Oxytocin reduces a chemosensory-induced stress bias in social perception.

Maier A, Scheele D, Spengler FB, Menba T, Mohr F, Güntürkün O, Stoffel-Wagner B, Kinfe TM, Maier W, Khalsa SS, Hurlemann R

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology12 Apr 2018Cited by 27 (Europe PMC)

PMID29703998PMCIDPMC6300531DOI10.1038/s41386-018-0063-3PepBankPUB-29703998

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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 study6

6 results from studies that gave the peptide. 6 results from people.

01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome
In healthy adults exposed to stress sweat, intranasal oxytocin diminished the stress-induced bias in emotional face recognition accuracy towards fear versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults smelling stress sweat, oxytocin spray reduced the tilt toward seeing fear in faces, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseStress-induced recognition accuracy bias towards fear
Study
n = 58
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
OXT diminished stress-induced recognition accuracy and response time biases towards fear.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Here, we investigated whether OXT selectively diminishes behavioral and neural responses to social chemosensory stress cues utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled, within-subject functional MRI study design.
Summary · context
Subsequently, 58 healthy participants (30 females) completed a forced-choice emotional face recognition task with stimuli of varying intensities (neutral to fearful) while they were exposed to both sweat stimuli and a non-social control odor following intranasal OXT or PLC administration, respectively.
Report a problemFND-2970399801
02HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome
In healthy adults exposed to stress sweat, intranasal oxytocin diminished the stress-induced bias in response time towards fear versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults smelling stress sweat, oxytocin spray reduced the speed bias toward fearful faces, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseStress-induced response time bias towards fear
Study
n = 58
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
OXT diminished stress-induced recognition accuracy and response time biases towards fear.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Here, we investigated whether OXT selectively diminishes behavioral and neural responses to social chemosensory stress cues utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled, within-subject functional MRI study design.
Summary · context
Subsequently, 58 healthy participants (30 females) completed a forced-choice emotional face recognition task with stimuli of varying intensities (neutral to fearful) while they were exposed to both sweat stimuli and a non-social control odor following intranasal OXT or PLC administration, respectively.
Report a problemFND-2970399802
03HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy men and women exposed to stress sweat, intranasal oxytocin reduced stress-evoked amygdala responses versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy men and women smelling stress sweat, oxytocin spray lowered amygdala brain responses, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseStress-evoked amygdala response
Study
n = 58
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
On the neural level, OXT reduced stress-evoked responses in the amygdala in both sexes, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in females, and the hippocampus in males.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Here, we investigated whether OXT selectively diminishes behavioral and neural responses to social chemosensory stress cues utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled, within-subject functional MRI study design.
Summary · context
Subsequently, 58 healthy participants (30 females) completed a forced-choice emotional face recognition task with stimuli of varying intensities (neutral to fearful) while they were exposed to both sweat stimuli and a non-social control odor following intranasal OXT or PLC administration, respectively.
Report a problemFND-2970399803
04HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy adults exposed to stress sweat, intranasal oxytocin restored the functional connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex and the fusiform face area that stress odors had disrupted under placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults smelling stress sweat, oxytocin spray restored a brain link that stress odor had weakened under placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseFunctional connectivity between ACC and fusiform face area
Study
n = 58
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
Furthermore, OXT reinstated the functional connectivity between the ACC and the fusiform face area that was disrupted by stress odors under PLC.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Here, we investigated whether OXT selectively diminishes behavioral and neural responses to social chemosensory stress cues utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled, within-subject functional MRI study design.
Summary · context
Subsequently, 58 healthy participants (30 females) completed a forced-choice emotional face recognition task with stimuli of varying intensities (neutral to fearful) while they were exposed to both sweat stimuli and a non-social control odor following intranasal OXT or PLC administration, respectively.
Report a problemFND-2970399806
05HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy women exposed to stress sweat, intranasal oxytocin reduced stress-evoked responses in the anterior cingulate cortex versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy women smelling stress sweat, oxytocin spray lowered a brain response in the anterior cingulate, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseStress-evoked anterior cingulate cortex response in females
Study
n = 30
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
On the neural level, OXT reduced stress-evoked responses in the amygdala in both sexes, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in females, and the hippocampus in males.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Here, we investigated whether OXT selectively diminishes behavioral and neural responses to social chemosensory stress cues utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled, within-subject functional MRI study design.
Summary · context
Subsequently, 58 healthy participants (30 females) completed a forced-choice emotional face recognition task with stimuli of varying intensities (neutral to fearful) while they were exposed to both sweat stimuli and a non-social control odor following intranasal OXT or PLC administration, respectively.
Report a problemFND-2970399804
06HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy men exposed to stress sweat, intranasal oxytocin reduced stress-evoked responses in the hippocampus versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy men smelling stress sweat, oxytocin spray lowered a brain response in the hippocampus, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseStress-evoked hippocampus response in males
Study
n: not reported in source
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
Dose not stated · intranasalAs given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
On the neural level, OXT reduced stress-evoked responses in the amygdala in both sexes, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in females, and the hippocampus in males.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Here, we investigated whether OXT selectively diminishes behavioral and neural responses to social chemosensory stress cues utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLC)-controlled, within-subject functional MRI study design.
Summary · context
Subsequently, 58 healthy participants (30 females) completed a forced-choice emotional face recognition task with stimuli of varying intensities (neutral to fearful) while they were exposed to both sweat stimuli and a non-social control odor following intranasal OXT or PLC administration, respectively.
Report a problemFND-2970399805

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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.

Version 2Current
11 Oct 2026, 01:30 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:49 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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