The Influence of Oxytocin on the Processing of Social Contact

University Hospital Bonn (UKB)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Healthy Male Volunteers

Treatments: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Oxytocin

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01939639

PS_2013 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

OXT_PS_2013

Details and patient eligibility

About

Social touch can convey the most potent and salient of socio-emotional signals. While the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) has been identified as a key neurochemical mediator of grooming in some other social species, its modulatory influence on human interpersonal touch is unknown. The investigators expect that OXT augments the hedonic value of touch and that this behavioral effect is paralleled at the neural level by an increased response in brain areas mediating rewarding aspects of social touch.

Enrollment: 40 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: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Oxytocin

Experimental group

Description:

24 IU Oxytocin, intranasal application 30 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