OTS: Oxytocin Treatment of Schizophrenia

Sponsor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT01028677
Collaborator
(none)
17
1
2
15.9
1.1

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Purpose: Test whether intranasal administration of the neuropeptide, oxytocin, improves social cognition, social functioning and decreases paranoia and other psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia.

Participants: Up to 80 adults with schizophrenia for at least one year and with a high rating for paranoia.

Procedures (methods): Oxytocin or placebo will be administered twice daily in an intranasal spray (6 insufflations/dose or 24 IU) for 6 weeks. Before, during and at the end of the trial, each subject will undergo social cognitive measures (primary outcomes) and psychiatric symptom ratings (secondary outcomes).

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Drug: intranasal spray with oxytocin
  • Other: nasal spray without oxytocin
N/A

Detailed Description

Inclusion criteria: meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) criteria for paranoid or undifferentiated schizophrenia for at least 1 year; scoring > 4 on the suspiciousness/persecution (hereafter referred to as paranoia) subscale of the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) or 3 on the paranoia subscale and > 3 on the hostility, active social avoidance, passive/apathetic social withdrawal or uncooperativeness subscale and > 60 on the full PANSS: stability of symptom severity and on the same medication(s) and dose(s) for at least 1 month; low to moderate depressive symptoms.

Exclusion criteria: low literacy as indicated by an inability to read and understand the consent form; dependence on substances other than tobacco or caffeine; positive urine drug screen for illegal substances or drugs that have not been prescribed; debilitating medical conditions (including AIDS; HIV infection alone will not be grounds for exclusion); major surgery or trauma in the past year will be grounds for exclusion although subjects determined to be recovered and stable may be included at the discretion of the Principal Investigator (PI); pregnancy, breast-feeding; having given birth in the past 6 months or breast-feeding in the past 3 months. Individuals judged unable to learn self-administration of intranasal treatments and/or not sufficiently reliable to do so will be excluded. Abnormalities found during medical evaluation will be grounds for exclusion (see details below) although subjects with laboratory measures somewhat out of the normal range may be included at the discretion of Drs. Pedersen, Gilmore, Rau and/or Salimi.

Study Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Up to 80 subjects will complete the protocol: 40 will receive oxytocin; 40 placebo. Prior to the treatment trial, baseline measures will be obtained. Social cognition and psychiatric symptoms will be measured at Baseline and at 6 weeks of the 6 week treatment trial.

Procedures: Subjects will be recruited from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Department of Psychiatry outpatient clinics and the community. If total Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) score is > or equal to 60, PANSS sub-score for suspiciousness/persecution is > or equal to 4, their medical history will be reviewed including medications and dosages over the past month. If they do not have exclusionary medical or medication history, their psychiatric history will be reviewed. If necessary to confirm their diagnosis, they will undergo the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) patient version. If they have met criteria for schizophrenia, paranoid or undifferentiated type, for at least one year, they will undergo a physical exam and blood will be drawn and urine collected for laboratory measures including complete blooc count (CBC), electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, liver function tests, glucose, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), urinanalysis, urine drug screen and pregnancy test. This initial evaluation may require up to 3-4 hours. Prospective subjects will be encouraged to rest for 20-30 minutes between the initial interviews (PANSS, SCID) and the history, physical exam and blood/urine collections. Psychiatric, medical and medication history will be confirmed by reviewing medical records and contacting clinicians in charge of the prospective subject's psychiatric care. The initial evaluation will be conducted in the Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) outpatient clinic or at the UNC Psychiatry Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at Central Regional Hospital (Raleigh or Butner).

SCID, PANSS, other psychological results and medical labs and history will be reviewed during conferences with Dr. Pedersen accompanied by Drs. Gilmore, Salimi and/or Rau. Consensus decisions will be made during these conferences about whether subjects meet the diagnostic and other criteria for inclusion in the study.

For subjects who meet study criteria, baseline measurements of social cognition, social competence, social functioning, paranoia, other psychotic and psychiatric symptoms will be obtained.

During the treatment trial, twice daily test treatments will be self-administered by subjects in the morning shortly after breakfast and late in the afternoon/early evening prior to dinner. Each treatment will consist of 6 insufflations (3/nostril alternating between nostrils) of Syntocinon Spray (Novartis), which contains approximately 24 international units (IU) of oxytocin, or placebo. There will be a 30-60 second pause between each insufflation. The placebo solution will be a solution that has all ingredients in Syntocinon Spray except for oxytocin in 2 oz vials containing 30 ml of solution designed to deliver 0.1 ml metered volume per insufflation. Treatment assignments will be random within each gender.

