Skip to content

Study · Randomized controlled trial · n = 31 · 2016

3 results

Oxytocin enhances cognitive control of food craving in women.

Striepens N, Schröter F, Stoffel-Wagner B, Maier W, Hurlemann R, Scheele D

Human brain mapping6 Jul 2016Cited by 55 (Europe PMC)

PMID27381253 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC6867465 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1002/hbm.23308 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-27381253
Source linkPubMedAsk about this study
Jump to 3 results

Summary

The text of this summary is not shown here, because the article license does not allow reuse. Read it at the source (opens in a new tab)

Text rights: Publisher copyright. Results still quote short attributed sentences.

Results from this study3

3 results from studies that gave the peptide. 3 results from people.

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In healthy women, intranasal oxytocin produced only a trend toward reduced food craving in the cognitive control condition versus placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy women, nasal oxytocin showed a trend toward less food craving when they tried to control the urge to eat, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeFood craving in the cognitive control condition
    Study

    n = 31

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Appetite and food intake · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Our results show a trend that OXT specifically reduced food craving in the cognitive control condition.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    We conducted a counter-balanced, double-blind, within-subject, pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging experiment involving 31 healthy women who received 24 IU of intranasal OXT or placebo and were scanned twice while they were exposed to pictures of palatable food.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy women exposed to palatable food pictures, intranasal oxytocin increased activity in the middle and superior frontal gyrus, precuneus and cingulate cortex versus placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy women, nasal oxytocin increased activity in several brain areas during food pictures, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseBrain activity in frontal gyrus, precuneus and cingulate cortex
    Study

    n = 31

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    On the neural level, these findings were paralleled by an increase of activity in the middle and superior frontal gyrus, precuneus, and cingulate cortex under OXT.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    We conducted a counter-balanced, double-blind, within-subject, pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging experiment involving 31 healthy women who received 24 IU of intranasal OXT or placebo and were scanned twice while they were exposed to pictures of palatable food.
  3. 03HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy women, the behavioural effect of intranasal oxytocin correlated with oxytocin-induced changes in the prefrontal cortex and precuneus.

    In plain wordsIn healthy women, the change in food craving with nasal oxytocin was linked to changes in activity in two brain areas.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    Not applicableCorrelation of behavioural oxytocin effect with prefrontal cortex and precuneus changes
    Study

    n = 31

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Interestingly, the behavioral OXT effect correlated with the OXT-induced changes in the prefrontal cortex and precuneus.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    We conducted a counter-balanced, double-blind, within-subject, pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging experiment involving 31 healthy women who received 24 IU of intranasal OXT or placebo and were scanned twice while they were exposed to pictures of palatable food.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

  1. Version 2Current

    11 Oct 2026, 01:30 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 02:50 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

PepBank is a research reference. Talk to a doctor before you use any peptide.