Clinical trial NCT04746027: Empathy, Psychopathy and Autism: Behavioural Associations and the Role of an Oxytocin Receptor Polymorphism in a Non-clinical Adult Population
Official title: Empathy, Psychopathy and Autism: Behavioural Associations and the Role of an Oxytocin Receptor Polymorphism in a Non-clinical Population
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Empathy
Autism
Psychopathy
Keywords: psychology
biopsychology
genetics
Lead sponsor: St Mary's University College
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-02-09
Enrollment: 126
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The study population is intended to be representative of the general population. Participants must be over 18 years of age, proficient in English comprehension and no current or previous diagnosis of psychopathy, autism or related conditions. Recruitment will not be excluded based on on ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

For the analysis of the behavioural traits investigated, 128 participants (58 male, 70 female) between the ages of 19 and 68 years (median age = 26) were included in the final analysis. For the genetic aspect of the study, 96 participants (40 male, 56 female) between the ages of 19 and 68 years (median age = 26) were included in the final analysis.

Brief summary: This is an investigation into the associations between psychopathic traits, autistic traits and empathy (cognitive and affective) in the general population as measured using three self report questionnaires and one behavioural task. Participants will also be genotyped for OXTR rs53576 to assess whether this mutation associates with any of the behavioural traits investigated.

Detailed description: In clinical populations with psychopathy or autism, associations with different forms of empathy have been found. An increase in autistic traits has been found to be associated with a decrease in cognitive empathy traits but no difference in affective empathy traits, while an increase in psychopathic traits has been found to be associated with a decrease in both cognitive and affective empathy traits. The current investigation is to establish whether this previously observed relationship between cognitive empathy, affective empathy, psychopathic traits and autistic traits found in clinical populations is also found in a non-clinical population. This will be assessed by three self report questionnaires and one behavioural task (as described in 'Outcome Measures'). This investigation will also assess the potential link between of all of the traits measured and a specific SNP on the Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR rs53576) to establish whether this mutation is associated with any of these behaviours.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* At least 18 years of age at time of participation
* Proficient English reading comprehension

Exclusion Criteria:

* Current or previous diagnosis of a psychopathy, autism or related conditions.
* Not proficient in English reading comprehension

Primary outcomes:
measure: 31-item Questionnaire for Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE)
timeFrame: 20 minutes
measure: 36-item 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' behavioural task (RMET)
timeFrame: 20 minutes
measure: 26-item Levenson's Self-Report for Psychopathy (LSRP)
timeFrame: 20 minutes
measure: 50-item Autism Quotient (AQ)
timeFrame: 20 minutes
measure: OXTR rs53576 genotype
timeFrame: 3 days
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: London
country: United Kingdom
facility: St Mary's University
Study officials:
affiliation: St. Mary's University, Twickenham
name: Yiannis Mavrommatis, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: St Marys University
name: Kate Lawrence, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: