Can Oxytocin Enhance the Placebo Effect?

Phase 1

Completed

• Conditions: Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 1; Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 3; Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 2; Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 4
• Interventions: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Oxytocin

• Registration Number: NCT02745522
• Lead Sponsor: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Brief Summary

The current study aimed to investigate whether oxytocin (OXT) had effect on placebo effect.

Detailed Description

The current study included three phases to investigate oxytocin effect on placebo effect:

1. In a double-blind, between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 66 healthy male subjects using working memory task.

2. In a single-blind(subjects were informed that the treatment was oxytocin), between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 53 healthy male subjects using working memory task.They were informed that oxytocin would increase memory perfomance by a female experimenter.

3. In a single-blind(subjects were informed that the treatment was oxytocin), between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 53 healthy male subjects using working memory task. But the subjects were told that oxytocin would decrease the performance by the same female experimenter.

4. In a single-blind(subjects were informed that the treatment was oxytocin), between-subject, placebo controlled design study to investigate the intranasal OXT (24IU) treatment in 52 healthy male subjects using working memory task. The subjects were told that oxytocin would increase the performance by a male experimenter.

Memory performance was included as dependant factor. All subjects completed a range of questionnaires measuring personality and affective traits and levels of anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Interpersonal Trust Scale(ITS).

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-12
• Study First Submitted: 2016-03-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-04-19
• Study First Posted: 2016-04-20
• Primary Completion: 2017-03
• Study Completion: 2017-08
• Status Verified: 2018-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-10-10
• Last Update Posted: 2018-10-15

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 224

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorder

Exclusion Criteria

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

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo	Placebo	Placebo nasal spray
Oxytocin	Oxytocin	Oxytocin nasal spray

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Memory performance in different phases	1 hour	N-back memory performance (accuracy) was included into analysis.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology; 🇨🇳 Chengdu, Sichuan, China