Clinical trial NCT03278860: The Effects of Oxytocin on Social Touch
Official title: The Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Social Touch: an fMRI-based Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy
Keywords: Oxytocin
social touch
Lead sponsor: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-09-12
Enrollment: 50
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 30
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Intervention model description: Randomized placebo-controlled double-blind within-subject design
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The main aim of the study is to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24IU) can enhance hedonic experience and associated brain-reward reward responses to social touch.

Detailed description: A double-blind, within-subject, placebo controlled design is employed in this study. In total 50 healthy male subjects will be recruited and they will come twice, once with the administration of oxytocin nasal spray and the other placebo (interval time is more than 2 weeks). 45 minutes after treatment subjects will be applied two different types of pleasant touch: social touch from a masseur (professional therapist) and non-social touch from a massage device. After each condition the subjects will be asked to rate pleasantness, likability, and arousal. Simultaneously functional brain activity will be acquired via fMRI. Blood samples will be taken before and after the intervention to assess oxytocin levels. All subjects were asked to complete a range of questionnaires measuring trait personality and mood: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (CBSS),Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ), Empathy Quotient (EQ), NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS),Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scale (BISBAS),Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ),State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Social Touch Questionnaire (STQ), Sensory over Responsivity Scale (SOR) and Under Responsivity Scale (URS) one day before the first scanning. On the first and second scanning day, the subjects were asked to complete Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) before and after treatment administration.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy subjects without any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of brain injury
* Medical or mental illness

Primary outcomes:
measure: Neural indices: fMRI-based measures of interoceptive and reward processing
timeFrame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Behavioral index: pleasantness experience
timeFrame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
measure: Behavioral index: likability experience
timeFrame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
measure: Behavioral index: arousal experience
timeFrame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Chengdu
country: China
facility: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China(UESTC)
state: Sichuan
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
name: Qin Li, MA
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Chen Y, Li Q, Zhang Q, Kou J, Zhang Y, Cui H, Wernicke J, Montag C, Becker B, Kendrick KM, Yao S. The Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Neural and Behavioral Responses to Social Touch in the Form of Massage. Front Neurosci. 2020 Dec 4;14:589878. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.589878. eCollection 2020.