The Effects of Oxytocin on Affective Touch

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Drug: intranasal placebo; Drug: intranasal oxytocin

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03282162

UESTC-neuSCAN-40

Details and patient eligibility

About

The main aim of the study is to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24IU) increases the affective processing of touch in general or whether it's effect vary according to the affective valence of the touch (positive, neutral, negative). Moreover, associations with trait autism will be explored.

Full description

A double-blind, within-subject, placebo controlled design will be employed in this study. In a randomized-order a total of 40 healthy male subjects will receive oxytocin- and placebo-nasalspray (interval between the administration > 2 weeks). 45 minutes after treatment subjects will be administered the touch-stimulation to the dorsal forearm by a trained experimenter (lengths: 8cm, rate 8cm/s). After each block of stimulation, the subjects will be asked to rate their subjective experience of the touch.The neural basis of touch processing will be measured via simultaneously acquired fMRI.

Levels of trait autism will be assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ) and related scales such as the Empathy Quotient (EQ), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), or the Sensory over Responsivity Scale (SOR) and Under Responsively Scale (URS).

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy subjects without any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion criteria

• History of brain injury Medical or mental illness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Oxytocin then placebo

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects will first receive oxytocin (24 IU).They then will receive placebo (24 IU) 2 weeks later.

Treatment:

Drug: intranasal placebo

Drug: intranasal oxytocin

Placebo then oxytocin

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects will first receive placebo (24 IU).They then will receive oxytocin (24 IU) 2 weeks later.

Treatment:

Drug: intranasal placebo

Drug: intranasal oxytocin