The Interaction Between Oxytocin and Serotonin
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Interventions
- Drug: intranasal placebo treatment (placebo-control for oxytocin)Drug: ATD treatmentDrug: oral placebo treatment (placebo-control for ATD)
- Registration Number
- NCT03426176
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- Brief Summary
the study aims to explore whether there is an interaction between oxytocin and serotonin in the regulation of emotion-based behavior by using a between-subject randomized double blind pharmacological fMRI design during which 4 groups of healthy male subjects will receive combinations of oxytocin nasal-spray (versus placebo) and acute tryptophan depletion (ATD, versus placebo)
- Detailed Description
Convergent evidence from animal models and human studies suggests that both, serotonin and oxytocin are important regulators of social emotional behavior. Evidence is emerging that both systems interact in this domain. To determine the interaction of both systems on human social behavior, the present study aims to combine a randomized placebo-controlled administration of modulators of both systems (Oxytocin nasal-spray and acute tryptophan depletion, ATD) and their combination within a pharmaco-fMRI experiment. To determine effects on the neural networks engaged in social emotional processing, healthy male subjects will receive single doses of oxytocin (24IU) versus placebo and ATD (75.2g) versus placebo before fMRI measures of emotion perception and resting state will be acquired. To control for potential effects of pre-medication personality traits as well as effects of medicines on mood, subjects will be administered pre-treatment assessing relevant personality traits and post-treatment assessments of mood.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- UNKNOWN
- Sex
- Male
- Target Recruitment
- 100
- health subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders
- Right-handedness
- History of head injury;
- Medical or psychiatric illness.
- High blood pressure, general cardio-vascular alterations
- History of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction.
- Allergy against medications or general strong allergies
- Sleep disorders.
- Visual or motor impairments
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description male oxytocin and ATD group ATD treatment male subjects receiving oxytocin and ATD treatment male oxytocin and ATD group oxytocin nasal spray male subjects receiving oxytocin and ATD treatment male oxytocin and placebo group oral placebo treatment (placebo-control for ATD) male subjects receiving oxytocin and ATD-placebo treatment male placebo and ATD group ATD treatment male subjects receiving oxytocin placebo and ATD treatment male placebo group intranasal placebo treatment (placebo-control for oxytocin) male subjects receiving oxytocin placebo and ATD placebo treatment male placebo and ATD group intranasal placebo treatment (placebo-control for oxytocin) male subjects receiving oxytocin placebo and ATD treatment male placebo group oral placebo treatment (placebo-control for ATD) male subjects receiving oxytocin placebo and ATD placebo treatment male oxytocin and placebo group oxytocin nasal spray male subjects receiving oxytocin and ATD-placebo treatment
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Neural processing during the resting state as assessed via fMRI 6h after treatment Resting state activity in the emotional brain networks will be compared between the treatment groups
Neural processing during the emotion processing as assessed via fMRI 6h after treatment fMRI BOLD indices of neural processing in emotion related brain regions will be compared between the treatment groups
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
School of Life Science and Technology
🇨🇳Chengdu, Sichuan, China