
%0 Journal Article
%A Marchini, G 
%A Stock, S 
%T Pulsatile release of oxytocin in newborn infants
%J Reproduction, Fertility and Development
%D 1996/02/01
%V 8
%N 1
%P 163-165
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/RD9960163
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/RD9960163 
%X Recently, a pulsatile, basal oxytocin blood level has been described in human adults. To investigate if such a hormone profile exists already during the neonatal period, we collected blood samples continuously with 20-s fractions for 4 min in 1-day-old infants (n = 26). Plasma oxytocin concentrations were determined by a specific radioimmunoassay. The values were further analysed by the pulse detection program PULSAR. We found that 42% of the infants presented one peak in the oxytocin level during a 4-min period. The peak constituted a 111 +/- 66% (mean +/- SD) increment of the baseline value. It is suggested that the release of oxytocin during basal conditions occurs in a pulsatile way in newborn infants and that these hormone pulses reflect fluctuations in the activity of the hypothalamic neurosecretory cells. 
