The Modulatory Effect of Oxytocin on Interoception

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is designed to investigate oxytocin's effects on interoception and whether these effects vary as a function of different emotional valence.

Detailed Description
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The present study will use a double-blind, between-subject, placebo-controlled design to investigate the modulatory effect of oxytocin on interoception and whether this effect will vary as a function of emotional valence. In Experiment 1, subjects will perform a heartbeat detection task and the group differences between oxytocin and placebo groups of the interoceptive accuracy and neural activity in the core interoceptive network will be investigated. In Experiment 2, subjects will be asked to watch emotional faces while perform the heartbeat detection task. Investigators will examine whether oxytocin's effects on interoception will be varied as a function of different emotional valence.

Official Title
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The Modulatory Effect of Oxytocin on Interoception

Conditions
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Interoception

Intervention / Treatment
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* Drug: oxytocin
* Drug: placebo


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Healthy subjects Exclusion Criteria: Subjects reported having any neurological problems, psychiatric illness or drug or alcohol abuse and none were currently taking any form of medication and had not drunk any caffeine-containing beverages on the day of the experiment.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 35 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: oxytocin<br>intranasal administration of oxytocin | Drug: oxytocin<br>* self-administration of oxytocin (nasal spray)<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: placebo<br>intranasal administration of the same ingredient except oxytocin | Drug: placebo<br>* self-administration of placebo (nasal spray)<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Heartbeat Detection (Interoception) Accuracy | heartbeat detection (interoception) accuracy is calculated by the following equation: 1/N ∑ (1 - (|recorded heartbeats - counted heartbeats|)/recorded heartbeats). N was the number of blocks for the heartbeat detection task. | 45 minutes after oxytocin/placebo treatment | 
| Interoceptive Network Activity | interoceptive network (including anterior insula and dorsal cingulate cortex) activity as measured by the functional MRI technique in the heartbeat detection task. In the heartbeat detection task participants were instructed to make a keypress each time they felt their heartbeat. The interoceptive network activity was indicated by the percentage of BOLD signal change. The value of the percentage of BOLD signal change indicates the level of a certain brain region activated (the involvement of a brain region in a specific cognitive process). | 45 minutes after oxytocin/placebo treatment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Oxytocin