Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Fear Processing in Naturalistic Contexts

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Drug: intranasal Placebo; Drug: intranasal Oxytocin(24IU)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05892939

UESTC-BAM-06

Details and patient eligibility

About

The main aim of the study is to investigate the modulatory effects of intranasal oxytocin (24IU) on fear in naturalistic social and non-social contexts and the underlying neural mechanisms.

Full description

In a double-blind placebo-controlled between-subject experimental design, 60 adult male subjects will be randomly allocated to receive either intranasal oxytocin (24IU, n= 30) or placebo (n = 30) nasal spray. 45 minutes after treatment the participants will undergo a naturalistic fear induction paradigm during fMRI. During the paradigm video clips of 25s lengths will be presented showing fear-inducing situations in social and non-social contexts as well as corresponding control video clips. Following each clip subjects are required to rate their level of subjective fear on a rating scale ranging from 1 (no fear) to 9 (highest fear). Participants will undergo screening for psychopathological and emotional states before treatment. Together with a randomized assignment to the treatment groups, this will allow controlling for confounding between-group differences.

Enrollment: 69 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders
• Right-handedness
• Normal or corrected-normal version

Exclusion criteria

• History of head injury
• Medical or psychiatric illness
• Hypertension
• General cardio-vascular alteration or diseases
• Allergy against medications
• Visual or motor impairments
• Claustrophobia
• Drug addiction
• Nicotine dependence
• FMRI contradictions

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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69 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Oxytoxin group

Experimental group

Description:

Drug: intranasal Oxytocin(24IU)

Treatment:

Drug: intranasal Oxytocin(24IU)

Placebo group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Drug: intranasal Placebo

Treatment:

Drug: intranasal Placebo