Oxytocin Effect on Attentional Bias Towards Emotional Expression Faces in Individuals With High and Low Autistic Traits: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study

Early Phase 1

• Conditions: Healthy
• Interventions: Behavioral: screen low autistic subjects; Behavioral: screen high autistic subjects; Drug: placebo; Drug: oxytocin

• Registration Number: NCT02741063
• Lead Sponsor: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Brief Summary

to investigate whether oxytocin alter attentional bias towards emotional expression faces in individuals with high and low autistic traits, and the brain mechanism of this effect

Detailed Description

In the present study, investigator plan to use a double-blind, between-subject placebo controlled design.Firstly, all healthy male subjects' autistic trait levels will be assessed by the Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ) and only subjects with higher or lower ASQ score will be recruited in the next experiment and divided into high and low subgroup. Then, subjects are randomly assigned to receive either intranasal administration of oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo. 45 min later, subject need to complete an attentional bias task named rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task in fMRI scanner.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2016-03-30
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-04-12
• Study First Posted: 2016-04-18
• Study Start: 2016-05
• Status Verified: 2018-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-10-26
• Last Update Posted: 2018-10-29
• Primary Completion: 2019-06
• Study Completion: 2019-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 120

Inclusion Criteria

• healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion Criteria

• history of head injury;
• claustrophobia;
• medical or psychiatric illness.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
low autistic and oxytocin group	screen low autistic subjects	subject with low ASQ scores will receive oxytocin treatment
high autistic and placebo group	placebo	subject with high ASQ scores will receive placebo treatment
high autistic and oxytocin group	screen high autistic subjects	subject with high ASQ scores will receive oxytocin treatment
low autistic and placebo group	screen low autistic subjects	subject with low ASQ scores will receive placebo treatment
low autistic and placebo group	placebo	subject with low ASQ scores will receive placebo treatment
high autistic and placebo group	screen high autistic subjects	subject with high ASQ scores will receive placebo treatment
high autistic and oxytocin group	oxytocin	subject with high ASQ scores will receive oxytocin treatment
low autistic and oxytocin group	oxytocin	subject with low ASQ scores will receive oxytocin treatment

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
attentional bias toward emotional expression faces	1 hour	attentional bias was measured by the accuracy of each emotional faces in the RSVP task

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
brain activity during RSVP task	1 hour	brain activity was measured by the fMRI scanner

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

China, Sichuan; 🇨🇳 Chengdu, Sichuan, China