This monograph provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in the field of vasopressin and oxytocin. In the summer of 1997, scientists from over 20 countries congregated in Montreal for the 1997 World Congress of Neurohypophysial Hormones, a conference that united the fields of vasopressin, neurohypophysis, and oxytocin in a single joint meeting that gave rise to this book. The organization of a joint meeting was prompted by several developments. Specifically the molecular characterization of the vasopressin/oxytocin receptor family made it mandatory to adopt an integrated view and to discuss the vasopressin/oxytocin ligand/receptor family as a whole. To ensure emphasis on novelty, the conference focused on advances made in the late-1990s and also included important contributions by scientist that had not previously been associated with the vasopressin/oxytocin field.