribute to the subjective psychological experiences of birth. In addition, sensory information from the uterus as well as the external environment might influence these neurohormonal processes thereby influencing the progress of labor and the experience of birth. Methodology: In this new model of childbirth, we integrated the findings from two previous systematic reviews, one on maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during physiological childbirth and one meta-synthesis of women´s subjective experiences of physiological childbirth. Findings: The neur…

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The osmoresponsiveness of oxytocin and vasopressin neurones: Mechanisms, allostasis and evolution.

In the rat supraoptic nucleus, every oxytocin cell projects to the posterior pituitary, and is involved both in reflex milk ejection during lactation and in regulating uterine contractions during parturition. All are also osmosensitive, regulating natriuresis. All are also regulated by signals that control appetite, including the neural and hormonal signals that arise from the gut after food intake and from the sites of energy storage. All are also involved in sexual behaviour, anxiety-related behaviours and social behaviours. The challenge is to understand how a single population of neurones can coherently regulate such a diverse set of functions and adapt to changing physiological states. Their multiple functions arise from complex intrinsic properties that confer sensitivity to a wide range of internal and environmental signals. Many of these properties have a distant evolutionary ori…

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Emotional Expressions Reconsidered: Challenges to Inferring Emotion From Human Facial Movements.

It is commonly assumed that a person's emotional state can be readily inferred from his or her facial movements, typically called emotional expressions or facial expressions. This assumption influences legal judgments, policy decisions, national security protocols, and educational practices; guides the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness, as well as the development of commercial applications; and pervades everyday social interactions as well as research in other scientific fields such as artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and computer vision. In this article, we survey examples of this widespread assumption, which we refer to as the common view, and we then examine the scientific evidence that tests this view, focusing on the six most popular emotion categories used by consumers of emotion research: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. The available scie…

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It takes two! Exploring sex differences in parenting neurobiology and behaviour.

Parents lay the foundation for their children's socio-emotional experiences by sensitively responding to their needs. The hormonal and neurobiological changes that occur during the transition to parenthood importantly contribute to the parents' caregiving behaviour toward their children. Much research has emphasised the relationship between the mother, who is most often the primary caregiver, and her infant, with less focus on the role of fathers in child development. However, recent accounts have suggested that fathers also play an important role in promoting the health, development and psychosocial wellbeing of their children. Evidence from the behavioural literature has indicated that there are significant differences between typical mother-infant versus father-infant interactions. The current review aims to outline differences between maternal and paternal caregiving by discussing th…

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Role of oxytocin in parental behaviour.

Both animal and human studies have provided conclusive evidence that oxytocin (OXT) acts in the brain (eg, medial preoptic area, ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens) to promote parental behaviour under different reproductive and physiological conditions. OXT appears to accelerate and strengthen the neural process that makes newborns attractive or rewarding. Furthermore, OXT reduces stress/anxiety and might improve mood and well being, resulting in indirect benefits for parents. However, OXT also plays a role in the development of species reproductive and social strategies, making some species or individuals more prone to display caring activities in nonreproductive contexts. There are important differences in the development of the OXT system and its regulation by gonadal hormones that can make individuals or species very different. Those intra- and interspecific differences in the…

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Female psychopharmacology matters! Towards a sex-specific psychopharmacology.

There is increasing recognition that women have a higher prevalence of certain psychiatric illnesses, and a differential treatment response and course of illness compared to men. Additionally, clinicians deal with a number of disorders like premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and postpartum depression, which affect women specifically and for which treatment and biological pathways are still unclear. In this article we highlight recent research which suggests that different biological mechanisms may underlie sex differences in responsiveness to stress. Sex differences are evident at the receptor level; where the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor shows differential coupling to adaptor proteins in males and females. The neuropeptide oxytocin also shows sex-specific effects in a range of social behaviors. It may act as a biomarker in post-traumatic stress disorder w…

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Anxiety, Depression, and the Microbiome: A Role for Gut Peptides.

The complex bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain is finely orchestrated by different systems, including the endocrine, immune, autonomic, and enteric nervous systems. Moreover, increasing evidence supports the role of the microbiome and microbiota-derived molecules in regulating such interactions; however, the mechanisms underpinning such effects are only beginning to be resolved. Microbiota-gut peptide interactions are poised to be of great significance in the regulation of gut-brain signaling. Given the emerging role of the gut-brain axis in a variety of brain disorders, such as anxiety and depression, it is important to understand the contribution of bidirectional interactions between peptide hormones released from the gut and intestinal bacteria in the context of this axis. Indeed, the gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ in mammals, secreting do…

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The Oxytocin Receptor: From Intracellular Signaling to Behavior.

