The Effects of Oxytocin on Social Touch

October 26, 2018 updated by: Keith Kendrick, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

The Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Social Touch: an fMRI-based Study

The main aim of the study is to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24IU) can enhance hedonic experience and associated brain-reward reward responses to social touch.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A double-blind, within-subject, placebo controlled design is employed in this study. In total 50 healthy male subjects will be recruited and they will come twice, once with the administration of oxytocin nasal spray and the other placebo (interval time is more than 2 weeks). 45 minutes after treatment subjects will be applied two different types of pleasant touch: social touch from a masseur (professional therapist) and non-social touch from a massage device. After each condition the subjects will be asked to rate pleasantness, likability, and arousal. Simultaneously functional brain activity will be acquired via fMRI. Blood samples will be taken before and after the intervention to assess oxytocin levels. All subjects were asked to complete a range of questionnaires measuring trait personality and mood: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (CBSS),Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ), Empathy Quotient (EQ), NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS),Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scale (BISBAS),Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ),State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Social Touch Questionnaire (STQ), Sensory over Responsivity Scale (SOR) and Under Responsivity Scale (URS) one day before the first scanning. On the first and second scanning day, the subjects were asked to complete Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) before and after treatment administration.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

50

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • China
    • Sichuan
      • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 611731
        • Recruiting
        • University of Electronic Science and Technology of China(UESTC)
        • Contact:
          • Qin Li, MA

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

18 years to 30 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy subjects without any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of brain injury
  • Medical or mental illness

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: CROSSOVER
  • Masking: TRIPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Oxytocin then placebo
Participants first received oxytocin (24 IU). After a washout period of 2 weeks, they then received placebo (24 IU).
Drug: intranasal oxytocin
24 IU of oxytocin nasal spray will be applied to each subject.
Drug: intranasal placebo
an identical amount of placebo nasal spray will be applied to each subject.
EXPERIMENTAL: Placebo then oxytocin
Participants first received placebo (24 IU). After a washout period of 2 weeks, they then received oxytocin (24 IU).
Drug: intranasal oxytocin
24 IU of oxytocin nasal spray will be applied to each subject.
Drug: intranasal placebo
an identical amount of placebo nasal spray will be applied to each subject.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neural indices: fMRI-based measures of interoceptive and reward processing
Time Frame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
fMRI-based measures of social and non-social touch-related brain activity
45-90 minutes after treatment administration

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Behavioral index: pleasantness experience
Time Frame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Ratings for pleasantness during the application of social and non-social touch
45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Behavioral index: likability experience
Time Frame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Ratings for likability during the application of social and non-social touch
45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Behavioral index: arousal experience
Time Frame: 45-90 minutes after treatment administration
Ratings for arousal during the application of social and non-social touch
45-90 minutes after treatment administration

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Qin Li, MA, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

August 28, 2017

Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED)

August 1, 2019

Study Completion (ANTICIPATED)

October 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 6, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2017

First Posted (ACTUAL)

September 12, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

October 29, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 26, 2018

Last Verified

October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UESTC-neuSCAN-39

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.

Clinical Trials on Healthy

Clinical Trials on intranasal oxytocin

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Morocco

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe