The Effects of Oxytocin Treatment on Social Touch
Condition: Healthy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The main aim of the study is to investigate the modulatory effects of oxytocin (24IU)
      administration on the affective processing of touch manipulated differently in gentle
      caress-like stroke vs. social massage with a moderate pressure.
    

Detailed description: 
      A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled mixed experimental design with three arms
      (intranasal oxytocin administration vs. oral oxytocin administration vs. placebo
      administration, each with 60 subjects) will be employed in the current study. 35 minutes
      after treatment subjects will be applied two different types of pleasant touch (social
      massage vs. caress-like stroking) to their calf. After each applied touch stimulation
      session, the subjects will be asked to rate their subjective experience of the touch
      including the perceived pleasantness, arousal, intensity and payment. The neural basis of
      touch processing will be measured via simultaneously acquired fNIRS together with skin
      conductance responses and the electrocardiogram recording. Blood samples will be taken before
      and after the treatment as well as after each run session to measure plasma oxytocin levels
      to explore the associations with primary outcome measure (the behavioral and neural measures
      of touch processing). Mixed-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) with treatment as
      between-subject factor and condition as within-subject factor will be used to investigate
      oxytocin effects on social touch processing.

      To control potential confounding effects across groups, before the experiment all
      participants will be asked to complete a range of Chinese versions of validated
      questionnaires on personality, traits, attitude towards interpersonal touch and sensitivity
      to reward: Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI), State-Trait
      Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (CBSS), the Adult Attachment Scale
      (AAS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), social touch questionnaire (STQ),
      Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), Sensory
      Over-Responsivity (SensOR) Scales and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (C-IRI). And
      associations between questionnaire scores (especially the ASQ and STQ scores) with primary
      outcome measure will be explored to investigate modulatory effects of autistic traits.
      Additionally, to control for potential confounding effects of treatment on mood across the
      experiment, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) will be administered
      immediately before and 30 minutes after the treatment. Participants will also complete the
      PANAS after each type of touch condition to further measure the modulatory effects of
      stroking touch and massage on mood.
    

Intervention name(s): Intranasal oxytocin; Oral oxytocin; Placebo
Intervention type(s): Drug; Drug; Drug
Intervention description(s): Each subject will be assigned to administration of oxytocin intranasal spray (24 IU).; Each subject will be assigned to administration of oxytocin lingual spray (24 IU).; An identical amount of intranasal administration of placebo (identical ingredients except the peptide - i.e. glycerine and sodium chloride) will be assigned to each subject.
Other intervention name(s): Oxytocin intranasal spray; Oxytocin lingual spray; PLC
Intervention MeSH terms: Oxytocin
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized placebo-controlled double-blind mixed experimental design
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: Oxytocin; Social touch; fNIRS