Oral Vasopressin Modulates Neural Responses to Looming Visual Stimuli: An Eye-tracking Study

What Was Tested

This registered not phased trial tested Vasopressin.

It had two arms (groups): Vasopressin group (experimental) and Placebo group (placebo comparator).

Drug: Placebo.

The registry classes the interventions as drug.

More on the Plan

At the same time, the visual system's remarkable ability to perceive and interpret impending threats, notably through the "looming" phenomenon- a distinct pattern of optical expansion on the retina as objects approach, theoretically allows for precise estimation of the time-to-collision (TTC).

Within this context the present study aims to validate the effects of orally administered on the perception of time-to-collision of threatening and non-threatening stimuli.

The task paradigm will encompass threatening (butterfly, rabbit) and non-threatening (spider, snake) stimuli.

Who Took Part

80 planned participants were the target.

It was open to people of any sex aged from 18 years up to 40 years.

Healthy volunteers could join, not only people with the condition.

Examples of who could join: Healthy subjects who volunteer to participate and are able to fully understand and agree with this study by written informed consent. Normal or corrected-normal version.

The full record lists 2 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria; among the exclusions: history of neuropsychiatric diseases; history of cardiac disease, including arrhythmias, aortic stenosis, or congestive heart failure; history of syncope or unexplained loss of consciousness; history of hepatic diseases, including cholestasis, biliary obstructive disease, or severe liver dysfunction.

How the Study Was Run

Design: randomized, parallel-group and double-blind.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Vasopressin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

The Vasopressin group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

As a double-blind Vasopressin study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Those kept unaware of assignments: participant and investigator.

It started in 2024-03-05 with completion listed for 2025-06-01.

It ran at 1 site in China.

Its stated primary purpose is basic science.

What Was Measured

The main thing measured (primary outcome): Ratio of judged-time-to-collision to actual-time-to-collision for threatening versus non-threatening stimuli after oral vasopressin administration (time frame: 75 minutes - 105 minutes after treatment).

It also tracked 2 secondary outcomes, for example First saccade latency(ms) for threatening versus non-threatening stimuli after oral vasopressin administration and Fixation duration(ms) for threatening versus non-threatening stimuli after oral vasopressin administration.

What This Means in Plain Language

Put simply, this is a not phased, randomized trial of Vasopressin in 80 people.

Its status is unknown; no results are posted to the registry yet, so nothing here describes outcomes.

More context: the Vasopressin compound page, all human trials.