← Human Trials & Peer-Reviewed Studies
Effects of oxytocin and prosocial behavior on brain responses to direct and vicariously experienced pain
Plain-language guide to PMID 19102589 (2008): double-blind randomized controlled trial study of Oxytocin in 20 participants.
Key Facts
- PMID
- 19102589
- Journal
- Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
- Year
- 2008
- Study type
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Authors
- Singer T et al. (7 authors)
- DOI
- 10.1037/a0014195
What This Study Did, in Plain Language
What Was Tested
This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Oxytocin.
To do so, the researchers measured brain activity in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 20 male participants either receiving painful stimulation to their own hand (self condition) or observing their female partner receiving painful stimulation to her hand (other condition).
Who Took Part
The study group was 20 participants.
PubMed indexes the participants as young adults and adults, men only.
Prosocial behavior was measured using a monetary economic interaction game with which participants classified as prosocial (N = 12) or selfish (N = 6), depending on whether they cooperated with another player.
How the Study Was Run
The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.
The participants were allocated by chance, so the Oxytocin group and the comparison group should start out alike.
Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Oxytocin, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.
A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Oxytocin group a baseline to be compared against.
What Was Measured
To do so, the researchers measured brain activity in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 20 male participants either receiving painful stimulation to their own hand (self condition) or observing their female partner receiving painful stimulation to her hand (other condition).
Topics PubMed links to this paper include Amygdala, Attitude to Health, Electrodes, Hand, Oxytocics, Oxytocin and Pain.
What This Means in Plain Language
The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Oxytocin in 20 participants.
With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.
The publication is from 2008 (Emotion (Washington, D.C.)), a journal based in United States.
More context: the Oxytocin compound page, all human trials.
Our Notes on the Compound
Oxytocin: A peptide hormone with established obstetric medical uses and a less settled role in research on behavior, sexual function and appetite.
Related Pages
Source: PubMed record. This explanation is written by PeptideWhiz from the public record. For research and education only. Not medical advice; no dosing information is given.