Influence of Oxytocin on Resting State Neurophysiological Measures

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03255148

Enrollment

Registered

2017-08-21

Start date

2017-07-24

Completion date

2018-05-18

Last updated

2019-08-01

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

Conditions

Oxytocin

Keywords

resting state, EEG, skin conductance, heart rate, oxytocin

Brief summary

In this study, the investigators will explore the influence of oxytocin administration on several neurophysiological responses (EEG, skin conductance and heart rate) during rest.

Detailed description

Oxytocin is known to influence several neurophysiological measures, such as heart rate, EEG and skin conductance during specific tasks (e.g., emotion recognition, fear learning and extinction). However, not much is known about the influence of oxytocin on those measures during rest. Therefore, in this randomized, placebo controlled, double blinded study, the investigators will investigate the influence of oxytocin during a resting period of 5 minutes. Heart rate, skin conductance, respiration and EEG will be measured before and after oxytocin or placebo administration. The investigators expect that oxytocin will increase the heart rate variability and decrease the skin conductance levels. Exploratory, the investigators will conduct a cross-frequency analysis of band power and asses the relationship between distinct indexes of sympathetic / parasympathetic balance. Please note that this study is part of a larger study in which the investigators also asses the influence of oxytocin on neurophysiological responses elicited by direct gaze

Interventions

DRUGOxytocin

Syntocinon nasal spray

DRUGPlacebo

Placebo nasal spray

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

18 Years to 38 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* right-handed * male * age between 18 and 35 * Normal or adjusted-to-normal vision (with lenses only) * Dutch as mother tongue

Exclusion criteria

* not right-handed * female * age below 18 or above 35 * Need to wear glasses * Dutch not as mother tongue

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in heart rate variability after oxytocin administration	Assessment over 5 minutes, before and after oxytocin or placebo administration	The influence of oxytocin administration on heart rate variability

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in skin conductance level after oxytocin administration	Assessment over 5 minutes, before and after oxytocin or placebo administration	The influence of oxytocin administration on skin conductance level

Countries

Belgium

Outcome results

None listed

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