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Study · Randomized controlled trial · n = 192 · 2017

4 results

How the brain codes intimacy: The neurobiological substrates of romantic touch.

Kreuder AK, Scheele D, Wassermann L, Wollseifer M, Stoffel-Wagner B, Lee MR, Hennig J, Maier W, Hurlemann R

Human brain mapping5 Jun 2017Cited by 58 (Europe PMC)

PMID28580708 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC6867116 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1002/hbm.23679 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-28580708
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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 study4

4 results from studies that gave the peptide. 4 results from people.

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In healthy volunteers in couples, intranasal oxytocin selectively enhanced the subjective pleasantness of the partner's touch compared with placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy adults in couples, oxytocin made a partner's touch feel more pleasant than placebo did.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseSubjective pleasantness of partner touch
    Study

    n = 192

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Our results show that intranasal OXT compared to PLC selectively enhanced the subjective pleasantness of the partner's touch.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In this randomized placebo (PLC)-controlled, between-group, pharmacofunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study involving 192 healthy volunteers (96 heterosexual couples), we intranasally administered 24 IU of the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) to either the man or the woman.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy volunteers in couples, intranasal oxytocin selectively increased nucleus accumbens responses to partner touch compared with placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy adults in couples, oxytocin increased a brain reward area's response to a partner's touch more than placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseNucleus accumbens response to partner touch
    Study

    n = 192

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    intranasal OXT selectively increased responses to partner touch in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc)
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In this randomized placebo (PLC)-controlled, between-group, pharmacofunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study involving 192 healthy volunteers (96 heterosexual couples), we intranasally administered 24 IU of the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) to either the man or the woman.
  3. 03HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy volunteers in couples, intranasal oxytocin selectively increased anterior cingulate cortex responses to partner touch compared with placebo.

    In plain wordsIn healthy adults in couples, oxytocin increased a brain area's response to a partner's touch more than placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseAnterior cingulate cortex response to partner touch
    Study

    n = 192

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Importantly, intranasal OXT selectively increased responses to partner touch in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and anterior cingulate cortex.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In this randomized placebo (PLC)-controlled, between-group, pharmacofunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study involving 192 healthy volunteers (96 heterosexual couples), we intranasally administered 24 IU of the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) to either the man or the woman.
  4. 04HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    Under oxytocin, nucleus accumbens activation to partner touch correlated positively with subjects' evaluation of their relationship quality.

    In plain wordsAfter oxytocin, stronger brain reward responses to a partner's touch were linked to higher ratings of relationship quality.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    Not applicableCorrelation of NAcc activation with relationship quality under oxytocin
    Study

    n = 192

    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasalAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Under OXT, NAcc activations to partner touch positively correlated with the subjects' evaluation of their relationship quality.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In this randomized placebo (PLC)-controlled, between-group, pharmacofunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study involving 192 healthy volunteers (96 heterosexual couples), we intranasally administered 24 IU of the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) to either the man or the woman.

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.

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