Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
amygdala, reward, oxytocin, dose, emotion processing, sex differences
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether effects of intranasal oxytocin on amygdala and reward system responses vary as a function of treatment dose in women in comparison to men.
Detailed description
The objective of the present study is to determine whether intranasal oxytocin (IN-OXT) effects on blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI) in the amygdala and striatal regions (putamen, nucleus accumbens, caudate, pallidum) vary as a function of dose. In particular, the investigators plan to compare effects of three different IN-OXT doses (6, 12, and 24 international units, IU) on established neural and behavioural correlates of emotion processing in women. Results will be discussed in comparison to a previous study of OXT kinetics in men.
Interventions
DRUGOxytocin nasal spray
Intranasal administration, 6, 12, or 24 international units (IU) oxytocin.
DRUGPlacebo
The placebo nasal sprays contain identical ingredients except for the peptide itself.
Sponsors
University Hospital, Bonn
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Healthy female volunteers * Right-handed * Non-smoker
Exclusion criteria
* Current psychiatric or physical illness * Hormonal contraception * Psychoactive medication * MRI contraindication (e.g. metal in body, claustrophobia) * Pregnancy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neural substrates of emotion processing, measured via blood-oxygen-level dependent signal in the amygdala | 45 min after nasal spray administration | Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be performed to measure blood-oxygen-level dependent signal in response to emotional face stimuli. The investigators specifically plan to investigate amygdala responses to emotional faces, because previous studies found sex-specific effects of oxytocin on amygdala activation. |
| Neural substrates of emotion processing, measured via blood-oxygen-level dependent signal in striatal regions (putamen, nucleus accumbens, caudate, pallidum) | 45 min after nasal spray administration | Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be performed to measure blood-oxygen-level dependent signal in response to emotional face stimuli. The investigators specifically plan to investigate striatal responses to emotional faces to explore sex-specific effects of OXT on reward-related brain activation. |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed