8 | id == 8
8 | category_id == 4
8 | category_order == 1
8 | category_name == Brain
8 | category_color == #C47AC0
8 | slug == oxytocin-cognitive-enhancement
8 | title == Improve Cognitive Function with Oxytocin (OXTR)
8 | meta_description == Personalized genetics blog article
8 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>You&rsquo;ve probably heard of oxytocin, the neurotransmitter that is famous for its role in empathy and emotional bonding &ndash; but did you know that your oxytocin genes can also influence your cognitive abilities? In this post, we&rsquo;ll review how oxytocin affects your cognitive function,&nbsp;and how to counteract potential&nbsp;genetic weaknesses.</strong></p>
8 | overall_score_text == Cognitive Function score (based on OXTR gene)
8 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/Improve_Your_Cognitive_Functioning_with_the_Oxytocin_Receptor_OXTR_Gene_JPG.jpg
8 | author_id == 4
8 | author_name == Matt Carland
8 | author_title == PhD
8 | author_order == 10
8 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Matt.jpg
8 | author_intro == <p><strong>Matt received his PhD at the Universit&eacute; de Montr&eacute;al in Neuroscience.</strong></p>    <p>Matt holds multiple degrees in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. He has over a decade of experience in academic research and has published a number of articles in scholarly journals. He currently works as a neuropsychologist in Montreal, where he performs research on the links between personality traits and the development of clinical disorders such as addiction, compulsive gambling, and disordered eating.</p>
8 | reviewer_id == 2
8 | reviewer_name == Joe Cohen
8 | reviewer_title == BS
8 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
8 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
8 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
8 | publish_date == 2019
8 | publish_date == 8
8 | publish_date == 2
8 | avg_rating == 4.75
8 | tags_id == 13
8 | tags_name == Cognition
8 | tags_id == 15
8 | tags_name == Empathy
8 | tags_id == 16
8 | tags_name == OXTR Gene
8 | tags_id == 49
8 | tags_name == Oxytocin
8 | tags_id == 14
8 | tags_name == Social Smarts
8 | permissions_favorite == False
8 | permissions_rate == False
8 | content_article == <table style="width: 90%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" border="1" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Note:</strong> The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene is one of the <strong>45 unique intelligence-related genes</strong> that we analyze in our comprehensive </span><a href="https://get.selfdecode.com/mind-protocol-nm/"><strong><em>Cognitive Function DNA Wellness Report</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. If you&rsquo;re interested in learning more about the genes that affect your cognitive ability, and the actionable steps that you can take to boost your cognition even further, check it out!</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-social-chilled-out-and-empathetic-genes-oxytocin-receptor-snps/">Oxytocin</a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a hormone neurotransmitter (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">neuropeptide</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) that has many important functions in the brain.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you&rsquo;ve heard about oxytocin before, chances are that you&rsquo;re already familiar with its role in </span>empathy<span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span>social behavior<span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span>emotional bonding<span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span>mood<span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span>stress<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26869847"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30786104"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16884725"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24184577"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18498743"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">These functions are definitely important in their own right &ndash; but </span>did you know that oxytocin can also affect your cognitive ability?</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this post, we&rsquo;ll explore the </span>genetic factors<span style="font-weight: 400;"> that can affect how your brain&rsquo;s oxytocin system works, and what your oxytocin genes can tell you about </span>your cognitive ability<span style="font-weight: 400;"> &ndash; and even how to potentially improve it!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="display: block; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; padding: 20px; background-color: #e8ebfc;">Although oxytocin is best-known for its role in social behavior and emotional bonding, genetic variations in oxytocin-related genes may also influence your overall cognitive ability.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">Oxytocin and the &ldquo;Social Brain&rdquo;</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">When we think about cognitive function, most of us probably imagine the typical &ldquo;intellectual&rdquo; tasks we learned to do in school, such as doing math, writing essays, or memorizing new vocabulary words.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the truth is that these kinds of mental tasks are actually fairly unusual from an evolutionary perspective! In reality, </span>the reason we humans evolved such large and sophisticated brains probably wasn&rsquo;t to invent rocket science <span style="font-weight: 400;">&ndash;</span> but rather simply to keep up with our complex social environment.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The theory goes like this: as our ancestors began living in larger and more complex social groups, </span>our brains had to grow in order to give us the ability to understand other peoples&rsquo; emotions and motivations<span style="font-weight: 400;"> so that we could use this information to maneuver through our social environment. Many biologists believe that it was precisely these kinds of &ldquo;evolutionary pressures&rdquo; that originally caused our brains to become so much larger and well-developed over time [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19575315"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29795254"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29405287"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">(In fact, humans aren&rsquo;t the only animals whose brains seem to be built around navigating social relationships: similar correlations between social complexity and brain size are also seen in many other species, including not only many of our close primate relatives, but also dolphins, whales, and even ants [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28739950"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29038481"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27798312"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In other words, all the complex and sophisticated things we can do with our minds today probably developed from brain mechanisms that were originally geared towards understanding and dealing with other human beings.