The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Thermal Pain in Healthy Men: A Randomized Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Intranasal oxytocin has been shown to affect human social and emotional processing, but its potential to affect pain remains elusive. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial investigated the effect of intranasal oxytocin on the perception and processing of noxious experimental heat in 36 healthy male volunteers. METHODS: Thermal thresholds were determined according to the Quantitative Sensory Testing protocol. A functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment including intensity and unpleasantness ratings of tonic heat was used to investigate the effects of oxytocin within the brain. RESULTS: Thirty men (aged 18-50 years) were included in the study. Intranasal oxytocin had no significant effect on thermal thresholds, but significantly (t = -2.06, p = .046) reduced heat intensity ratings during functional magnetic resonance imaging. The effect on intensity ratings was small (-3.46 points on a 100-point visual analog scale [95% confidence interval {CI} = -6.86 to -0.07] and independent of temperature. No effects of oxytocin on stimulus- or temperature-related processing were found at the whole-brain level at a robust statistical threshold. A region of interest analysis indicated that oxytocin caused small but significant decreases in left (-0.045%, 95% CI = -0.087 to -0.003, t = -2.19, p = .037) and right (-0.051%, 95% CI = -0.088 to -0.014], t = -2.82, p = .008) amygdala activity across all temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence for a significant but subtle inhibitory effect of oxytocin on thermal stimulus ratings and concurrent amygdala activity. Neither of the two effects significantly depended of temperature; therefore, the hypothesis of a pain-specific effect of oxytocin could not be confirmed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EUDRA-CT 2009-015115-40.
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In the citing paper
“To our knowledge, there is little neuroimaging work in females focusing on oxytocin and its influence on neural systems for pain processing, as most published work is exclusively on males and/or is focused on empathy for pain.54, 55, 56, 57”
From Intranasal oxytocin enhances intrinsic corticostriatal functional connectivity in women (2017) · cites this paper as [56]
In the citing paper
“However, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies have produced mixed results.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“Most reports have not demonstrated any specific antinociceptive properties for oxytocin 23, 24, 25, including a phase 1 open‐label trial using intrathecal administration 26.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“Experimental studies on healthy volunteers using acute noxious electrical, contact heat and cold‐pressor stimuli have produced further conflicting results.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“existing studies have either failed to show a mitigating effect of oxytocin on negative mood 27 or have shown that such an effect was not related to the pain experience 23.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [23]
Citations
Cites
Desikan, R. S., Ségonne, F., Fischl, B., Quinn, B. T., Dickerson, B. C., Blacker, D., Buckner, R. L., Dale, A. M., Maguire, R. P., Hyman, B. T., et al. (2006) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.01.021 · Cited by 13,324
The validation of visual analogue scales as ratio scale measures for chronic and experimental pain
Price, D. D., McGrath, P. A., Rafii, A., & Buckingham, B. (1983) · Pain · doi:10.1016/0304-3959(83)90126-4 · Cited by 3,921
Statistical Parametric Mapping: The Analysis of Functional Brain Images
Penny, W. D., Friston, K. J., Ashburner, J., Kiebel, S. J., & Thomas, N. (2007) · UCL Discovery (University College London) · Cited by 3,339
Rolke, R., Baron, R., Maier, C., Tölle, T. R., Treede, R., Beyer, A., Binder, A., Birbaumer, N., Birklein, F., Bötefür, I. C., et al. (2006) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2006.01.041 · Cited by 2,606
Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects
(2014) · Jahrbuch für Wissenschaft und Ethik · doi:10.1515/jwiet-2014-0117 · Cited by 2,483
Region of interest analysis using an SPM toolbox
Brett, M. (2002) · NeuroImage · Cited by 2,273
Oxytocin Modulates Neural Circuitry for Social Cognition and Fear in Humans
Kirsch, P., Esslinger, C., Chen, Q., Mier, D., Lis, S., Siddhanti, S., Gruppe, H., Mattay, V. S., Gallhofer, B., & Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (2005) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.3984-05.2005 · Cited by 1,639
Social effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter
Bartz, J. A., Zaki, J., Bolger, N., & Ochsner, K. N. (2011) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2011.05.002 · Cited by 1,581 · cited 1×
“These circumstances may have limited the efficacy of oxytocin in comparison to previous studies, as the effects of oxytocin have repeatedly been shown to depend on social context and associated beliefs (35).”
ResultPuzzlingly High Correlations in fMRI Studies of Emotion, Personality, and Social Cognition
Vul, E., Harris, C., Winkielman, P., & Pashler, H. (2009) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01125.x · Cited by 1,475 · cited 1×
“However, we think that strict correction for multiple comparisons is vital for fMRI research (34).”
BackgroundSniffing neuropeptides: A transnasal approach to the human brain
Born, J., Lange, T., Kern, W., McGregor, G. P., Bickel, U., & Fehm, H. L. (2002) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn0602-849 · Cited by 1,356
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Dissecting the Role of Oxytocin in the Formation and Loss of Social Relationships
Hurlemann, R., & Scheele, D. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.05.013 · Cited by 136
Ma, Y., Shamay-Tsoory, S., Han, S., & Zink, C. F. (2016) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2015.10.009 · Cited by 131
Grace, S. A., Rossell, S. L., Heinrichs, M., Kordsachia, C., & Labuschagne, I. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.031 · Cited by 120
Intranasal oxytocin enhances intrinsic corticostriatal functional connectivity in women
Bethlehem, R. A. I., Lombardo, M. V., Lai, M.-C., Auyeung, B., Crockford, S. K., Deakin, J., Soubramanian, S., Sule, A., Kundu, P., Voon, V, et al. (2017) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2017.72 · Cited by 96
“as most published work is exclusively on males and/or is focused on empathy for pain (Singer et al., 2008; Bos et al., 2015; Zunhammer et al., 2015; Paloyelis et al., 2016).”
Oxytocin enhances the pain‐relieving effects of social support in romantic couples
Kreuder, A., Wassermann, L., Wollseifer, M., Ditzen, B., Eckstein, M., Stoffel‐Wagner, B., Hennig, J., Hurlemann, R., & Scheele, D. (2019) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.24368 · Cited by 62
Metadata
- Authors
- Zunhammer, M., Geis, S., Busch, V., Greenlee, M. W., & Eichhammer, P.
- Affiliations
- Society for Neuroscience (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zunhammer, Matthias
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 2015-02
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 156-166
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1998476154
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 10.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Keywords
- intranasal oxytocin, thermal pain, pain intensity, amygdala activity, temperature thresholds, placebo effect, pain modulation
- MeSH terms
- Administration, Intranasal, Adolescent, Adult, Brain, Hot Temperature, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Oxytocin, Pain Measurement, Young Adult, Pain Perception, Functional Neuroimaging
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