Oxytocin Modulation of Startle Reactivity to Social Stimuli and Moral Decision Making

University Hospital Bonn (UKB)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Healthy Male Volunteers

Treatments: Drug: Oxytocin

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01607970

OXT-168/11

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether oxytocin affects the modulation of startle reactivity by aversive social stimuli and to investigate the oxytocin effect on moral judgements. Furthermore the investigators explore the effects of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) polymorphisms on behavioral responses to social stimuli.

Full description

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) can enhance the impact of positive social cues but may reduce that of negative ones, although it is unclear whether the latter causes blunted emotional responses. After OXT or placebo application participants are exposed to acoustic startle probes presented alone and during viewing of 60 color pictures mostly selected from the 'International Affective Picture System'. The paradigm featured 20 negative (mostly threatening), 20 neutral, and 20 positive pictures, presented for 5 s each. In the other part of the experiment, after intranasal OXT or placebo application participants respond to 60 moral dilemmas.

Enrollment: 80 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy male volunteers

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: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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80 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: Oxytocin