Shafigh · Current Alzheimer research 2025 · systematic review of animal studies · n=?

Evaluating the Therapeutic Effects of Oxytocin on Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Systematic review limited strictly to animal models with no human trial data

PubMed 40417765 · doi:10.2174/0115672050386593250521064527 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

A systematic review was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to evaluate the therapeutic potential of oxytocin in Alzheimer's disease models. Two independent reviewers performed the article screening.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical metrics, sample sizes, or counts of included studies. Qualitatively, preclinical animal studies showed that oxytocin administration mitigated memory deficits, reduced microglial-driven inflammation, and decreased amyloid-beta deposition, though changes in amyloid plaque load did not always correlate directly with cognitive improvement. No robust human data were identified.

Why it matters

This review maps preclinical evidence indicating that oxytocin modulates pathological and cognitive hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, establishing a rationale for prospective human trials.

Limits

The synthesized evidence is restricted entirely to animal models, limiting direct clinical translation to humans. The abstract does not specify the number of included studies, animal species, oxytocin doses, delivery routes, or quantitative effect sizes, and risk of bias assessment was not reported.