Intranasal Oxytocin (24IU) Investigated for Regulatory Effects on Emotional Face Processing

Oxytocin and vasopressin modulate social behavior and emotion processing, including empathy and negative emotion. While oxytocin influences neural and behavioral responses to emotional faces and top-down attention, direct comparisons of intranasal versus oral administration routes for these effects are lacking. Understanding these differential effects is crucial for optimizing therapeutic strategies targeting social cognition and emotional regulation in conditions like autism spectrum disorder or social anxiety.

This study aims to investigate the regulatory effects of intranasal oxytocin (24IU) on attentional processing of emotional faces. The design includes comparing the effects of oxytocin delivered via intranasal and oral administration routes. Primary endpoints involve assessing neural functional connectivity during emotional scene processing, measured approximately 45-70 minutes post-treatment. Secondary analyses will explore correlations between neural activation and behavioral responses across both administration methods. The study seeks to clarify route-specific impacts on social cognition.