Despite evidence supporting a role for oxytocin (OT) in regulating social behavior, surprisingly little is known about how this neuropeptide is calibrated during development. We systematically reviewed empirical studies in humans (k = 86 publications reporting on 66 independent samples; N = 7319) that examined associations between early-life stress and three OT system components: endogenous OT, methylation of the OT receptor gene (OXTRm), and biological and behavioral responses to intranasally administered OT. In a series of meta-analyses, we found some evidence that people who grew up under more adverse conditions tend to have lower endogenous OT (children: r = .12; adults: r = .09), that early adversity is associated with higher levels of OXTRm (r = .02), and that adults who report lower levels of childhood adversity tend to show more positive responses to intranasally administered OT (r = .12). These results were found in typical populations, and were in most cases absent in clinical samples. We discuss these findings in terms of both the prevailing medical model (focusing on the harmful effects of early-life stress) and the adaptive calibration model (focusing on developmental adaptation of biobehavioral systems to early conditions) and suggest that an adaptation-based approach could meaningfully advance research and intervention on the sequelae of early adversity.

尽管有证据支持催产素 (OT) 在调节社会行为中的作用，但令人惊讶的是，人们对这种神经肽在发育过程中如何校准知之甚少。我们系统地回顾了人类的实证研究（k = 86 篇关于 66 个独立样本的出版物；N = 7319），这些研究检查了早期生活压力与三个 OT 系统成分之间的关​​联：内源性 OT、OT 受体基因的甲基化 ( OXTRm ) 和对鼻内给药 OT 的生物学和行为反应。在一系列荟萃分析中，我们发现了一些证据表明，在更不利条件下长大的人往往具有较低的内源性 OT（儿童：r = .12；成人：r= .09），早期逆境与较高水平的OXTRm相关（r = .02），报告童年逆境水平较低的成年人往往对鼻内施用的 OT 表现出更积极的反应（r = .12）。这些结果在典型人群中发现，并且在大多数情况下在临床样本中不存在。我们从流行的医学模型（关注早期生活压力的有害影响）和适应性校准模型（关注生物行为系统对早期条件的发育适应）的角度讨论了这些发现，并建议基于适应的方法可以有意义地推进对早期逆境后遗症的研究和干预。