Oral Oxytocin Facilitates Responses to Emotional Faces in Reward and Emotional-Processing Networks in Females.

Lan C, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Kou J, Huang L, Xu T, Yang X, Xu D, Yang W, Kendrick KM, Zhao W

Neuroendocrinology13 May 2023Cited by 12 (Europe PMC)

PMID37231816DOI10.1159/000531064PepBankPUB-37231816

Publisher page PubMedAsk about this study

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.

01HumanRandomized controlled trialPharmacokinetics
In healthy females, oral oxytocin significantly increased plasma oxytocin concentration changes versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy women, oral oxytocin spray raised blood oxytocin more than placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreasePlasma oxytocin concentration change
Study
n = 70
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Pharmacokinetics · Pharmacology
Studied dose
24 IU · oral (lingual spray)As given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
oral OXT significantly increased plasma OXT concentration changes
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Seventy healthy females participated in the current randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial, and the results were compared with our previous data from 75 males who underwent the same protocol.
Summary · context
Participants were randomly assigned to OXT (24 IU) or placebo (PLC) groups and completed an implicit emotional face paradigm (angry/fear/happy/neutral) where they were only required to identify face gender.
Report a problemFND-3723181601
02HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy females, oral oxytocin enhanced putamen responses to all emotional faces compared with placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy women, oral oxytocin spray increased a reward-region brain response to emotional faces compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreasePutamen response to emotional faces
Study
n = 70
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
24 IU · oral (lingual spray)As given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
enhanced putamen responses to all emotional faces compared to PLC in females.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Seventy healthy females participated in the current randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial, and the results were compared with our previous data from 75 males who underwent the same protocol.
Summary · context
Participants were randomly assigned to OXT (24 IU) or placebo (PLC) groups and completed an implicit emotional face paradigm (angry/fear/happy/neutral) where they were only required to identify face gender.
Report a problemFND-3723181602
03HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy females, oral oxytocin increased left amygdala activity to happy and angry faces versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy women, oral oxytocin spray increased amygdala activity to happy and angry faces compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreaseLeft amygdala activity to happy and angry faces
Study
n = 70
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
24 IU · oral (lingual spray)As given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
OXT increased left amygdala activity to happy and angry faces
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Seventy healthy females participated in the current randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial, and the results were compared with our previous data from 75 males who underwent the same protocol.
Summary · context
Participants were randomly assigned to OXT (24 IU) or placebo (PLC) groups and completed an implicit emotional face paradigm (angry/fear/happy/neutral) where they were only required to identify face gender.
Report a problemFND-3723181603
04HumanRandomized controlled trialMechanism
In healthy females, oral oxytocin enhanced putamen-superior temporal gyrus functional coupling during processing of happy faces versus placebo.
In plain wordsIn healthy women, oral oxytocin spray strengthened the link between two brain regions while viewing happy faces, compared with placebo.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
IncreasePutamen-superior temporal gyrus coupling during happy faces
Study
n = 70
Comparator
Placebo
Outcome group
Brain and neuronal activity · Nervous system and cognition
Studied dose
24 IU · oral (lingual spray)As given in this study (human).
Source sentences
Summary
enhanced putamen-superior temporal gyrus functional coupling during processing of happy faces in females which was significantly different from males.
2 context sentences(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Seventy healthy females participated in the current randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-imaging clinical trial, and the results were compared with our previous data from 75 males who underwent the same protocol.
Summary · context
Participants were randomly assigned to OXT (24 IU) or placebo (PLC) groups and completed an implicit emotional face paradigm (angry/fear/happy/neutral) where they were only required to identify face gender.
Report a problemFND-3723181604

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.

Version 2Current
11 Oct 2026, 00:50 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:48 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

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