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Why is all of this important for oxytocin?<span style="font-weight: 400;"> Well, oxytocin is most often studied for its influence over social behavior and emotional bonding &ndash;&nbsp;and because so much of our other cognitive abilities are rooted in these social mechanisms, </span>this important neurotransmitter is also likely to have significant influences on many other cognitive functions as well<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25893159"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28435979"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27071915"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29468985"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18988842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30359747"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="display: block; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; padding: 20px; background-color: #e8ebfc;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The human brain originally evolved primarily to help us deal with complex social interactions. Because of this, the same biological mechanisms that regulate social behavior &ndash; such as oxytocin &ndash; probably also have a significant influence on many of our other cognitive abilities.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">Oxytocin and Cognition</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although scientists are still mapping out exactly how oxytocin influences other cognitive skills, there&rsquo;s already a wealth of evidence showing that it can have a significant effect on more general cognitive abilities such as </span>overall intelligence (IQ)<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376182"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">], </span>cognitive flexibility<span style="font-weight: 400;"> (executive function and attention) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28511728"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27620964"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27071915"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">], </span>learning and memory<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28435979"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25893159"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28864972"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9062665"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8258377"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">], and </span>decision-making<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27071915"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, brain areas that are critical for higher cognitive functions &ndash; such as the </span>prefrontal cortex<span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the </span>hippocampus<span style="font-weight: 400;"> &ndash; contain significant numbers of oxytocin receptors. This suggests that oxytocin could have a relatively direct effect on cognitive processes that take place in these brain regions [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25893159"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21423444"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30359747"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17583705"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19591851"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other studies have found that the oxytocin system may also play a role in promoting </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/">synaptic plasticity</a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which would account for its influence on processes related to </span>learning and memory<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30359747"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28864972"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25893159"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">These biological mechanisms do appear to play important roles in cognition, as many studies have indeed shown that </span>changing levels of oxytocin has cognitive effects<span style="font-weight: 400;"> in both animals and humans.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In mice, for example, knocking out oxytocin-related genes or blocking oxytocin receptors produces </span>significant deficits in learning and memory<span style="font-weight: 400;"> for both social and non-social forms of information [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10888874"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27513442"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12359512"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, in humans, raising oxytocin levels (such as by having subjects take nasal sprays laced with oxytocin) </span>improves memory<span style="font-weight: 400;"> for faces and other forms of social information [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19129382"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18343353"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boosting oxytocin has also been shown to enhance many other forms of &ldquo;social cognition&rdquo; in humans. For example, </span>giving healthy subjects oxytocin makes them better at identifying the emotions of others just from looking at pictures of their eyes<span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17137561"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are just a few of the many studies showing that oxytocin plays a central role in &ldquo;mind-reading&rdquo; abilities, which form the cognitive foundations of </span>empathy<span style="font-weight: 400;"> and other important aspects of social behavior [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23575742"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30210321"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25977357"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">But while most human studies have focused on these various forms of social cognition, there is also evidence that </span>oxytocin affects general, &ldquo;non-social&rdquo; cognitive abilities<span style="font-weight: 400;"> as well.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, in one particularly interesting study, one group of subjects were asked to imagine being lonely and socially isolated &ndash;&nbsp;a kind of </span>social stress<span style="font-weight: 400;"> that is known to cause changes in the brain&rsquo;s oxytocin system.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, another group was asked to imagine different types of stress, such as physical injuries, living in poverty, or being in an accident.