Human studies indicate significant associations between social anxiety and oxytocin receptor gene alleles, as well as social anxiety and oxytocin plasma levels.
The present pilot data point to a strong association of less secure attachment and social anxiety as well as to a gene-environment interaction effect of OXTRrs53576 genotype and attachment style on social anxiety possibly constituting a targetable combined risk marker of social anxiety disorder.
This study-for the first time applying a multilevel epigenetic approach-investigates the role of OXTR gene methylation in categorical, dimensional, and intermediate neuroendocrinological/neural network phenotypes of social anxiety.
Caucasian girls who both were heterozygous for the OXTRrs2254298 polymorphism and had high early adversity reported the highest levels of symptoms of depression, physical anxiety, and social anxiety.