Oxytocin and Social Cognition in Frontotemporal Dementia

Summary

Investigations into the components of cognition damaged in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) demonstrate that patients with FTD show deficits in facial and verbal expression recognition, lack insight into what others think or might do (theory of mind skills), and in decision making tasks requiring processing of positive versus negative feedback. These cognitive functions are thought to be critical for appropriate social behavioural regulation (Blair, 2003). Recent studies in animal models and humans suggest that the neuropeptide oxytocin is an important mediator of social behavior and that oxytocin may facilitate emotion recognition, theory of mind processing, and prosocial behaviors (Donaldson and Young, 2008). Together, these findings suggest that upregulation of oxytocin dependent mechanisms of social and emotional cognition may be a valuable treatment approach in patients with FTD. The aim of this study is to determine how administration of intranasal oxytocin to patients with frontotemporal dementia affects behavior and processing of specific types of social and emotional information.The investigators' hypothesis is that oxytocin administration will improve emotional and social cognitive deficits in patients with FTD, resulting in improved decision making and behaviour.

Timeline

Start

2009-09

Primary completion

2010-11

Completion

2010-11

Publications

• Background Guastella AJ, Mitchell PB, Dadds MR. Oxytocin increases gaze to the eye region of human faces. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jan 1;63(1):3-5. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.06.026. Epub 2007 Sep 21.
• Background Donaldson ZR, Young LJ. Oxytocin, vasopressin, and the neurogenetics of sociality. Science. 2008 Nov 7;322(5903):900-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1158668.
• Background Hollander E, Bartz J, Chaplin W, Phillips A, Sumner J, Soorya L, Anagnostou E, Wasserman S. Oxytocin increases retention of social cognition in autism. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Feb 15;61(4):498-503. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.05.030. Epub 2006 Aug 14.

Drugs

Indications