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both groups were then given tests to measure their </span>logic and reasoning<span style="font-weight: 400;"> skills. The people who experienced &ldquo;social stress&rdquo; group ended up performing </span>significantly worse on logic and reasoning these cognitive tests<span style="font-weight: 400;">, with both their </span>accuracy<span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span>processing speed<span style="font-weight: 400;"> being reduced [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12374437"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Studies like this one show how factors related to social behavior (in this case, imagining being lonely) can also have a major impact on seemingly-unrelated cognitive abilities &ndash; and hence </span>why oxytocin-related genes might influence our intelligence!</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="display: block; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; padding: 20px; background-color: #e8ebfc;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Peoples&rsquo; oxytocin levels have a powerful influence on their &ldquo;social cognition&rdquo; abilities, and might also influence their performance in other, &ldquo;non-social&rdquo; types of mental tasks as well.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">How Does Your <em>OXTR</em> Genotype Affect Your Cognitive Ability?</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The SNP </span><a href="../../snp/rs53576/">rs53576</a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a part of the </span><a href="../../gene/oxtr/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is the main gene responsible for creating </span>oxytocin receptors<span style="font-weight: 400;"> throughout the brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29019100"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This particular SNP has been associated with </span>significant differences in cognitive ability<span style="font-weight: 400;"> in humans. You can see your genotype for this SNP in the table below:</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">*9025265039193928*</p> <p>*9094850942983634*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />For this SNP, the two possible alleles are &lsquo;A&rsquo; and &lsquo;G&rsquo;. </span>When it comes to cognitive function, it&rsquo;s better to have the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, one study on 206 adolescents found that </span>people with the &lsquo;AA&rsquo; genotype have significantly lower non-verbal intelligence<span style="font-weight: 400;"> compared to carriers of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376182"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the effects of individual SNPs on overall intelligence are usually relatively small, in this case the effect is actually quite significant: the authors of this study found that this SNP alone could account for </span>a difference of 8.5% in overall intellectual performance between the two genotype groups [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376182">R</a>]!</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify; display: block; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; padding: 20px; background-color: #e8ebfc;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your genotype for </span><a style="text-align: justify;" href="../../snp/rs53576/">rs53576</a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can potentially either increase or decrease your relative non-verbal cognitive abilities by nearly 9% according to one study.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">How Does Your <em>OXTR</em> Genotype Cause Cognitive Deficits?</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although scientists don&rsquo;t yet fully understand the exact biological mechanisms involved in this SNP&rsquo;s effects on cognitive ability, there are several lines of evidence to suggest that </span>lowered oxytocin levels<span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span>reduced sensitivity to oxytocin<span style="font-weight: 400;"> (i.e. having fewer oxytocin receptors) are responsible for these effects.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Firstly, the same study that linked this SNP to non-verbal intelligence reported that the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele was also associated with </span>reduced positive moods<span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span>increased negative moods<span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span>greater feelings of loneliness<span style="font-weight: 400;"> &ndash; all effects that are consistent with lower oxytocin levels [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19376182"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26321019"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25881796"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29019100"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Secondly, a large number of other studies have also linked the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of this SNP to a wide variety of behavioral and cognitive effects that are also consistent with lower oxytocin levels, including:</span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reduced emotion-reading ability [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19934046"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Less &ldquo;pro-social&rdquo; behavior [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22084107"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Less </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">emotional bonding</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20724662"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reduced interpersonal trust [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22347177"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Increased </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">sensitivity to social stress</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22146101"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19934046"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lower optimism and self-esteem [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21896752"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reduced maternal behavior (in mothers) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19015103"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Increased risk of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">autism-spectrum disorders</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (ASDs), which typically involve deficits in many aspects of social cognition [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23055480"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18207134"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24814480"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Importantly, many of the above effects of this SNP are also the same ones that have been shown to be </span><em>improved</em> by boosting oxytocin levels<span style="font-weight: 400;"> (in both healthy humans as well as autism patients) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17137561"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19129382"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18343353"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19897177"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25149412"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Therefore, it&rsquo;s a safe bet to suppose that low oxytocin levels (or reduced sensitivity to oxytocin) is probably the main biological factor driving the effects of this SNP.