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Study · Randomized controlled trial · 2021

5 results

Oxytocin-induced facilitation of learning in a probabilistic task is associated with reduced feedback- and error-related negativity potentials.

Zhuang Q, Zhu S, Yang X, Zhou X, Xu X, Chen Z, Lan C, Zhao W, Becker B, Yao S, Kendrick KM

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)4 Dec 2020Cited by 19 (Europe PMC)

PMID33274683 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1177/0269881120972347 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-33274683
Publisher pagePubMedAsk about this study
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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 study5

5 results from studies that gave the peptide. 5 results from people.

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In a within-subject probabilistic learning task, intranasal oxytocin facilitated learning versus placebo, and the effect was maintained in the absence of feedback.

    In plain wordsIn a learning task, nasal oxytocin helped people learn compared with placebo, and the benefit stayed without feedback.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseLearning in a probabilistic task
    Study

    n: not reported in source

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Results showed that oxytocin facilitated learning and this effect was maintained in the absence of feedback.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The present study employed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled within-subject design to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) influenced behavioral and evoked electrophysiological potential responses to positive or negative feedback in a probabilistic learning task.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In a probabilistic learning task, intranasal oxytocin abolished the bias towards learning more from negative feedback seen under placebo, by increasing accuracy for positively reinforced stimuli.

    In plain wordsIn a learning task, nasal oxytocin removed the placebo bias towards learning from negative feedback by raising accuracy for rewarded cues.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseAccuracy for positively reinforced stimuli and bias towards negative feedback
    Study

    n: not reported in source

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Using novel stimulus pairings, we found that oxytocin abolished bias towards learning more from negative feedback under placebo by increasing accuracy for positively reinforced stimuli.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The present study employed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled within-subject design to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) influenced behavioral and evoked electrophysiological potential responses to positive or negative feedback in a probabilistic learning task.
  3. 03HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In a probabilistic learning task, intranasal oxytocin decreased the feedback-related negativity difference (negative minus positive feedback) versus placebo.

    In plain wordsIn a learning task, nasal oxytocin reduced the difference in brain responses to negative and positive feedback compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    DecreaseFeedback-related negativity difference
    Study

    n: not reported in source

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Oxytocin also decreased the feedback-related negativity difference (negative minus positive feedback) during learning, further suggesting that it rendered the evaluation of positive and negative feedback more equivalent.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The present study employed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled within-subject design to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) influenced behavioral and evoked electrophysiological potential responses to positive or negative feedback in a probabilistic learning task.
  4. 04HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    After learning, intranasal oxytocin attenuated error-related negativity amplitudes versus placebo.

    In plain wordsAfter a learning task, nasal oxytocin reduced an early brain response to errors compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    DecreaseError-related negativity amplitude
    Study

    n: not reported in source

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    post-learning oxytocin attenuated error-related negativity amplitudes
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The present study employed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled within-subject design to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) influenced behavioral and evoked electrophysiological potential responses to positive or negative feedback in a probabilistic learning task.
  5. 05HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    After learning, intranasal oxytocin increased the late error positivity versus placebo.

    In plain wordsAfter a learning task, nasal oxytocin increased a later brain response linked to error awareness compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseLate error positivity
    Study

    n: not reported in source

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    increased the late error positivity, suggesting that it may lower conflict detection between actual errors and expected correct responses at an early stage of processing but at a later stage increase error awareness and motivation for avoiding them.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The present study employed a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled within-subject design to investigate whether intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) influenced behavioral and evoked electrophysiological potential responses to positive or negative feedback in a probabilistic learning task.

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, 00:50 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 02:48 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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