Oxytocin Effects on Food Motivation Pathways

Mass General Brigham

Status and phase

Completed

Early Phase 1

Conditions

Overweight and Obesity

Treatments

Drug: Placebo

Drug: Oxytocin

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02276677

SPID 1127

Details and patient eligibility

About

Oxytocin is a peptide hormone produced in the brain that regulates food intake. However, the mechanisms for this effect in humans is not yet clear.

In this study, the investigators will therefore examine the effect of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (compared to placebo) on levels of appetite-regulating hormones and functional magnetic resonance imaging activation of areas of the brain involved in food motivation.

Enrollment

10 patients

Sex

Male

Ages

18 to 45 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Age 18-45 years old
BMI 25-40
Regular breakfast eater (at least 4 times per week)
Stable weight within the past three months

Exclusion criteria

Psychiatric disease, use of psychotropic medications
History of eating disorder
History of excessive exercise within the last three months (having run more that 25 miles in any one week or having exercised more than ten hours in any one week)
History of diabetes mellitus
Active substance abuse
Hematocrit lower than the normal range
Gastrointestinal tract surgery (including gastrectomy, gastric bypass surgery, and small or large bowel resection)
History of cardiovascular disease (such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, coronary heart disease, or coronary artery spasms)
Untreated thyroid disease
Tobacco use
Cardiac pacemaker, surgical aneurysm clips, neurostimulator, implanted pumps, metal fragments in body/eyes, nitroglycerin patch, severe claustrophobia