Oxytocin does not improve performance of patients with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers in a facial emotion matching task
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin improves the performance in facial emotion recognition tests in healthy volunteers and in individuals with schizophrenia. Different paradigms are used in emotion recognition tasks, engaging different neurobiological bases. To date, the effects of oxytocin in facial emotion matching tasks have not been studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of intranasal oxytocin in a facial emotion matching task in patients with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers. Twenty patients and 20 healthy volunteers received 48 IU intranasal oxytocin and placebo in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, within subjects design. Fifty minutes after treatment, subjects completed a facial emotion matching task and three control tests. Oxytocin failed to improve facial affect processing, in contrast with previous results. Possible explanations are the fact that we used a facial emotion matching paradigm instead of emotion labeling tasks and a higher dose of oxytocin than the one used in most similar studies.
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Recent trials found no effect of intranasal oxytocin in schizophrenia patients or healthy volunteers.
“They show no effect of intranasal oxytocin on patients with schizophrenia or healthy volunteers (102,103)”
From Intranasal Oxytocin: Myths and Delusions (2016) · cites this paper as [102]
Several recent trials meet some of these recommended conditions, especially by reporting clear primary outcomes.
“Several recent trials conform to some of these conditions, particularly in reporting clear primary outcomes.”
From Intranasal Oxytocin: Myths and Delusions (2016) · cites this paper as [102]
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- Authors
- Horta de Macedo, L. R., Zuardi, A. W., Machado-de-Sousa, J. P., Chagas, M. H. N., & Hallak, J. E. C.
- Affiliations
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 220
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 125-128
- ISSN
- 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2046053576
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 6
- FWCI
- 7.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Keywords
- oxytocin, schizophrenia, facial emotion recognition, intranasal administration, emotional processing, placebo effect, neuropeptides
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Double-Blind Method, Emotions, Facial Expression, Humans, Male, Neuropeptides, Oxytocin, Schizophrenia, Social Perception, Treatment Outcome, Healthy Volunteers
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