Oxytocin is often called “the love hormone” because of its role in social bonding, reproduction and childbirth. This hormone may also affect our memory—though in ways that aren’t completely clear.
Not only has oxytocin been found to cause memory impairment and amnesic effects in humans, it can strengthen or weaken performance on memory tasks depending on the personality of the person tested. Animal studies have also found it to have beneficial effects on memory in some cases.
Interestingly, a post mortem study found that people with Alzheimer’s disease had higher levels of oxytocin in memory-related areas of their brain—implying that elevated levels in these areas could cause memory issues. But now, the findings of a recent study in mice…
