Oxytocin modulation of amygdala functional connectivity to fearful faces in generalized social anxiety disorder

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Oxytocin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine the effects of OXT on amygdala functional connectivity during the processing of fearful faces in GSAD subjects and healthy controls (HCs).

Why It Was Studied

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is thought to attenuate anxiety by dampening amygdala reactivity to threat in individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD).

Because the brain is organized into networks of interconnected areas, it is likely that OXT impacts functional coupling between the amygdala and other socio-emotional areas of the brain.

Who Took Part

The study group was 17 subjects.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, men only.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The subjects were allocated by chance, so the Oxytocin group and the comparison group should start out alike.

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

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Oxytocin group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Amygdala, Anti-Anxiety Agents, Anxiety Disorders, Brain Mapping, Face, Facial Expression and Facial Recognition.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Oxytocin in 17 subjects.

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 2015 (Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology), a journal based in England.

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