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Can Oxytocin Enhance the Placebo Effect?

Can Oxytocin Enhance the Placebo Effect?

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02745522
Enrollment
224
Registered
2016-04-20
Start date
2015-12-31
Completion date
2017-08-31
Last updated
2018-10-15

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

Conditions

Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 1, Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 2, Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 3, Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 4

Keywords

Placebo effect, Working memory

Brief summary

The current study aimed to investigate whether oxytocin (OXT) had effect on placebo effect.

Detailed description

The current study included three phases to investigate oxytocin effect on placebo effect: 1. In a double-blind, between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 66 healthy male subjects using working memory task. 2. In a single-blind(subjects were informed that the treatment was oxytocin), between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 53 healthy male subjects using working memory task.They were informed that oxytocin would increase memory perfomance by a female experimenter. 3. In a single-blind(subjects were informed that the treatment was oxytocin), between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 53 healthy male subjects using working memory task. But the subjects were told that oxytocin would decrease the performance by the same female experimenter. 4. In a single-blind(subjects were informed that the treatment was oxytocin), between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 52 healthy male subjects using working memory task. The subjects were told that oxytocin would increase the performance by a male experimenter. Memory performance was included as dependant factor. All subjects completed a range of questionnaires measuring personality and affective traits and levels of anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Interpersonal Trust Scale(ITS).

Interventions

DRUGOxytocin
DRUGPlacebo

Sponsors

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorder

Exclusion criteria

* history of head injury; * claustrophobia; * medical or psychiatric illness.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Memory performance in different phases1 hourN-back memory performance (accuracy) was included into analysis.

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

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