Cited by 307Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorExperimental Behavioral Economics StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Effects of intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin on cooperative behavior and associated brain activity in men

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Rilling, James K., DeMarco, Ashley C., Hackett, Patrick D., Thompson, Richmond, Ditzen, Beate, Patel, Rajan, Pagnoni, Giuseppe·2012·Psychoneuroendocrinology

Abstract

The neural mechanisms supporting social bonds between adult men remain uncertain. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we investigate the impact of intranasally administered oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) on behavior and brain activity among men in the context of an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game, which models a real-life social situation. fMRI results show that, relative to both AVP and placebo, OT increases the caudate nucleus response to reciprocated cooperation, which may augment the reward of reciprocated cooperation and/or facilitate learning that another person can be trusted. OT also enhances left amygdala activation in response to reciprocated cooperation. Behaviorally, OT was associated with increased rates of cooperation following unreciprocated cooperation in the previous round compared with AVP. AVP strongly increased cooperation in response to a cooperative gesture by the partner compared with both placebo and OT. In response to reciprocated cooperation, AVP increased activation in a region spanning known vasopressin circuitry implicated in affiliative behaviors in other species. Finally, both OT and AVP increase amygdala functional connectivity with the anterior insula relative to placebo, which may increase the amygdala's ability to elicit visceral somatic markers that guide decision making. These findings extend our knowledge of the neural and behavioral effects of OT and AVP to the context of genuine social interactions.

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Authors
Rilling, J. K., DeMarco, A. C., Hackett, P. D., Thompson, R., Ditzen, B., Patel, R., & Pagnoni, G.
Affiliations
  • Emory University (US)
  • Bowdoin College (US)
  • University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
Corresponding author
Rilling, James K.
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-04
Volume
37
Issue
4
Pages
447-461
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2098974252
Cited by
303
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 18
FWCI
36.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • IRIS UNIMORE (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000454)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH084068)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
oxytocin, vasopressin, intranasal administration, cooperation, prisoner's dilemma, social bonding, caudate nucleus, amygdala, anterior insula, functional connectivity, trust, reward, affiliative behavior, men
MeSH terms
Administration, Intranasal, Adolescent, Arginine Vasopressin, Brain, Cooperative Behavior, Double-Blind Method, Game Theory, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Oxytocin, Young Adult, Functional Neuroimaging

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