Social cognition and competence testing will begin 50 min after the morning treatment at 6 weeks (day 42) of the treatment trial and will be followed by ratings of psychotic, mood and anxiety symptoms (requiring 1-3 hr depending on how much social cognition testing is done). The Emotion Recognition-40, Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (Eyes Test), Interpersonal Reactivity Index and Trustworthiness Tasks, Brune Theory of Mind Task, as well as psychiatric ratings will be conducted at all time points.

Participants will be trained by research nurses during their first dosing with test substance in intranasal self-administration shortly after baseline measurements are completed. They will also be given written instructions about the timing of each day's test treatments and other procedures to follow at home. They will be given one 2 ounce vial containing 30 ml of test substance to last until their first outpatient clinic testing appointment and instructed when to begin the twice daily intranasal treatments. They will self administer test substance at the site so staff can confirm they are using proper technique. In addition to social cognition/competence testing and psychiatric ratings, blood samples as well as vital signs will be obtained during these visits. At 40 min after the last intranasal insufflation, blood (15 ml) will be drawn to measure plasma oxytocin concentrations and other lab values (sodium, potassium, glucose [treatment day 42], CBC, BUN, creatinine, liver function tests [treatment days 42]). An electrocardiogram (ECG) will also be obtained on the morning of treatment days 42 approximately 3-4 hr after intranasal treatment (when social cognition/competence testing and psychiatric ratings are completed). Urine will also be collected from female subjects on the day of baseline measurements and on treatment day 42 for pregnancy testing. These same procedures will conducted on the morning of treatment day 42 in participants studied as inpatients.

After procedures at the study site on the morning of treatment days 14 and 28, outpatient subjects will be given a new vial containing 30 ml test substance so they can self administer doses twice daily until their next visit to the study site. Subjects will be instructed to store vials at room temperature and to clean the tip of the spray nozzle with an alcohol wipe after each dose is administered. Vials will be weighted before dispensing and upon return to the clinic 2 wks later to determine how much solution was actually ejected from the vial.

Measurements: A battery of well-validated instruments to quantify psychiatric symptoms, social cognition and social competence will be used in this study.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Actual Enrollment :
17 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
Oxytocin Treatment of Social Deficits and Paranoia in Schizophrenia
Study Start Date :
Nov 1, 2009
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Mar 1, 2011
Actual Study Completion Date :
Mar 1, 2011

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: intranasal spray with oxytocin

Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks

Drug: intranasal spray with oxytocin
6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks
Other Names:
  • Syntocinon Spray
  • Placebo Comparator: intranasal spray without oxytocin

    Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks.

    Other: nasal spray without oxytocin
    6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks

    Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. Emotion Recognition as Measured by the Emotion Recognition-40 at the 6 Week Time Point [6 weeks]

      The Emotion Recognition-40 (ER-40; Kohler, Turner, Gur, & Gur, 2004) consists of a series of 40 faces, shown one at a time on a computer screen. Participants choose the correct emotions based on 5 answer choices: happy, sad, anger, fear and no emotion. Participants indicate the word that best describes the emotion each faces expresses. The stimuli are presented in a randomized order each time they are administered. A scoring program automatically records accuracy and median response time. Range for each emotion (score range) is 0 (no correct responses) to 8 (all faces on each emotion category are correctly identified). The ER-40 faces were derived from the University of Pennsylvania Emotion Recognition Task, 96 faces version, and are balanced for equality and intensity of emotion, age, gender and ethnicity.

    2. Theory of Mind as Measured by the Eyes Test at 6 Weeks [6 weeks]

      The Eyes Test (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001) consists of 36 photographs where participants are asked to guess the mental state (i.e., what the person is thinking or feeling) from among four choice words. Participants are given a practice item to ensure that they understand the task. Each eye region is displayed on a computer screen with the four choice mental states shown in the four corners of the computer screen (one target word and three foil words). The score range is 0 (no correct responses) to 36 (all stimuli are correctly identified).

    3. Theory of Mind as Measured by the Brune Test at 6 Weeks [6 weeks]

      In The Brune Test (Brune, 2003), participants are shown a series of six sets of four cartoon pictures that illustrate interactions between two or more individuals. The cartoon cards were displayed to the participant in a predetermined scrambled order. Participants are asked to rearrange the pictures in an order that conveys a logical story. After the participant arranges the cards, the examiner ensures they are in the correct sequence. If they are not in the correct order, the examiner silently arranges them so they are in the logical sequence.The participant's interpretations of the characters' beliefs are scored as correct or incorrect (zero or one), with higher scores indicating better Theory of Mind. The sum of correct answers is the outcome of interest. The participants can receive a maximum total of 23 points for the questions.

