Oxytocin Effects on Food Motivation Pathways

Status

Completed

Phases

Early Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02276677

Enrollment

Registered

2014-10-28

Start date

2014-10-31

Completion date

2015-05-31

Last updated

2019-04-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Overweight and Obesity

Brief summary

Oxytocin is a peptide hormone produced in the brain that regulates food intake. However, the mechanisms for this effect in humans is not yet clear. In this study, the investigators will therefore examine the effect of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (compared to placebo) on levels of appetite-regulating hormones and functional magnetic resonance imaging activation of areas of the brain involved in food motivation.

Interventions

DRUGOxytocin

Single dose, intranasal

DRUGPlacebo

Single dose, intranasal

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

OTHER

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

18 Years to 45 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18-45 years old * BMI 25-40 * Regular breakfast eater (at least 4 times per week) * Stable weight within the past three months

Exclusion criteria

* Psychiatric disease, use of psychotropic medications * History of eating disorder * History of excessive exercise within the last three months (having run more that 25 miles in any one week or having exercised more than ten hours in any one week) * History of diabetes mellitus * Active substance abuse * Hematocrit lower than the normal range * Gastrointestinal tract surgery (including gastrectomy, gastric bypass surgery, and small or large bowel resection) * History of cardiovascular disease (such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, coronary heart disease, or coronary artery spasms) * Untreated thyroid disease * Tobacco use * Cardiac pacemaker, surgical aneurysm clips, neurostimulator, implanted pumps, metal fragments in body/eyes, nitroglycerin patch, severe claustrophobia

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Change in functional magnetic resonance imaging activation of food motivation brain regions	Functional magnetic resonance imaging at T60 min after oxytocin/placebo

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Change in hormone levels (cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide-1)	Blood draws at T0, T30, T60, T120 min after oxytocin/placebo

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026