Oromucosal Oxytocin and Vasopressin Modulation of Emotional Face Attention

What Was Tested

The trial (not phased) is built around Oxytocin and Vasopressin.

The main questions it aims to answer are: 1.

It had three arms (groups): oxytocin (OT) group (experimental), Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) Group (experimental) and one (placebo comparator).

The registry classes the interventions as drug.

More on the Plan

Oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are neuropeptides involved in social and emotional processing.

In addition, emerging evidence indicates that oromucosal and intranasal OT administration may produce similar behavioral effects but different neural response patterns.

The present study therefore extends previous work by examining the behavioral and neural effects of oromucosally administered OT and AVP within the same emotional attention paradigm.

Participants will allow the treatment to be absorbed through the oral mucosa for approximately 5 minutes, followed by a 30-minute resting period and post-treatment blood sampling before fMRI scanning.

Who Took Part

The registry lists 120 planned participants were the target.

It was open to people of any sex aged from 18 years up to 30 years.

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

Examples of who could join: Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders. Normal or corrected-to-normal vision. Eligible for MRI scanning and willing to undergo blood sampling and study treatment administration. For naturally cycling female participants, willingness and ability to complete the experimental session within the predefined menstrual-cycle phase, determined using menstrual history and urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) testing. Willing to comply with study requirements regarding alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, medication use, and other pre-session restrictions.

The full record lists 5 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria; among the exclusions: history of head injury or epilepsy or seizure disorders; current or past major psychiatric, neurological, or serious medical illness that may affect participant safety or study outcomes; current use of psychoactive medications, hormonal medications, or other medications that may substantially affect central nervous system or neuroendocrine function.

How the Study Was Run

It was run as a randomized, parallel-group and double-blind study.

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

Groups ran in parallel: each of the participants stayed in one arm throughout.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Oxytocin, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Those kept unaware of assignments: participant and investigator.

It started in 2026-09-18 with completion listed for 2026-12-18.

It ran at 1 site in China.

Its stated primary purpose is treatment.

What Was Measured

Researchers chose this as the main measure: Behavioral Performance in the Emotional Face Attention Tasks (time frame: During the fMRI task session, approximately 1 hour). BOLD Responses in Predefined Brain Regions and Networks (time frame: During the fMRI task session, approximately 1 hour).

It also tracked 1 secondary outcome, for example Peripheral Oxytocin and Arginine Vasopressin Levels.

What This Means in Plain Language

Put simply, this is a not phased, randomized trial of Oxytocin and Vasopressin in 120 people.

It is still recruiting; no results are posted to the registry yet, so nothing here describes outcomes.

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