    4. Social Perception as Measured by the Trustworthiness Task at 6 Weeks [6 weeks]

      The Trustworthiness Task (Adolphs, Tranel, & Damasio, 1998) is comprised of 42 black and white photographs of the faces of unfamiliar people. Participants are shown each picture individually (on a computer monitor) and asked to rate how much they would trust that person (e.g., with their money) on a seven-point scale, ranging from -3 (very untrustworthy) to +3 (very trustworthy). They are provided with a photograph of 0 or an average face (i.e., someone they would neither trust nor distrust) to refer to throughout the task (based on Adolphs et al.'s, 1998 norms). The total score is the sum of the trustworthiness ratings. Possible range is -126 to 126.

    5. Empathy as Measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) at 6 Weeks [6 weeks]

      The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983) is a self-report measure of cognitive and affective empathy. The IRI consists of 28 items where participants rate how well each item describes them using a five-point scale (1 to 5). The 28 items yield four subscales: perspective taking (PT), empathic concern (EC), fantasy (F), and personal distress (PD). Higher scores indicate a greater empathic response. Score range for IRI: min, max Total: 28, 140 PT: 7, 35 EC: 7, 35 F: 7, 35 PD: 7, 35

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. Clinical Psychiatric Symptoms as Measured by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at 6 Weeks [6 weeks]

      The PANSS consists of 30 items (7 positive psychotic symptoms, 7 negative psychotic symptoms, 16 general psychopathology symptoms) on which subjects are rated (1-7) based upon a semi-standardized interview. Higher scores indicate more/greater symptoms (i.e., greater symptoms of psychosis) and lower scores indicate fewer symptoms (better outcome). Possible score range: min, max Total: 30,210 Positive symptoms:7, 49 Negative symptoms:7, 49 General symptoms: 16,112

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    18 Years to 55 Years
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    All
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No
    Inclusion Criteria:
    • Meeting DSM-IV criteria for paranoid or undifferentiated schizophrenia for at least 1 year.

    • Scoring > or equal to 4 on the suspiciousness/persecution (paranoia) subscale of the

    Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), a full PANSS score > or equal to 60:

    stability of symptom severity and on the same medication(s) and dose(s) for at least 1 month; low to moderate depressive symptoms.

    Exclusion Criteria:
    • Low literacy as indicated by an inability to read and understand the consent form.

    • Dependence on substances other than tobacco or caffeine.

    • Positive urine drug screen for illegal substances or drugs that have not been prescribed.

    • Debilitating medical conditions (including AIDS; HIV infection alone will not be grounds for exclusion).

    • Major surgery or trauma in the past year will be grounds for exclusion although subjects determined to be recovered and stable may be included at the discretion of the PI.

    • Pregnancy, breast-feeding.

    • Having given birth in the past 6 months or breast-feeding in the past 3 months.

    • Individuals judged unable to learn self-administration of intranasal treatments and/or not sufficiently reliable to do so will be excluded.

    • Abnormalities found during medical evaluation will be grounds for exclusion although subjects with laboratory measures barely outside the normal range may be included at the discretion of the Principal Investigator.

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 University of North Carolina Hospitals Chapel Hill North Carolina United States 27599

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Investigators

    • Principal Investigator: Cort A Pedersen, M.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    None provided.

    More Information

    Additional Information:

    Publications

    None provided.
    Responsible Party:
    Cort Pedersen, MD, Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT01028677
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • 07-0879
    First Posted:
    Dec 9, 2009
    Last Update Posted:
    Apr 18, 2017
    Last Verified:
    Mar 1, 2017
    Keywords provided by Cort Pedersen, MD, Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
    Additional relevant MeSH terms:

    Study Results

    Participant Flow

    Recruitment Details
    Pre-assignment Detail
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Period Title: Overall Study
    STARTED 10 7
    COMPLETED 8 6
    NOT COMPLETED 2 1

    Baseline Characteristics

    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin Total
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks Total of all reporting groups
    Overall Participants 8 6 14
    Age (years) [Mean (Standard Deviation) ]
    Mean (Standard Deviation) [years]
    38.88
    (7.22)
    35.67
    (9.00)
    37.50
    (7.87)
    Sex: Female, Male (Count of Participants)
    Female
    2
    25%
    1
    16.7%
    3
    21.4%
    Male
    6
    75%
    5
    83.3%
    11
    78.6%
    Region of Enrollment (participants) [Number]
    United States
    8
    100%
    6
    100%
    14
    100%

