Effects of intranasal oxytocin on fear, pain and aversive memory

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Oxytocin.

With this in mind, this study aims to investigate the effects of inhaled oxytocin on fear, pain perception and aversive memory in humans, as well as the relationship between them.

Why It Was Studied

Oxytocin plays an important and well-known role in promoting social interaction in maternal, sexual and interpersonal behaviors.

The participants were divided into two experimental designs, A and B, with within-subject comparisons conducted.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 65 volunteers were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were young adults and adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

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

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

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

The timeline in the abstract includes 7 days.

What Was Measured

Its effects on pain were investigated by means of the Cold Pressor Test, keeping records of pain threshold and tolerance, as well as of its intensity using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and its classification using the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

The effects on fear were investigated using the Trauma Film Paradigm, with the intensity of fear measured by means of the VAS, as well as aversion, attention and immersion in the film.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Oxytocin, Fear, Memory, Pain, Pain Perception, Pain Threshold and Pain Measurement.

The authors tagged it with the keywords Mood.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of Oxytocin in 65 volunteers over 7 days.

The publication is from 2026 (Neuropeptides), a journal based in Netherlands.

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