Oxytocin, epigenetric aging, and the social regulation of health : a lifecourse perspective on the Maejima et al. findings

Abstract

The elegant work by Maejima et al. recently published in Aging Cell reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism linking age-related oxytocin (OXT) decline to epigenetic remodeling, mitochondrial dysfunction, and systemic inflammation (Maejima et al., 2025). Beyond documenting this relationship, the authors demonstrate its remarkable reversibility through nasal OXT administration. These findings provide the first molecular evidence supporting what has long been proposed: that the OXT system functions as a fundamental long-term regulator of health across the entire lifespan, from early development through aging (Moberg, 2024; Moberg, 2003; Uvnas-Moberg, 1998). The current work now gives a tantalizing glimpse into the epigenetic mechanism behind this life course regulation.