more on oxytocin

In the months since the Mommy Brain was published, last May, there has been more news about oxytocin, the key maternal hormone and neurotransmitter I reported on at length. (Remember, it's important in breast-feeding and uterine contractions during labor.)
A report in last June's Nature, for instance, detailed an experiment showing that oxytocin administered in a nasal spray increases trust in humans. I recently tracked down a Harvard neuroscientist who, moved by this news, has been dosing herself with an oxytocin nasal spray to cope with post traumatic stress syndrome. She says it seems to help her feel more "warm and fuzzy" with romantic partners. What Big Pharma might make of this is anyone's guess!