Dear Conference Participants,

We cordially welcome you to our Chinese-German workshop on oxytocin organized by the Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation (Becker/Kendrick, neuSCAN, UESTC, China) and Molecular Psychology (Montag, Ulm University, Germany).

Researchers identified oxytocin more than 100 years ago when they discovered that it regulates uterine contraction and milk ejection. More recently, translational research has begun to incorporate neuroscientific methods to link the peptide with a wide array of social functions, including pair bonding, social interaction and alleviating anxiety and stress.  The field uses a variety of methods, including pharmacological, molecular genetic, neuroeconomic and advanced neuroimaging approaches.

To keep track with the current developments in the rapidly developing field, the workshop aims at bringing together international experts to combine and optimize their research approaches and facilitate international collaborations. We would like to warmly thank all the speakers for coming to Chengdu to share their valuable scientific contributions and are also indepted for the excellent support given by Helen Lee, and the entire teams in both Chengdu and Ulm in organizing the conference and providing us all not only with a beautiful venue for our discussions but also a full and diverse Chinese entertainment program. Finally, we would like to thank the German Research Foundation (DFG), who awarded a grant to Christian Montag (MO 2363/9-1) to give German researchers the opportunity to attend this meeting in Chengdu.

We are convinced that the event represents a unique possibility to foster Chinese-German research cooperations as well as building international networks and friendships.

Have a great conference at the University of Electronic Science and Technology in Chengdu, China!

Sincerly yours,

Benjamin Becker,    Keith Kendrick    and    Christian Montag

UESTC                    UESTC                          Ulm University