Neural Correlates of Empathogenic and Affiliative Actions of Oxytocin (ODIS)

University Hospital Bonn (UKB)

Status and phase: Completed; Early Phase 1

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Drug: Oxytocin; Drug: Placebo

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01701180

OXT-151/12 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Mounting evidence indicates that the intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin has prosocial effects. However, the neural substrates of these effects are still unclear. The investigators hypothesized that a single dose administration of oxytocin should increase empathogenic and affiliative responses and that these effects are mediated by an increased insula activity.

Enrollment: 23 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy male volunteers
• In a heterosexual relationship

Exclusion criteria

• Current or past psychiatric disease
• Current or past physical illness
• Psychoactive medication
• Tobacco smokers

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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23 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Oxytocin

Experimental group

Description:

24 IU Oxytocin, intranasal application 45 min prior to the experiment

Treatment:

Drug: Oxytocin

Placebo

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Intranasal application, sodium chloride solution, 3 puffs per nostril

Treatment:

Drug: Placebo