Neuropeptides and Social Behavior
Condition: Social Psychology
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Early Phase 1

Summary: 
      It has long been established that interpersonal relationships can have a profound impact on
      health and well-being. Yet, we are still learning about the complex biological processes that
      contribute to positive social interactions and the ability to develop and maintain social
      relationships. Recent research has begun to focus on oxytocin and vasopressin, neuropeptides
      that are naturally produced in the hypothalamus, because administration of these
      neuropeptides has been associated with increased trust, generosity, empathy, cooperation,
      memory of social stimuli (e.g., faces), and brain activity in neural regions associated with
      social and emotional processes. To date, several aspects of oxytocin and vasopressin's
      effects on social behavior have been unexplored. As such, the overarching goal of this
      project is to examine the effects of intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin on social working
      memory, deception detection, sensitivity to interpersonal distance, empathy, and altruistic
      behavior. Understanding how oxytocin and vasopressin influence these aspects of social
      functioning will help to inform research that has begun to establish the potential for use of
      these neuropeptides in psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and
      schizophrenia that are characterized by social deficits. For this study, we will recruit 150
      healthy adults without a history of medical or psychiatric illness to come to the laboratory.
      In the first session, participants will complete several questionnaires. In the second
      session, participants will be randomly assigned to receive oxytocin, vasopressin, or placebo.
      The study nurses will measure temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure (female
      participants will also be asked to undergo a pregnancy test) before drug administration.
      Participants will then complete computer tasks. During the second session, we will also
      collect a saliva sample for genetic analysis and participants will be asked to complete
      several additional questionnaires. At the end of the experimental session, participants will
      be fully debriefed.

      The investigators hypothesize that compared to placebo, oxytocin and/or vasopressin will
      improve social working memory and deception detection, and increase empathy and altruism. It
      is also hypothesized that main effects will not be found for oxytocin or vasopressin, but
      rather, analyses of relevant moderators will elucidate these findings.
    


Intervention name(s): Intranasal oxytocin; Intranasal vasopressin; Intranasal placebo
Intervention type(s): Drug; Drug; Drug
Intervention description(s): Through the use of 1oz bottles attached with metered nasal pumps (1 puff = .1ml), participants will self-administer 24 IU oxytocin (Syntocinon, Novartis Pharmaceuticals). 5 puffs per nostril (1 puff = 2.4 IU oxytocin).; Through the use of 1oz bottles attached with metered nasal pumps (1 puff = .1ml), participants will self-administer 20 IU vasopressin (American Regent Pharmaceuticals). 5 puffs per nostril (1 puff = 2 IU vasopressin).; Through the use of 1oz bottles attached with metered nasal pumps (1 puff = .1ml), participants will self-administer 5 puffs per nostril. Placebo consists of: 2 mls Glycerine and 3 mls purified water (methylparaben and propylparaben mixed according to purified water formula) for a total of 5 ml, which will be filtered with a 5mu filter (used previously; Bartz et al., 2010).
Other intervention name(s): Syntocinon nasal spray
Intervention MeSH terms: Vasopressins; Arginine Vasopressin; Oxytocin
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: oxytocin; vasopressin; intranasal administration; healthy sample