Oxytocin and Social Behavior Over the Lifespan

February 29, 2012 updated by: Paul J. Zak, Claremont Graduate University

Oxytocin and Social Behavior Over the Lifespan: Interventional Study

This study will investigate if intranasal oxytocin (a hormone naturally produced in the body) promotes motivation for, and engagement in, social activities in older adults.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Using a double-blind and placebo controlled design, this study seeks to determine if a short course of exogenous oxytocin (OT) will induce changes in social activities in residentially housed older adults (OAs) during a 10-day treatment period, and after it ends. Because OT is associated with peri-reproductive behaviors, OT release in OAs is expected to be attenuated relative to younger adults. If OT release is low in OAs as we hypothesize, augmenting OT may increase their desire for social interactions, increase the frequency of participation in social activities and augment the number of and quality of social ties, thereby providing protection against disease, early death, cognitive decline, and depression. Research in rodents suggests that social interactions themselves may change chronic OT levels (Carter & Keverne, 2002; Carter & Altemus, 1997), in a positive feedback loop. In order to demonstrate OT as the causal mechanism, we propose to infuse oxytocin and then track the desire for, quantity of, and quality of social activities.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

41

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Loma Linda, California, United States, 92354-3135
        • Linda Valley Villa

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

Ages Eligible for Study

50 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • residentially housed
  • English fluency

Exclusion Criteria:

  • non ambulatory
  • severe psychiatric problems presently or in the recent past
  • severe medical problems (e.g., cancer, diabetes, advanced heart disease)
  • irregular heart beat
  • treatment using psychoactive medications (other than antiepileptics, mood stabilizers, or Ambien)
  • inability to adequately communicate with the research team
  • treatment with an experimental drug
  • excessive fatigue suggesting hypothyroidism

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: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: oxytocin
Drug: oxytocin (Pitocin)
40 IU OT intranasally (IN) once-daily for 10 consecutive days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
confirm increased social activities in treatment condition compared to control condition via self-report.
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Evidence of greater psychological health for treatment condition as compared to control condition.
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Claremont Graduate University

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

February 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 4, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 4, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

June 5, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 2, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 29, 2012

Last Verified

February 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CNS-R21AG029871
  • NIH Grant 1R21AG029871-01A2

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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