Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT01607970

Oxytocin Modulation of Startle Reactivity to Social Stimuli and Moral Decision Making

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.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy Male Volunteers

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

Male

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn

Bonn, 53105, Germany

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy male volunteers

Exclusion criteria

  • Current or past psychiatric disease
  • Current or past physical illness
  • Psychoactive medication
  • Tobacco smokers

Treatment and study plan

Oxytocin

Drug

Oxytocin: 24 IU; 3 puffs per nostril, each with 4 IU OXT

Other names: Oxytocin: Syntocinon-Spray, Novartis

Primary outcomes

  1. 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

  1. moral decision making after oxytocin and placebo administration

    Time frame: 24 months

    The experimental tasks started 45 min after OXT/PLC administration. The moral dilemmas performed in the present study were identical to those published previously by Greene et al.(2001).

  2. oxytocin receptor (OXTR) polymorphism and correlation with social behavior

    Time frame: 24 months

    OXTR genotyping, social behavior testing

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Bonn

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Study: Oxytocin Modulation of Startle Reactivity to Social Stimuli and Moral Decision Making

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2012
Study completion
2012
First posted
May 30, 2012
Registry last updated
May 30, 2012

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.