Oxytocin and Emotion Recognition

University Hospital Freiburg

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Health

Treatments: Drug: Syntocinon 24 IU; Drug: Placebo

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01216605

DO1312/1-1 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

X01A-DO1312/1-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of a single dose of synthetic oxytocin on facial emotion recognition in healthy adult man. Pictures of emotional faces are presented very briefly for a few milliseconds in a backward-masking paradigm in order to vary the level of awareness. In a randomized placebo-controlled between-subject design, recognition performance is compared between a drug (24 IU oxytocin) and a placebo condition. We hypothesize that oxytocin enhances emotion recognition even for facial stimuli processed with limited awareness.

Enrollment: 56 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Males
• 18 to 40 years of age

Exclusion criteria

• Any psychiatric diagnosis life-time
• Somatic disease
• IQ < 85
• Smoker
• Psychoactive medication

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

---

56 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Oxytocin

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Drug: Syntocinon 24 IU

Placebo

Placebo Comparator group

Treatment:

Drug: Placebo