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="display: block; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; padding: 20px; background-color: #e8ebfc;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The potential negative cognitive effects of this </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> SNP most likely stem from lower oxytocin levels and/or reduced sensitivity to oxytocin.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">What Should You Do If You Carry the <em>OXTR</em> Risk Genotype?</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">If you have the &lsquo;AA&rsquo; genotype and you&rsquo;re worried that your <em>OXTR</em> gene might be holding you back socially and cognitively, don&rsquo;t panic just yet!</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The good news is that there are actually </span>plenty of great lifestyle hacks and supplements<span style="font-weight: 400;"> that you can use to counteract the potential downsides of your </span>rs53576<span style="font-weight: 400;"> genotype.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">*8202036561381889*</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the bad effects likely come from having too little oxytocin or too few oxytocin receptors, the common theme behind these suggestions will be finding ways to </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-social-chilled-out-and-empathetic-genes-oxytocin-receptor-snps/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">give your oxytocin levels a boost</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or to stimulate the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene to make more oxytocin receptors, which will help enhance your brain&rsquo;s overall sensitivity to this neurotransmitter.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that in mind, </span>some of the best lifestyle hacks for you include:</p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-14-proven-health-benefits-exercise-references-mechanisms/">Exercise</a>: <span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercise triggers the production and release of oxytocin in the brain, and may even directly stimulate increased activity of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene itself [</span><a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/180/1/012177"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29143998"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19638362"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!<br /><br /></span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/health-benefits-yoga/">Yoga</a>:<span style="font-weight: 400;"> Practicing yoga causes increases in oxytocin levels throughout the body and nervous system [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30732846"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30233119"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].<br /><br /></span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Mindfulness meditation<span style="font-weight: 400;">: </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/meditation/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meditation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and other &ldquo;mindfulness&rdquo;-based techniques have been shown to increase empathy as well as enhance many types of social cognition. These benefits are most likely due at least in part to meditation&rsquo;s ability to stimulate the release of oxytocin in the brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25329321"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31031678"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30998744"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30127731"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">Some of the best supplements for you to use include:</p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/melatonin/">Melatonin</a><span style="font-weight: 400;">: A handful of studies have reported that melatonin increases sensitivity to oxytocin &ndash;&nbsp;possibly by directly stimulating the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene itself [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273450/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730229/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!<br /><br /></span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/need-know-vitamin-c-32-science-based-health-benefits/">Vitamin C</a><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Supplementing with 3,000 mg of vitamin C per day may stimulate the release of oxytocin throughout the body and brain, as it increases many behaviors that are known to be directly related to oxytocin levels (such as sexual behavior) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12208645"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].<br /><br /></span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/21-proven-science-based-reasons-magnesium-amazing-including-drawbacks/">Magnesium</a><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Your body actually needs magnesium in order for oxytocin to successfully bind to its receptors in the brain. Supplementing with magnesium can therefore help ensure that you&rsquo;re not missing out on oxytocin&rsquo;s beneficial effects due to an underlying mineral deficiency [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1135623/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="display: block; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; padding: 20px; background-color: #e8ebfc;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lifestyle hacks and supplements that boost oxytocin levels and stimulate </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OXTR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene activity are the best ways to counteract risk alleles in this SNP.</span></span></p>
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8 | content_learn_more_9094850942983634_text == Based on the variants we looked at, the activity of your OXTR gene is sub-optimal. You may benefit cognitively from increasing oxytocin and boosting the activity of your OXTR gene. To find out how you can do this, see your personalized recommendations below.
8 | content_recommendation_8202036561381889_key == 8202036561381889
8 | content_recommendation_8202036561381889_blur == True
8 | content_recommendation_8202036561381889_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs53576
rsStatus = rs53576,OXTR,chr3,8762685,A,G,T,,28,15,HET
