1. Null results of oxytocin and vasopressin administration on mentalizing in a large fMRI sample: evidence from a randomized controlled trial
- Author
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Straccia, Mark A, Teed, Adam R, Katzman, Perri L, Tan, Kevin M, Parrish, Michael H, Irwin, Michael R, Eisenberger, Naomi I, Lieberman, Matthew D, and Tabak, Benjamin A
- Subjects
Biological Psychology ,Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Psychology ,Mental Health ,Brain Disorders ,Neurosciences ,Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities ,Clinical Research ,Behavioral and Social Science ,Underpinning research ,1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes ,6.1 Pharmaceuticals ,Evaluation of treatments and therapeutic interventions ,Mental health ,Neurological ,Humans ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,Mentalization ,Negative Results ,Oxytocin ,Vasopressins ,Administration ,Intranasal ,Healthy Volunteers ,fMRI ,functional connectivity ,mentalizing ,oxytocin ,theory of mind ,vasopressin ,Public Health and Health Services ,Psychiatry ,Clinical sciences ,Biological psychology ,Clinical and health psychology - Abstract
BackgroundAlthough potential links between oxytocin (OT), vasopressin (AVP), and social cognition are well-grounded theoretically, most studies have included all male samples, and few have demonstrated consistent effects of either neuropeptide on mentalizing (i.e. understanding the mental states of others). To understand the potential of either neuropeptide as a pharmacological treatment for individuals with impairments in social cognition, it is important to demonstrate the beneficial effects of OT and AVP on mentalizing in healthy individuals.MethodsIn the present randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (n = 186) of healthy individuals, we examined the effects of OT and AVP administration on behavioral responses and neural activity in response to a mentalizing task.ResultsRelative to placebo, neither drug showed an effect on task reaction time or accuracy, nor on whole-brain neural activation or functional connectivity observed within brain networks associated with mentalizing. Exploratory analyses included several variables previously shown to moderate OT's effects on social processes (e.g., self-reported empathy, alexithymia) but resulted in no significant interaction effects.ConclusionsResults add to a growing literature demonstrating that intranasal administration of OT and AVP may have a more limited effect on social cognition, at both the behavioral and neural level, than initially assumed. Randomized controlled trial registrations: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT02393443; NCT02393456; NCT02394054.
- Published
- 2023