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Study · Randomized controlled trial · n = 40 · 2021

3 results

Oxytocin enhances neural approach towards social and non-social stimuli of high personal relevance.

Alaerts K, Taillieu A, Daniels N, Soriano JR, Prinsen J

Scientific reports8 Dec 2021Cited by 17 (Europe PMC)

PMID34880300 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC8655079 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1038/s41598-021-02914-8 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-34880300
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Summary

Oxytocin (OT) plays a pivotal role in a variety of complex social behaviors by modulating approach-avoidance motivational tendencies, but recently, its social specificity has been challenged. Here, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with forty young adult men, investigating the effect of a single-dose of OT (24 IU) on behavioral and neural approach-avoidance. Frontal alpha asymmetry, indexing neurophysiological approach-avoidance, was obtained from electroencephalographic recordings while participants were presented with a series of pictures, individually rated in terms of personal relevance (i.e., high versus low positive/negative emotional evocativeness) and categorized as social or non-social. Additionally, participants could prolong (approach) or shorten (avoid) the viewing-time of each picture, providing a measure of behavioral approach-avoidance. Intranasal OT enhanced both behavioral and neural approach (increased viewing-time), particularly towards negatively valenced pictures of both social and non-social nature, thus challenging the notion that OT's effects are specific to social stimuli. Neurally, OT specifically amplified approach-related motivational salience of stimuli that were self-rated to have high personal relevance, but irrespective of their social nature or rated affective valence (positive/negative). Together, these findings provide support to the General Approach-Avoidance Hypothesis of OT, suggesting a role of OT in amplifying the motivational salience of environmental stimuli with high (personal) relevance, but irrespective of their social/non-social nature.Clinical Trial Number: The study design was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04443647; 23/06/2020; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04443647 ).
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study3

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

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In young adult men, a single intranasal oxytocin dose increased behavioral approach (viewing time), particularly towards negatively valenced social and non-social pictures.

    In plain wordsIn young men, one oxytocin nasal dose made them look longer at pictures, most for negative pictures, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseBehavioral approach (picture viewing time)
    Study

    n = 40

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Intranasal OT enhanced both behavioral and neural approach (increased viewing-time), particularly towards negatively valenced pictures of both social and non-social nature, thus challenging the notion that OT's effects are specific to social stimuli.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Here, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with forty young adult men, investigating the effect of a single-dose of OT (24 IU) on behavioral and neural approach-avoidance.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In young adult men, a single intranasal oxytocin dose enhanced neural approach measured by frontal alpha asymmetry.

    In plain wordsIn young men, one oxytocin nasal dose increased a brain-wave measure of approach compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseNeural approach (frontal alpha asymmetry)
    Study

    n = 40

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Intranasal OT enhanced both behavioral and neural approach (increased viewing-time), particularly towards negatively valenced pictures of both social and non-social nature, thus challenging the notion that OT's effects are specific to social stimuli.
    2 context sentences
    Summary · context
    Frontal alpha asymmetry, indexing neurophysiological approach-avoidance
    Summary · context
    Here, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with forty young adult men, investigating the effect of a single-dose of OT (24 IU) on behavioral and neural approach-avoidance.
  3. 03HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In young adult men, oxytocin amplified the neural approach-related motivational salience of stimuli rated high in personal relevance, irrespective of social nature or valence.

    In plain wordsIn young men, oxytocin raised brain approach signals for pictures that mattered to them personally, whether social or not, compared with placebo.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseNeural approach to stimuli of high personal relevance
    Study

    n = 40

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

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Neurally, OT specifically amplified approach-related motivational salience of stimuli that were self-rated to have high personal relevance, but irrespective of their social nature or rated affective valence (positive/negative).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Here, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with forty young adult men, investigating the effect of a single-dose of OT (24 IU) on behavioral and neural approach-avoidance.

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

Registered trials1

Trials this study reports on, or that list this study as a reference. Registry data from ClinicalTrials.gov.

1 trial · 1 completed · source ClinicalTrials.gov (opens in a new tab)

CompletedNot applicableNCT04443647

Influence of Oxytocin on Approach-avoidance Tendencies to Social and Non-social Stimuli

KU Leuvenn = 6415 Dec 2018 to 30 Jan 2020

Basic Science

Trial pageClinicalTrials.govUpdated 23 Jun 2020

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, 02:49 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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