Can Oxytocin Enhance the Placebo Effect?

NCT ID: NCT02745522

Last Updated: 2018-10-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1
• Total Enrollment: 224 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-12-31
• Study Completion Date: 2017-08-31

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).

Conditions

Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 1; Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 2; Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 3; Oxytocin Effect on Memory Performance During Phase 4

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Oxytocin

Oxytocin nasal spray

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Oxytocin

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Placebo nasal spray

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Interventions

Oxytocin

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorder

Exclusion Criteria

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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 30 Years
• Eligible Sex: MALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Keith Kendrick

Prof.

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology

Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Countries

China

Other Identifiers

UESTC-neuSCAN-07

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id