Intranasal Oxytocin and Enhancement of Team Cohesion

Psychobiological Assessment and Enhancement of Team Cohesion and Psychological Resilience Using a Virtual Team Cohesion Test.

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02302430

Acronym

ECHO

Enrollment

486

Registered

2014-11-27

Start date

2015-10-31

Completion date

2019-05-31

Last updated

2019-08-05

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

Conditions

Unit Cohesion

Keywords

Cohesion, Oxytocin, Trust, Virtual-reality

Brief summary

This study attempts to identify the psychological, behavioral, physiological, and hormonal predictors and mechanisms of an individual's ability to develop cohesion in a group working together as a team; and examine if administration of the prosocial neuropeptide oxytocin enhances the development of team cohesion. Through a deeper understanding of the underlying psychobiological predictors and mechanisms of team cohesion, the prospective identification of individuals whose unique characteristics promote or inhibit the development of group cohesion will become possible.

Detailed description

The investigators will study up to one thousand subjects who will be randomized into same-gendered teams of three or volunteer as acquainted groups of three . Teams will be randomized to receive oxytocin or placebo. The investigators will first measure baseline personality traits including prosocial orientation. Cohesion will then be measured using a cooperative, virtual unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying mission. All online behavior will be recorded within the task and all offline, real world, behavior will be video recorded throughout the study by digital cameras for later behavioral coding. To measure biobehavioral synchrony, autonomic physiology will be recorded and saliva samples will be taken throughout behavioral testing.

Interventions

DRUGOxytocin

20 International Units Intranasal Oxytocin

OTHERPlacebo comparator

Saline nasal spray

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

OTHER

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Intervention model description

SOLO arm and ECHO arm -- Acquainted, Unacquainted

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 28 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18-28 * Speak English * Ability to use a nasal spray

Exclusion criteria

* Positive urine pregnancy test * History of psychiatric or neurologic disorder * Use of illicit drugs in the past month * History of moderate-severe alcohol use disorder as defined by DSM-V criteria * Sensitivity to preservatives (in particular E 216, E 218 and chlorobutanol hemihydrate) * Nasal obstruction, discharge, or bleeding * Habitually drinks large volumes of water * Taking testosterone, estrogen/progesterone supplement, or serotonin-1a receptor agonists/antagonists * Currently meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-V) criteria for severe major depressive disorder with suicidal thoughts or actions

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in score on computer game task	Baseline, 2 hours after drug/placebo administration	Subjects will work together in groups of 2-4 performing a computer-based task flying a virtual plane.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change is psychophysiological output	Time based variability analyzed for 5 minute or 20 minute events	Cardiac measures (HRV, Impedance) collected during computer based and group activities

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

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