Influence of Oxytocin on Approach-avoidance Tendencies to Social and Non-social Stimuli

NCT ID: NCT04443647

Last Updated: 2020-06-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 64 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-12-15
• Study Completion Date: 2020-01-30

Brief Summary

In this study, a randomized, placebo-controlled between-subject design is adopted to investigate the effect of a single-dose of intranasally administered OT on approach-avoidance related motivational tendencies during the processing of a series of social and non-social, positively and negatively valenced stimuli. To obtain a behavioral measure of approach-avoidance tendencies, participants will be able to control the viewing time of the presented stimuli, by pressing 'up' or 'down' on a keyboard. During stimulus presentation neurophysiological recordings will be performed to obtain a neural measure of approach-avoidance motivational tendencies, based on electroencephalographic recordings (EEG: frontal alpha asymmetry). Also assessments of autonomic arousal, based on skin conductance recordings will be collected.

Detailed Description

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in a wide-range of complex social behaviors. Recently however, the 'social' specificity of OT's action has been challenged, considering several observations of non-social effects of OT showing for example that OT reliably reduces stress also in non-social tasks.

To account for these non-social effects of OT, the General Approach-Avoidance Hypothesis of OT (GAAO) has been put forward, positing that OT primarily modulates approach/ avoidance motivational tendencies and behaviors by impacting on the mesocorticolimbic circuitry linked to reward (approach) as well as cortico-amygdala circuits linked to threat (avoidance) (Harari-Dahan and Bernstein, 2014). Since the neural substrates underlying 'social' approach and avoidance are not distinct from those underlying 'non-social' approach and avoidance, the GAAO posits that the modulatory effects of OT should not be limited to social behaviors. In this view, the GAAO puts forward that OT may indeed enhance the attentional salience of many social cues, but not because they are social per se; but because many social stimuli are emotionally-evocative and personally-relevant.

In this study, a randomized, placebo-controlled between-subject design is adopted to investigate the effect of a single-dose of intranasally administered OT on approach-avoidance related motivational tendencies during the processing of a series of social and non-social, positively and negatively valenced stimuli. To obtain a behavioral measure of approach-avoidance tendencies, participants will be able to control the viewing time of the presented stimuli, by pressing 'up' or 'down' on a keyboard. During stimulus presentation neurophysiological recordings will be performed to obtain a neural measure of approach-avoidance motivational tendencies, based on electroencephalographic recordings (EEG: frontal alpha asymmetry). Also electrodermal recordings (skin conductance) will be collected to obtain assessments of sympathetically-driven autonomic arousal.

In accordance to the GAAO account, it is hypothesized that OT will reduce avoidance-related motivational tendencies (assessed behaviorally and using EEG), irrespective of sociality (i.e. similar effect towards social and non-social stimuli).

In accordance to prior research, skin conductance responses are hypothesized to reduce after OT, indicating reduced sympathetically-driven autonomic arousal. On the other hand, considering the implicated role of sympathetic arousal in orienting responses, OT might also facilitate an enhancement of skin conductance responses, i.e., being reflective of OT's role in enhancing salience toward emotionally-evocative stimuli.

Conditions

Basic Science

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Oxytocin

Syntocinon nasal spray (40 IU/ml; oxytocin, product code RVG 03716); single intranasal dose of 24 international units (IU; 3 puffs of 4 IU per nostril)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Oxytocin

Intervention Type: DRUG

Syntocinon nasal spray

Placebo

Saline natriumchloride solution nasal spray; single intranasal dose (3 puffs per nostril)

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo nasal spray

Interventions

Oxytocin

Syntocinon nasal spray

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Placebo nasal spray

Intervention Type: DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• right-handed
• male
• age between 18 and 35
• Normal or adjusted-to-normal vision (with lenses only)
• Dutch as mother tongue

Exclusion Criteria

• female
• age below 18 or above 35
• neurological or psychiatric condition (e.g. epilepsy, stroke, concussion), (e.g. anxiety disorder, depression)
• use of psychotropic medication (e.g. anxiolytics, antidepressants)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: MALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

KU Leuven

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kaat Alaerts

Prof. dr.

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Kaat Alaerts, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

KU Leuven

Locations

KU Leuven

Leuven, , Belgium

Countries

Belgium

References

Harari-Dahan O, Bernstein A. A general approach-avoidance hypothesis of oxytocin: accounting for social and non-social effects of oxytocin. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2014 Nov;47:506-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.007.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25454355 (View on PubMed)

Alaerts K, Taillieu A, Daniels N, Soriano JR, Prinsen J. Oxytocin enhances neural approach towards social and non-social stimuli of high personal relevance. Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 8;11(1):23589. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-02914-8.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 34880300 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

SingleOT_EEG-App-avoid_S56327

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id