Oxytocin's Influence on Eye-Contact Induced Interpersonal Motor Resonance Explored in Human Study

Improving social functioning is crucial for conditions like schizophrenia, where social disability is a hallmark. Eye contact is a salient social cue known to increase interpersonal motor resonance (IMR), a mirror-motor mapping in the primary motor cortex (M1). Oxytocin, a nine-amino acid neuropeptide, is recognized for promoting prosocial behavior and the perception of social stimuli like eye gaze. This study aims to clarify the link between oxytocin and its potential to influence eye-contact induced IMR, addressing a gap in understanding this fundamental social mechanism.

Investigators aimed to explore whether oral oxytocin administration influences interpersonal motor resonance (IMR) evoked by direct eye contact. The study involved a conversation between two strangers, occurring 45 minutes after drug administration. Participants received either oral oxytocin via a lollipop or a placebo control. Primary outcomes included assessing the effect of oral oxytocin on error rates of saccade/anti-saccade tasks in response to social (faces) and non-social (shape) cues, measured between 45 and 100 minutes post-administration. Previous work, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), demonstrated that direct eye contact enhances mirror-motor mapping in the primary motor cortex (M1).