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

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.

Timeline

Start

2018-12-15

Primary completion

2020-01-30

Completion

2020-01-30

Publications

• Background 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.
• 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.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.