Effect of Oxytocin Nasal Inhalation on Empathy Analgesia

January 30, 2024 updated by: Yi Feng, MD, Peking University People's Hospital

Effects of Oxytocin Nasal Inhalation and Social Familiarity on Empathy Analgesia: a Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial

This study recruited healthy volunteers and randomly divided them into four groups. They inhaled oxytocin or saline, and watched a pain test video with photos of acquaintances or strangers, respectively, to test whether their feelings of the same thermal pain stimulus had changed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Beijing
      • Beijing, Beijing, China, 100044
        • Peking University People's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy volunteers

Exclusion Criteria:

  • During pregnancy;
  • Have participated in any research related to pain;
  • Sleep disorders;
  • Used alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, or other psychoactive substances within 24 hours before the test;
  • Experienced intense pain requiring medical analgesia within three months prior to the trial;
  • Taking any medication, including over the counter medication;
  • Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs;
  • A history of any respiratory, circulatory, neurological, musculoskeletal, and/or mental illness;
  • Current symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. (See quantitative sensor testing for specific standards)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: OS group
Half an hour after the volunteers inhaled 24 units of oxytocin spray, they watched the pre recorded video (attached with pictures and introductions of strangers) and underwent a pain test.
Drug: Oxytocin nasal spray
Volunteers inhale 24 units of oxytocin spray
Behavioral: Stranger
Volunteers watch a video of a pain test and attach a photo of a stranger
Placebo Comparator: PS group
Half an hour after the volunteers inhaled the same amount of saline spray, they watched the pre recorded video (with pictures and introductions of strangers attached) and received a pain test.
Behavioral: Stranger
Volunteers watch a video of a pain test and attach a photo of a stranger
Drug: Placebo
Volunteers inhale 24 units of placebo spray
Experimental: OA group
Half an hour after the volunteers inhaled 24 units of oxytocin spray, they watched the pre recorded video (attached with pictures and introductions of acquaintances) and underwent a pain test.
Drug: Oxytocin nasal spray
Volunteers inhale 24 units of oxytocin spray
Behavioral: Acquaintance
Volunteers watch a video of a pain test and attach a photo of an acquaintance
Placebo Comparator: PA group
Half an hour after the volunteers received the same dose of saline, they watched the pre recorded video (attached with pictures and introductions of acquaintances) and received the pain test.
Drug: Placebo
Volunteers inhale 24 units of placebo spray
Behavioral: Acquaintance
Volunteers watch a video of a pain test and attach a photo of an acquaintance

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
NRS score
Time Frame: Half an hour after inhaling spray
numerical rating scale of pain， ranging from 0 = "no pain" to 10 = "the most intense pain that is tolerable".
Half an hour after inhaling spray

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brief Profile Of Mood States
Time Frame: about 3 hours
Brief Profile Of Mood States is a 30 item self-report psychological instrument intended for use with adults age 18 and above. Response format consisted of the following 5-point Likert scales: 0：not at all; 1：a little; 2：moderately; 3：quite a bit; and 4：extremely.
about 3 hours
Beck Depression Inventory
Time Frame: about 3 hours
Beck Depression Inventory
about 3 hours
WLEIS-C
Time Frame: about 3 hours
The English version of the scale was developed by Wong and Law and used as an evaluation tool for emotional intelligence level surveys, the Chinese version of emotional intelligence level consists of 16 items scale (WLEIS-C) , including self-emotional perception (4 items), others' emotional perception (4 items), emotional control (4 items), emotional use (4 items) 4 Dimensions, a total of 16 items. Using Likert 7-level scoring method, '0' stands for 'very disagree' and '6' stands for 'very agree'. The higher the score, the higher the emotional intelligence level.
about 3 hours
STAI
Time Frame: about 3 hours
state-trait anxiety inventory
about 3 hours
BES-C
Time Frame: about 3 hours
Chinese version of Basic Empathy Scale.The scale was divided into two dimensions: emotional empathy, which comprised 11 items, and cognitive empathy, which comprised nine items, yielding a total of 20 items (including eight reverse-scoring items). A five-point Likert scale was used, where 1 = "completely disagree" and 5 = "completely agree." A high score indicated strong empathy.
about 3 hours
The Positive and Negative Affect Scale
Time Frame: about 3 hours
is a 20 item self-report psychological instrument，contains 10 items for positive and 10 items for negative emotions. All the items are rated on a scale ranging from 1 ("very slightly or not at all") to 5 ("extremely").
about 3 hours
NRS score
Time Frame: about 3 hours
numerical rating scale of pain， ranging from 0 = "no pain" to 10 = "the most intense pain that is tolerable".
about 3 hours
EEG
Time Frame: about 3 hours
Frequency of electroencephalogram
about 3 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Peking University People's Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 3, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 21, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 21, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 28, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 8, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 1, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 30, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2022PHD012-001

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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