The Influence of Intranasal Oxytocin on Communication

This study investigates whether oxytocin, a neuropeptide known for its role in social bonding, influences the outcomes of persuasive communications and several primary evolutionary goals. Participants will be given either oxytocin or placebo on their first visit and then they will receive the other spray during their second visit. At each visit, participants will engage in several psychosocial tasks to assess the role of oxytocin on receptiveness to opposing opinions, navigating the spatial environment, mating and parenting goals. Participants' attitudes and behaviours will be compared across the different conditions.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Oxytocin; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone, commonly known for its role in social approach, bonding, and trust. The present study is designed to investigate whether and how oxytocin may affect communication outcomes--specifically, by influencing trust of people presenting opinions that participants disagree with.

Healthy adult volunteers will intranasally administer 24 IU of oxytocin at one visit and placebo (saline) solution at another visit. Participants will then view photos of speakers presenting opinions on various socio-political issues which the participants disagree with. Participants will complete questions about their psychological reactions (e.g., anger, receptiveness) to the opinions presented. After reporting on their receptiveness to the opposing opinions, participants will begin the attentional tasks. In the attentional tasks, participants will be seated in front of a computer while an eyetracker records their eye movements and attentional gaze. First, participants will view two images presented simultaneously at either ends of the computer screen; each image pair will depict a a) baby and a food, b) baby and an attractive opposite sex target, or c) food and an attractive opposite sex target. Next, participants will view a series of images exclusively depicting one attractive opposite-sex target at a time; attentional bias away from faces and towards bodies (indicative of short-term mating interest; Bolmont, Cacioppo, & Cacioppo, 2014) will be tracked. After each photograph has been viewed for a fixed duration, the participant will answer a question assessing their likelihood of engaging in a one-night stand with the person pictured. After this second part of the task, we will gather saliva samples via passive drool collection. These samples will be later assayed for testosterone. Next participants will complete a measure of visual attention in which they will identify target stimuli (e.g. letters) on a computer screen via keyboard press.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T1Z4
      • Kenny Psychology Building

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy adult volunteers

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently have a diagnosed mental illness or are in psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment.
• Are taking endocrinologically or psychoactive drugs (e.g. psychotropic drugs such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, sedatives, or sleeping pills)
• Are taking anti-hypertensive drugs or drugs with QTc prolongation
• Abuse drugs or alcohol
• Suffer from any significant medical illness, such as heart disease/cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, endocrinological disorders, or neurological disorders.
• Are not found to be physically healthy after a required prescreen questionnaire created by a doctor
• Allergic to preservatives (e.g. paragons) found in nasal sprays
• Pregnant/breastfeeding
• Are currently involved in other clinical studies in which drugs are administered.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental; These participants will receive 24 international units (IU) of oxytocin via a nasal spray.	Drug: Oxytocin; Participants will be randomly assigned to intra-nasally administer either oxytocin or a placebo on their first visit and then they will receive the other spray during their second visit.; Other Names: Syntocinon
Placebo Comparator: Control - Placebo; These participants will receive 24 international units (IU) of a saline solution via a nasal spray.	Drug: Placebo; Participants will be randomly assigned to intra-nasally administer either oxytocin or a placebo on their first visit and then they will receive the other spray during their second visit.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Communication Outcomes	Participants will answer a series of questions regarding their reactions (e.g., anger, receptiveness) to the speakers and the opinions presented in the photos. It is expected that when participants receive oxytocin they will be more receptive to opposing opinions compared to when they receive the placebo. Participants may also have differing levels of receptiveness depending on whether the person expressing the opinion comes from their ingroup or outgroup.	60-90 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Appetite	We predict that when participants receive oxytocin they will spend less time looking at photos of food compared to when they receive the placebo.	60-90 minutes
Short vs. Long-Term mating orientation	When participants receive oxytocin they will spend more time looking at human infants, less time looking at attractive opposite sex others (especially the bodies of those opposite sex others; additionally, they will exhibit lower testosterone reactivity to images of attractive opposite sex targets and report weaker desires to engage in short-term romantic relationships in general.	60-90 minutes
Peripheral narrowing of attention	When participants receive oxytocin they will exhibit less peripheral narrowing on a computerized visual attention task compared to when they receive a placebo.	60-90 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Collaborators: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Frances Chen, PhD, University of British Columbia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 6, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 12, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): December 12, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 31, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): April 14, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2019
• Last Verified: April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Investigating oxytocin's effects; human communication
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Reproductive Control Agents; Oxytocics; Oxytocin
• Other Study ID Numbers: H14-02448

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