How belief changes the pain we feel when we see others hurt
The Power of Belief: Expectation-driven and Placebo Modulation of Empathic Pain
We will test whether telling healthy adults they received oxytocin (or giving real oxytocin) changes how much pain they feel when watching others in pain during brain scans.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 120 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 30 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Chengdu, Sichuan and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT07367672 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Healthy adult volunteers are randomly assigned to one of three groups: no-treatment control, a placebo nasal spray described as oxytocin, or a real oxytocin nasal spray. While undergoing functional MRI, participants watch naturalistic videos of people in painful situations and rate the pain they perceive. Behavioral responses will be transformed into analgesia-weighted scores, and neural data will include voxel-wise activity, multivariate predictive patterns, and directed functional connectivity analyses. Group comparisons will test how cognitive belief and oxytocin change subjective empathic pain and the brain network interactions that support it.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Healthy adults without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders and not taking psychotropic medications are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People with psychiatric or neurological histories, those on psychotropic medications, or anyone seeking direct clinical pain treatment are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show ways to reduce empathic distress by using expectations or neuromodulators, informing future approaches to manage excessive empathic pain.
How similar studies have performed: Previous placebo and oxytocin studies in pain and social processing have produced promising but mixed results, so similar approaches have shown some success but are not yet conclusive.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * (1) Healthy subjects without any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders; (2) Healthy subjects without any current psychotherapeutic medication. Exclusion Criteria: * (1) Participant with any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders; (2)Participant with any current psychotherapeutic medication.
Where this trial is running
Chengdu, Sichuan and 1 other locations
- Weihua Zhao — Chengdu, Sichuan, China (Recruiting)
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China — Chengdu, China (Enrolling_by_invitation)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Weihua Zhao
- Email: zarazhao@uestc.edu.cn
- Phone: +8618780247797
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.