Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Study: Oxytocin Modulation of Startle Reactivity to Social Stimuli and Moral Decision Making
Overview
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Intervention
- Oxytocin
- Conditions
- Healthy Male Volunteers
- Sponsor
- University Hospital, Bonn
- Enrollment
- 80
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- baseline startle magnitude and affective modulation of the startle magnitude after oxytocin and placebo administration
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 13 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether oxytocin affects the modulation of startle reactivity by aversive social stimuli and to investigate the oxytocin effect on moral judgements. Furthermore the investigators explore the effects of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) polymorphisms on behavioral responses to social stimuli.
Detailed Description
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) can enhance the impact of positive social cues but may reduce that of negative ones, although it is unclear whether the latter causes blunted emotional responses. After OXT or placebo application participants are exposed to acoustic startle probes presented alone and during viewing of 60 color pictures mostly selected from the 'International Affective Picture System'. The paradigm featured 20 negative (mostly threatening), 20 neutral, and 20 positive pictures, presented for 5 s each. In the other part of the experiment, after intranasal OXT or placebo application participants respond to 60 moral dilemmas.
Investigators
Rene Hurlemann
MSc MD PhD
University Hospital, Bonn
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Healthy male volunteers
Exclusion Criteria
- •Current or past psychiatric disease
- •Current or past physical illness
- •Psychoactive medication
- •Tobacco smokers
Arms & Interventions
Oxytocin
24 IU Oxytocin, intranasal application 45 min prior to the experiment
Intervention: Oxytocin
Placebo
intranasal application, sodium chloride solution, 3 puffs per nostril
Intervention: Oxytocin
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
baseline startle magnitude and affective modulation of the startle magnitude after oxytocin and placebo administration
Time Frame: 24 Months
The experimental tasks started 45 min after intranasal OXT/PLC administration. The STARTLE-paradigm features 20 negative (mostly threatening), 20 neutral, and 20 positive pictures, presented for 5 s each. The startle stimulus consists of a single 50-ms burst of white noise (100 dB) with nearly instantaneous rise and was delivered binaurally via headphones during 60% of the pictures (i.e. 12 from each category) at 2 - 4 s after picture onset. We examined the baseline startle magnitude as well as the affective modulation of the startle magnitude.
Secondary Outcomes
- moral decision making after oxytocin and placebo administration(24 months)
- oxytocin receptor (OXTR) polymorphism and correlation with social behavior(24 months)