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Modulation of resting-state amygdala-frontal functional connectivity by oxytocin in generalized social anxiety disorder
Plain-language guide to PMID 24594871 (2014): double-blind randomized controlled trial study of Oxytocin in 18 participants.
Key Facts
- PMID
- 24594871
- Journal
- Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- Year
- 2014
- Study type
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Authors
- Dodhia S et al. (7 authors)
- DOI
- 10.1038/npp.2014.53
What This Study Did, in Plain Language
What Was Tested
Researchers studied Oxytocin in this randomized controlled trial publication.
The aim of the current study was to examine OXT's effects on amygdala-frontal resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in GSAD patients and healthy controls (HCs).
Why It Was Studied
Generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD) is characterized by aberrant patterns of amygdala-frontal connectivity to social signals of threat and at rest.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) modulates anxiety, stress, and social behaviors.
Who Took Part
According to the abstract, 18 participants were involved.
By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were young adults, adults and middle-aged adults, men only.
How the Study Was Run
The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover.
Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Oxytocin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.
Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Oxytocin, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.
The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Oxytocin could be set against what happens without it.
Each person switched between Oxytocin and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.
What Was Measured
Topics PubMed links to this paper include Amygdala, Anxiety Disorders, Central Nervous System Agents, Frontal Lobe, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Neural Pathways.
What This Means in Plain Language
The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Oxytocin in 18 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 2014 (Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology), a journal based in England.
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.