Suggesting bidirectional connections between the oxytocin and the serotonin systems, experimental administration of oxytocin produces shifts throughout the 5-HT system by down regulating the amygdala (Mottolese, et al., 2014) and there is strong input from the serotonin system into the oxytocin system in controlled laboratory settings (Galfi et al., 2005). Accordingly, to the extent that SAAF produces changes in the long-term regulation of the oxytocin system, it has substantial potential to confer long-term benefits in a range of domains of interest to prevention science, and given the connection with the serotonin system, such effects may be particularly beneficial for carriers of the “s” allele of the 5-HTTLPR.