    Outcome Measures

    1. Primary Outcome
    Title Emotion Recognition as Measured by the Emotion Recognition-40 at the 6 Week Time Point
    Description The Emotion Recognition-40 (ER-40; Kohler, Turner, Gur, & Gur, 2004) consists of a series of 40 faces, shown one at a time on a computer screen. Participants choose the correct emotions based on 5 answer choices: happy, sad, anger, fear and no emotion. Participants indicate the word that best describes the emotion each faces expresses. The stimuli are presented in a randomized order each time they are administered. A scoring program automatically records accuracy and median response time. Range for each emotion (score range) is 0 (no correct responses) to 8 (all faces on each emotion category are correctly identified). The ER-40 faces were derived from the University of Pennsylvania Emotion Recognition Task, 96 faces version, and are balanced for equality and intensity of emotion, age, gender and ethnicity.
    Time Frame 6 weeks

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Measure Participants 8 6
    Fear
    7.25
    (.89)
    6.67
    (1.86)
    Anger
    4.38
    (1.30)
    6.17
    (1.72)
    Sad
    7.13
    (1.46)
    6.50
    (1.64)
    Happy
    8.00
    (.00)
    7.83
    (.41)
    Neutral
    7.25
    (.89)
    7.17
    (.98)
    Statistical Analysis 1
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Analysis of fear emotion
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value .61
    Comments Not adjusted for multiple comparisons
    Method t-test, 1 sided
    Comments
    2. Secondary Outcome
    Title Clinical Psychiatric Symptoms as Measured by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at 6 Weeks
    Description The PANSS consists of 30 items (7 positive psychotic symptoms, 7 negative psychotic symptoms, 16 general psychopathology symptoms) on which subjects are rated (1-7) based upon a semi-standardized interview. Higher scores indicate more/greater symptoms (i.e., greater symptoms of psychosis) and lower scores indicate fewer symptoms (better outcome). Possible score range: min, max Total: 30,210 Positive symptoms:7, 49 Negative symptoms:7, 49 General symptoms: 16,112
    Time Frame 6 weeks

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Measure Participants 8 6
    Positive Symptoms
    14.00
    (3.34)
    18.50
    (6.22)
    Negative Symptoms
    17.25
    (4.20)
    17.17
    (3.66)
    General Symptoms
    29.88
    (4.91)
    32.67
    (4.13)
    Statistical Analysis 1
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Positive Symptoms
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 0.008
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 2
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Negative Symptoms
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 0.002
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 3
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments General Symptoms
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 0.04
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 4
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Comments Positive Symptoms
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 0.05
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 5
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Comments Negative Symptoms
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 0.08
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 6
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Comments General Symptoms
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 0.025
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    3. Primary Outcome
    Title Theory of Mind as Measured by the Eyes Test at 6 Weeks
    Description The Eyes Test (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001) consists of 36 photographs where participants are asked to guess the mental state (i.e., what the person is thinking or feeling) from among four choice words. Participants are given a practice item to ensure that they understand the task. Each eye region is displayed on a computer screen with the four choice mental states shown in the four corners of the computer screen (one target word and three foil words). The score range is 0 (no correct responses) to 36 (all stimuli are correctly identified).
    Time Frame 6 weeks

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Measure Participants 8 6
    Mean (Standard Deviation) [correct responses]
    22.25
    (5.29)
    22.17
    (7.83)
    4. Primary Outcome
    Title Theory of Mind as Measured by the Brune Test at 6 Weeks
    Description In The Brune Test (Brune, 2003), participants are shown a series of six sets of four cartoon pictures that illustrate interactions between two or more individuals. The cartoon cards were displayed to the participant in a predetermined scrambled order. Participants are asked to rearrange the pictures in an order that conveys a logical story. After the participant arranges the cards, the examiner ensures they are in the correct sequence. If they are not in the correct order, the examiner silently arranges them so they are in the logical sequence.The participant's interpretations of the characters' beliefs are scored as correct or incorrect (zero or one), with higher scores indicating better Theory of Mind. The sum of correct answers is the outcome of interest. The participants can receive a maximum total of 23 points for the questions.
    Time Frame 6 weeks