The many facets of the oxytocin (OXT) system of the brain and periphery elicited nearly 25,000 publications since 1930 (see FIGURE 1 , as listed in PubMed), which revealed central roles for OXT and its receptor (OXTR) in reproduction, and social and emotional behaviors in animal and human studies focusing on mental and physical health and disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of OXT expression and release, expression and binding of the OXTR in brain and periphery, OXTR-coupled signaling cascades, and their involvement in behavioral outcomes to assemble a comprehensive picture of the central and peripheral OXT system. Traditionally known for its role in milk let-down and uterine contraction during labor, OXT also has implications in physiological, and also behavioral, aspects of reproduction, such as sexual and maternal behaviors and pair bonding, but also anxiety, trust, soc…

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Oxytocin and Anxiety Disorders.

In the present chapter, we review the literature focusing on oxytocin (OT)-centered research in anxiety spectrum conditions, comprising separation anxiety disorder, specific phobias, social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and anxiety-related endophenotypes (e.g., trust behavior, behavioral inhibition, neuroticism, and state/trait anxiety). OT receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms have been implicated in gene-environment interactions with attachment style and childhood maltreatment and to influence clinical outcomes, including SAD intensity and limbic responsiveness. Epigenetic OXTR DNA methylation patterns have emerged as a link between categorical, dimensional, neuroendocrinological, and neuroimaging SAD correlates, highlighting them as potential peripheral surrogates of the central oxytocinergic tone. A pathophysiological framework of OT integrating t…

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Oxytocin pathways in the intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress.

Severe stress in early life, such as childhood abuse and neglect, constitutes a major risk factor in the etiology of psychiatric disorders and somatic diseases. Importantly, these long-term effects may impact the next generation. The intergenerational transmission of maternal early life stress (ELS) may occur via pre-and postnatal pathways, such as alterations in maternal-fetal-placental stress physiology, maternal depression during pregnancy and postpartum, as well as impaired mother-offspring interactions. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has gained considerable attention for its role in modulating all of these assumed transmission pathways. Moreover, central and peripheral OT signaling pathways are highly sensitive to environmental exposures and may be compromised by ELS with implications for these putative transmission mechanisms. Together, these data suggest that OT pathways play an i…

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The Special Challenges of Psychotherapy with Persons with Psychosis: Intersubjective Metacognitive Model of Agreement and Shared Meaning.

Agreement between client and therapist is an essential part of the therapeutic alliance. While there are general challenges to the creation of agreement and shared meaning in all psychotherapies, there are specific challenges while working with persons with psychosis. These challenges include the different narratives of the client and the therapist with regard to their roles and the description of the condition or problem, as well as possible stigmatic views and theoretical bias. Here we present a metacognitive intersubjective model as a framework for the understanding and resolutions of these challenges. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key practitioner message: Goal consensus, agreement and shared meaning are essential for a collaborative process and positive outcome in psychotherapy. Challenges to psychotherapy with persons with psychosis include the different narratives of th…

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Oxytocin for the treatment of drug and alcohol use disorders.

There is growing interest in the use of oxytocin (OT) as a potential treatment for alcohol and other substance-use disorders. OT is a neuropeptide that modulates adaptive processes associated with addiction including reward, tolerance, associative learning, memory, and stress responses. OT exerts its effects through interactions with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and multiple neurotransmitter systems including the dopamine mesolimbic reward and corticotrophin-releasing factor stress systems. The effects of OT on stress systems are of high interest, given the strong link between stress, drug use and relapse, and known dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis activity associated with substance-use disorders. At the same time, the OT system is itself altered by acute or chronic drug exposure. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical literature on the OT syst…

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Oxytocin: A Conditional Anorexigen whose Effects on Appetite Depend on the Physiological, Behavioural and Social Contexts.

Central oxytocin suppresses appetite. Neuronal activity and the release of oxytocin coincide with satiation, as well as with adverse events (e.g. hyperosmolality, toxicity or excessive stomach distension) that necessitate an immediate termination of eating behaviour. Oxytocin also decreases consumption driven by reward, especially as derived from ingesting carbohydrates and sweet tastants. This review summarises current knowledge of the role of oxytocin in food intake regulation and highlights a growing body of evidence showing that oxytocin is a conditional anorexigen [i.e. its effects on appetite differ significantly with respect to certain (patho)physiological, behavioural and social contexts].

