‘love hormone’

Lack of ‘love hormone’ in early life leads to addictive behaviour, 

Adelaide University researchers say

Lack of family bonding and development of the “love hormone” can lead to addiction later in life, Adelaide University researchers say. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

PROBLEMS with development of the “love hormone” in childhood could lead to addictive behaviour later in life, University of Adelaide researchers speculate.

The groundbreaking idea follows a review of worldwide research into oxytocin, known as the “love hormone” or “bonding drug” because of its important role in enhancing social interactions, maternal behaviour and partnership.

Trouble with its development can leave people with risk factors for drug addiction from as young as four years old.

This month’s special edition of the international journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior deals with the current state of research linking oxytocin and addiction, and has been guest edited by Dr Femke Buisman-Pijlman from the University of Adelaide’s School of Medical Sciences.

Dr Buisman-Pijlman, who has a background in both addiction studies and family studies, said some people’s lack of resilience to addictive behaviours may be linked to poor development of their oxytocin systems.

“We know that newborn babies already have levels of oxytocin in their bodies, and this helps to create the all-important bond between a mother and her child,” she said.

“But our oxytocin systems aren’t fully developed when we’re born — they don’t finish developing until the age of three, which means our systems are potentially subject to a range of influences both external and internal.”

The oxytocin system develops mainly based on experiences, and environmental factors play a substantial role in the development of the oxytocin system until our systems are fully developed, Dr Buisman-Pijlman said.

“Previous research has shown that there is a high degree of variability in people’s oxytocin levels,” she said.

“We’re interested in how and why people have such differences in oxytocin, and what we can do about it to have a beneficial impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

“Studies show that some risk factors for drug addiction already exist at four years of age.

And because the hardware of the oxytocin system finishes developing in our bodies at around age three, this could be a critical window to study.

“Oxytocin can reduce the pleasure of drugs and feeling of stress, but only if the system develops well.”

Her theory is that adversity in early life is key to the impaired development of the oxytocin system.

The adversity could take the form of a difficult birth, disturbed bonding or abuse, deprivation, or severe infection, among other factors.

“Understanding what occurs with the oxytocin system during the first few years of life could help us to unravel this aspect of addictive behaviour and use that knowledge for treatment and prevention,” Dr Buisman-Pijlman said.