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Measure Participants 8 6
    Mean (Standard Deviation) [correct responses]
    21.13
    (1.36)
    22.00
    (1.27)
    Statistical Analysis 1
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin, Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Comments
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value .03
    Comments Not adjusted for multiple comparisons
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    5. Primary Outcome
    Title Social Perception as Measured by the Trustworthiness Task at 6 Weeks
    Description The Trustworthiness Task (Adolphs, Tranel, & Damasio, 1998) is comprised of 42 black and white photographs of the faces of unfamiliar people. Participants are shown each picture individually (on a computer monitor) and asked to rate how much they would trust that person (e.g., with their money) on a seven-point scale, ranging from -3 (very untrustworthy) to +3 (very trustworthy). They are provided with a photograph of 0 or an average face (i.e., someone they would neither trust nor distrust) to refer to throughout the task (based on Adolphs et al.'s, 1998 norms). The total score is the sum of the trustworthiness ratings. Possible range is -126 to 126.
    Time Frame 6 weeks

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Measure Participants 8 6
    Mean (Standard Deviation) [rating on a scale]
    1.88
    (40.98)
    11.33
    (34.23)
    6. Primary Outcome
    Title Empathy as Measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) at 6 Weeks
    Description The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983) is a self-report measure of cognitive and affective empathy. The IRI consists of 28 items where participants rate how well each item describes them using a five-point scale (1 to 5). The 28 items yield four subscales: perspective taking (PT), empathic concern (EC), fantasy (F), and personal distress (PD). Higher scores indicate a greater empathic response. Score range for IRI: min, max Total: 28, 140 PT: 7, 35 EC: 7, 35 F: 7, 35 PD: 7, 35
    Time Frame 6 weeks

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    Measure Participants 5 5
    Total Score
    88.00
    (13.71)
    87.00
    (8.57)
    Fantasy
    21.60
    (4.62)
    26.80
    (6.26)
    Emotional Empathy
    23.80
    (4.82)
    23.60
    (6.88)
    Perspective Taking
    23.40
    (2.51)
    19.40
    (8.26)
    Distress
    19.20
    (4.09)
    17.20
    (4.32)
    Statistical Analysis 1
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments IRI-total
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value .784
    Comments Not adjusted for multiple comparisons
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 2
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Distress analysis
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 1.00
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 3
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Perspective-Taking
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value .03
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 4
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Emotional empathy analysis
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value .135
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 5
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin
    Comments Fantasy Analysis
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value .681
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments
    Statistical Analysis 6
    Statistical Analysis Overview Comparison Group Selection Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Comments Distress analysis
    Type of Statistical Test Superiority or Other
    Comments
    Statistical Test of Hypothesis p-Value 1.00
    Comments
    Method t-test, 2 sided
    Comments

    Adverse Events

    Time Frame
    Adverse Event Reporting Description
    Arm/Group Title Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Arm/Group Description Twice daily intranasal oxytocin spray (24 IU, 6 insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks intranasal spray with oxytocin: 6 insufflations (24 IU of oxytocin total) given twice daily for 6 weeks Twice daily intranasal spray without oxytocin (six 0.1 ml insufflations/dose) for 6 weeks. nasal spray without oxytocin: 6 insufflations of nasal spray without oxytocin (0.1 metered dose/insufflation) twice daily for 6 weeks
    All Cause Mortality
    Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Affected / at Risk (%) # Events Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
    Total / (NaN) / (NaN)
    Serious Adverse Events
    Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Affected / at Risk (%) # Events Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
    Total 0/10 (0%) 0/7 (0%)
    Psychiatric disorders
    Serious Adverse Events 0/10 (0%) 0 0/7 (0%) 0
    Other (Not Including Serious) Adverse Events
    Intranasal Spray With Oxytocin Intranasal Spray Without Oxytocin
    Affected / at Risk (%) # Events Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
    Total 1/10 (10%) 0/7 (0%)
    Vascular disorders
    low blood pressure due to blood-draw 1/10 (10%) 1 0/7 (0%) 0

    Limitations/Caveats

    [Not Specified]

    More Information

    Certain Agreements

    Principal Investigators are NOT employed by the organization sponsoring the study.

    There is NOT an agreement between Principal Investigators and the Sponsor (or its agents) that restricts the PI's rights to discuss or publish trial results after the trial is completed.

    Results Point of Contact

    Name/Title Dr. Cort Pedersen
    Organization UNC_ChapelHill
    Phone 919 966-4447
    Email cort_pedersen@med.unc.edu
    Responsible Party:
    Cort Pedersen, MD, Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT01028677
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • 07-0879
    First Posted:
    Dec 9, 2009
    Last Update Posted:
    Apr 18, 2017
    Last Verified:
    Mar 1, 2017