Oxytocin's Effects on Emotional Processing and Its Acting Routes

February 20, 2026 updated by: Shuxia Yao, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

The Modulatory Effects of Oxytocin on Emotional Processing and Its Acting Routes

The main goal of this study is to investigate the modulatory effects of intranasally administrated oxytocin on the processing of emotional stimuli and its acting routes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

In recent years ample studies have reported that intranasally administered oxytocin (OT) can facilitate social motivation and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. However, it is still unclear how effects are mediated since intranasally administered OT can both directly enter the brain (nose to brain) and increase peripheral vascular concentrations (nose to blood). The relative functional contributions of these routes are not established and have received insufficient attention in the field. Therefore, the investigators use the vasoconstrictor (VC) pretreatment to prevent intranasal OT (24 IU) from increasing peripheral concentrations and combine fMRI, behavioral measures, with physiological recording to examine the modulatory effects of OT on implicit emotional processing and its acting routes. In total 120 male participants are recruited for this double-blind, between-subject, placebo-controlled study. After arriving at the laboratory, participants first completed questionnaires for about 30 minutes, and were then randomly assigned into 3 groups receiving intranasal administration of "VC + OT", "placebo (PLC) + OT", or "VC + PLC". Then, they complete a resting-state scan and two task-based scans lasting approximately 65 minutes in total. There is a sencond resting-state scan between two task-based scans, which is mainly used as a break between the two tasks. Blood samples are collected twice (after finishing questionnaires and 30 minutes post-treatment) for subsequent analyses of plasma OT concentrations. The two task-based scans consist of an implicit face-emotion processing task (gender judgments of faces) and an emotional scene processing task (judging whether a child/old people/building/dog is present in the picture). After scanning, there is a 40-minute picture rating task (emotional valence, intensity, and arousal). Questionnaires include State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory II, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Autism Spectrum Quotient, Social Responsiveness Scale-2, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.

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 (Estimated)

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.
  • Not Applicable

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
    • Sichuan
      • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 611731
        • Recruiting
        • University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC)

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 subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of head injury.
  • Medical or psychiatric illness.
  • Subjects take a certain drug for a long period of time.
  • Subjects have metal implants in their bodies.

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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.
Experimental: Placebo and oxytocin group
Subjects receive placebo of vasoconstrictor and oxytocin treatment
Drug: placebo (compared to vasoconstrictor)
intranasal administration of placebo (4 sprays of 0.9% saline and glycerin)
Drug: oxytocin
intranasal administration of oxytocin (24IU)
Experimental: Vasoconstrictor and oxytocin group
Subjects receive vasoconstrictor and oxytocin treatment
Drug: oxytocin
intranasal administration of oxytocin (24IU)
Drug: vasoconstrictor (Otrivin)
intranasal administration of vasoconstrictor (4 sprays of 0.9% Otrivin)
Placebo Comparator: Vasoconstrictor and placebo group
Subjects receive vasoconstrictor and placebo of oxytocin treatment
Drug: vasoconstrictor (Otrivin)
intranasal administration of vasoconstrictor (4 sprays of 0.9% Otrivin)
Drug: placebo (compared to oxytocin)
intranasal administration of placebo (24 IU)

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
Brain activity in response to emotional stimuli during task-based fMRI scanning
Time Frame: 1 hour
Subjects receive task fMRI scanning after treatment. The investigators will compare the activation differences in the brain, specifically focusing on the amygdala, among three groups.
1 hour
Changes in plasma oxytocin concentrations
Time Frame: After finishing questionnaires and 30-minute post-treatment
Blood samples will be collected two times, with one sample collected after finishing questionnaires and the other one 30-minute post-treatment.
After finishing questionnaires and 30-minute post-treatment

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
The valence rating in response to different emotional stimuli
Time Frame: 40 minutes
The valence rating scores (1~9) were collected in response to neutral, positive or negative emotional pictures. The higher the score (5~9), the more positive the participants consider the picture to be; the lower the score (1~5), the more negative the participants consider the picture to be. The rating scores will be collected after fMRI scanning.
40 minutes
The intensity rating in response to different emotional stimuli
Time Frame: 40 minutes
The intensity rating scores (1~9) were collected in response to neutral, positive or negative emotional pictures. The higher the score, the stronger the intensity level. The rating scores will be collected after fMRI scanning.
40 minutes
The arousal rating in response to different emotional stimuli
Time Frame: 40 minutes
The arousal rating scores (1~9) were collected in response to neutral, positive or negative emotional pictures. The higher the score, the stronger the arousal level. The rating scores will be collected after fMRI scanning.
40 minutes
Resting-state fMRI
Time Frame: 17 minutes in total with each lasting around 8.5 minutes.
Subjects receive resting-state fMRI scanning before and after first task, with the sencond resting-state scan being mainly used as a break between the two tasks. The investigators will compare the resting-state functional connectivity (the amygdala as the seed region) among three groups.
17 minutes in total with each lasting around 8.5 minutes.

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.
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Shuxia Yao, Dr, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

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.
January 24, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
April 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
April 15, 2026

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).
January 28, 2026

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.
February 20, 2026

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.
February 23, 2026

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 23, 2026

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.
February 20, 2026

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.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • UESTC-neuSCAN-106

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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