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Breast cancer and social environment: getting by with a little help from our friends.

Social environment is a well-recognized determinant in health and wellbeing. Among breast cancer patients, inadequate social support is associated with a substantial increase in cancer-related mortality. A common explanation is that socially isolated individuals fare worse due to reduced instrumental support (i.e., assistance meeting the demands of treatment). However, the ability to replicate the detrimental effects of social isolation on mammary tumor growth in rodents strongly suggests an alternative explanation; i.e., socially isolated individuals have a physiological milieu that promotes tumor growth. This review summarizes the clinical and basic science literature supporting social influences on breast cancer, and provides a conceptual physiological framework for these effects. We propose that social environment contributes to the vast individual differences in prognosis among brea…

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Adversity impacting on oxytocin and behaviour: timing matters.

The endogenous oxytocin system plays a vital role in facilitating parturition, lactation and social interaction in humans and other mammals. It also impacts on a number of important endocrine, immune and neurotransmitter systems. A well-regulated oxytocin system has been proposed to increase resilience, and therefore reduce the likelihood of an individual developing mental illness or substance dependence. This review discusses the adverse external influences that can modulate oxytocin receptor and protein levels and impact on substance use and mental health. The paper highlights the impact of adversity such as poor maternal care, parental substance use and child abuse or neglect. We review clinical and preclinical data on the impact of adversity on the basis of the time of exposure from infancy and early childhood, to adolescence, adulthood to older age. Previous research suggests that d…

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Intranasal oxytocin as strategy for medication-enhanced psychotherapy of PTSD: salience processing and fear inhibition processes.

About ten percent of people experiencing a traumatic event will subsequently develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by an exaggerated fear response which fails to extinguish over time and cannot be inhibited in safe contexts. The neurobiological correlates of PTSD involve enhanced salience processing (i.e. amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (AI) hyperactivity), and reduced top-down inhibitory control over this fear response (i.e. dorsal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) hypoactivity and diminished structural and functional connectivity between the vmPFC, hippocampus and amygdala). Therefore, dampening the exaggerated fear response (i.e. by reducing amygdala hyperactivity) and enhancing top-down inhibitory control (i.e. by promoting prefrontal control over the amygdala) during psychotherapy is an important target fo…

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Individual differences underlying susceptibility to addiction: Role for the endogenous oxytocin system.

Recent research shows that the effects of oxytocin are more diverse than initially thought and that in some cases oxytocin can directly influence the response to drugs and alcohol. Large individual differences in basal oxytocin levels and reactivity of the oxytocin system exist. This paper will review the literature to explore how individual differences in the oxytocin system arise and examine the hypothesis that this may mediate some of the individual differences in susceptibility to addiction and relapse. Differences in the oxytocin system can be based on individual factors, e.g. genetic variation especially in the oxytocin receptor, age or gender, or be the result of early environmental influences such as social experiences, stress or trauma. The paper addresses the factors that cause individual differences in the oxytocin system and the environmental factors that have been identified…

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Maternal aggression in rodents: brain oxytocin and vasopressin mediate pup defence.

The most significant social behaviour of the lactating mother is maternal behaviour, which comprises maternal care and maternal aggression (MA). The latter is a protective behaviour of the mother serving to defend the offspring against a potentially dangerous intruder. The extent to which the mother shows aggressive behaviour depends on extrinsic and intrinsic factors, as we have learned from studies in laboratory rodents. Among the extrinsic factors are the pups' presence and age, as well as the intruders' sex and age. With respect to intrinsic factors, the mothers' innate anxiety and the prosocial brain neuropeptides oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) play important roles. While OXT is well known as a maternal neuropeptide, AVP has only recently been described in this context. The increased activities of these neuropeptides in lactation are the result of remarkable brain ada…

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Oxytocin, brain physiology, and functional connectivity: a review of intranasal oxytocin fMRI studies.

In recent years the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has become one of the most studied peptides of the human neuroendocrine system. Research has shown widespread behavioural effects and numerous potential therapeutic benefits. However, little is known about how OT triggers these effects in the brain. Here, we discuss some of the physiological properties of OT in the human brain including the long half-life of neuropeptides, the diffuse projections of OT throughout the brain and interactions with other systems such as the dopaminergic system. These properties indicate that OT acts without clear spatial and temporal specificity. Therefore, it is likely to have widespread effects on the brain's intrinsic functioning. Additionally, we review studies that have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) concurrently with OT administration. These studies reveal a specific set of 'social' brai…

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