Oxytocin and Social Behavior Over the Lifespan

Early Phase 1

Completed

• Conditions: Social Activity
• Interventions: Drug: oxytocin (Pitocin)

• Registration Number: NCT00914953
• Lead Sponsor: Claremont Graduate University

Brief Summary

This study will investigate if intranasal oxytocin (a hormone naturally produced in the body) promotes motivation for, and engagement in, social activities in older adults.

Detailed Description

Using a double-blind and placebo controlled design, this study seeks to determine if a short course of exogenous oxytocin (OT) will induce changes in social activities in residentially housed older adults (OAs) during a 10-day treatment period, and after it ends. Because OT is associated with peri-reproductive behaviors, OT release in OAs is expected to be attenuated relative to younger adults. If OT release is low in OAs as we hypothesize, augmenting OT may increase their desire for social interactions, increase the frequency of participation in social activities and augment the number of and quality of social ties, thereby providing protection against disease, early death, cognitive decline, and depression. Research in rodents suggests that social interactions themselves may change chronic OT levels (Carter \& Keverne, 2002; Carter \& Altemus, 1997), in a positive feedback loop. In order to demonstrate OT as the causal mechanism, we propose to infuse oxytocin and then track the desire for, quantity of, and quality of social activities.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2009-06-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2009-06-04
• Study First Posted: 2009-06-05
• Study Start: 2010-02
• Primary Completion: 2010-12
• Study Completion: 2011-12
• Status Verified: 2012-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2012-02-29
• Last Update Posted: 2012-03-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 41

Inclusion Criteria

• residentially housed
• English fluency

Exclusion Criteria

• non ambulatory
• severe psychiatric problems presently or in the recent past
• severe medical problems (e.g., cancer, diabetes, advanced heart disease)
• irregular heart beat
• treatment using psychoactive medications (other than antiepileptics, mood stabilizers, or Ambien)
• inability to adequately communicate with the research team
• treatment with an experimental drug
• excessive fatigue suggesting hypothyroidism

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
oxytocin	oxytocin (Pitocin)	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
confirm increased social activities in treatment condition compared to control condition via self-report.	30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Evidence of greater psychological health for treatment condition as compared to control condition.	30 days

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Linda Valley Villa; 🇺🇸 Loma Linda, California, United States