Oxytocin and Emotion Recognition

Phase 4

Completed

• Conditions: Health
• Interventions: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Syntocinon 24 IU

• Registration Number: NCT01216605
• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital Freiburg

Brief Summary

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of a single dose of synthetic oxytocin on facial emotion recognition in healthy adult man. Pictures of emotional faces are presented very briefly for a few milliseconds in a backward-masking paradigm in order to vary the level of awareness. In a randomized placebo-controlled between-subject design, recognition performance is compared between a drug (24 IU oxytocin) and a placebo condition. We hypothesize that oxytocin enhances emotion recognition even for facial stimuli processed with limited awareness.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2009-11
• Primary Completion: 2010-01
• Study Completion: 2010-01
• Status Verified: 2010-10
• Study First Submitted: 2010-10-06
• Study First Submitted QC: 2010-10-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2010-10-06
• Study First Posted: 2010-10-07
• Last Update Posted: 2010-10-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 56

Inclusion Criteria

• Males
• 18 to 40 years of age

Exclusion Criteria

• Any psychiatric diagnosis life-time
• Somatic disease
• IQ < 85
• Smoker
• Psychoactive medication

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo	Placebo	-
Oxytocin	Syntocinon 24 IU	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Performance on a facial emotion recognition task	45 min. following drug administration

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of PSychiatry University of Rostock; 🇩🇪 Rostock, D, Germany