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Study · Randomized controlled trial · n = 220 · 2022

2 results

Intranasal oxytocin administration impacts the acquisition and consolidation of trauma-associated memories: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled experimental study in healthy women.

Schultebraucks K, Maslahati T, Wingenfeld K, Hellmann-Regen J, Kraft J, Kownatzki M, Behnia B, Ripke S, Otte C, Roepke S

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology9 Dec 2021Cited by 21 (Europe PMC)

PMID34887528 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC8938422 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1038/s41386-021-01247-4 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-34887528
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Summary

Intrusive memories are a hallmark symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and oxytocin has been implicated in the formation of intrusive memories. This study investigates how oxytocin influences the acquisition and consolidation of trauma-associated memories and whether these effects are influenced by individual neurobiological and genetic differences. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 220 healthy women received either a single dose of intranasal 24IU oxytocin or a placebo before exposure to a trauma film paradigm that solicits intrusive memories. We used a "general random forest" machine learning approach to examine whether differences in the noradrenergic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, polygenic risk for psychiatric disorders, and genetic polymorphism of the oxytocin receptor influence the effect of oxytocin on the acquisition and consolidation of intrusive memories. Oxytocin induced significantly more intrusive memories than placebo did (t(188.33) = 2.12, p = 0.035, Cohen's d = 0.30, 95% CI 0.16-0.44). As hypothesized, we found that the effect of oxytocin on intrusive memories was influenced by biological covariates, such as salivary cortisol, heart rate variability, and PTSD polygenic risk scores. The five factors that were most relevant to the oxytocin effect on intrusive memories were included in a Poisson regression, which showed that, besides oxytocin administration, higher polygenic loadings for PTSD and major depressive disorder were directly associated with a higher number of reported intrusions after exposure to the trauma film stressor. These results suggest that intranasal oxytocin amplifies the acquisition and consolidation of intrusive memories and that this effect is modulated by neurobiological and genetic factors. Trial registration: NCT03031405.
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study2

2 results from studies that gave the peptide. 2 results from people.

  1. 01HumanRandomized controlled trialEfficacy outcome

    In healthy women, a single dose of intranasal oxytocin induced more intrusive memories than placebo after a trauma film.

    In plain wordsIn healthy women, oxytocin nasal spray led to more intrusive memories than placebo after a trauma film.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseIntrusive memories after trauma film
    Study

    n = 220

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Cognition and memory · Mental health and mood
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasal · single doseAs given in this study (human).

    Measurements

    Cohen's d
    0.3
    OT versus placebo

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Oxytocin induced significantly more intrusive memories than placebo did (t(188.33) = 2.12, p = 0.035, Cohen's d = 0.30, 95% CI 0.16-0.44).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 220 healthy women received either a single dose of intranasal 24IU oxytocin or a placebo before exposure to a trauma film paradigm that solicits intrusive memories.
  2. 02HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism

    In healthy women, the oxytocin effect on intrusive memories was influenced by salivary cortisol, heart rate variability and PTSD polygenic risk scores.

    In plain wordsIn healthy women, the effect of oxytocin on intrusive memories depended on stress hormone levels, heart rate variability and genetic risk for PTSD.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    Not applicableBiological moderators of oxytocin effect on intrusive memories
    Study

    n = 220

    Outcome group
    Cognition and memory · Mental health and mood
    Studied dose
    24 IU · intranasal · single doseAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    As hypothesized, we found that the effect of oxytocin on intrusive memories was influenced by biological covariates, such as salivary cortisol, heart rate variability, and PTSD polygenic risk scores.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 220 healthy women received either a single dose of intranasal 24IU oxytocin or a placebo before exposure to a trauma film paradigm that solicits intrusive memories.

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 applicableNCT03031405

The Effect of Oxytocin on the Acquisition and Consolidation of Trauma-Associated Memories

Charite University, Berlin, Germanyn = 22015 Jan 2017 to 30 Jun 2018

Intrusive Memories

Trial pageClinicalTrials.govUpdated 21 Aug 2018

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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