Oral oxytocin and atosiban effects on attention control

The Influence and Regulatory Role of Exogenous and Endogenous Oxytocin on Top-down Attention in Humans

This trial will test whether lingual-spray oxytocin or the blocker atosiban can change top-down attention in healthy adult men.

Quick facts

• Phase: EARLY_PHASE1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 250 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 35 Years
• Sex: Male
• Sponsor: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Chengdu, Sichuan)
• Trial ID: NCT07140237 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject early-phase experiment in healthy male volunteers comparing two doses of lingual oxytocin (24 IU and 48 IU), atosiban, and placebo. Participants complete baseline questionnaires, provide blood and saliva samples, receive timed sublingual/supragingival medication administrations, and then complete an antisaccade eye-tracking task while researchers record latency, error rate, and pupil size. Samples are taken before and after dosing to link peripheral markers with behavioral effects, and state anxiety is measured before and after the behavioral paradigm. The design tests dose- and task-dependence and whether effects are mediated via oxytocin receptors using the antagonist atosiban.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Healthy adult men without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders, not using psychotropic medications (including nicotine), and with normal vision are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People with current or past neurological or psychiatric disorders, those using psychotropic drugs or nicotine, women (this protocol enrolls only men), or those with visual impairments are unlikely to benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the results could point to a non-invasive way to alter attention control and guide future treatments targeting oxytocin signaling.

How similar studies have performed: Intranasal oxytocin studies have shown mixed effects on social attention, while lingual oxytocin administration and use of the antagonist atosiban in humans remain relatively novel and less tested.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy male subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of or current neurological/psychiatric disorders;
* Use of psychotropic medications (including nicotine)
* Visual impairments

Where this trial is running

Chengdu, Sichuan

• School of Life science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China — Chengdu, Sichuan, China (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Keith M Kendrick, PhD

Conditions: Healthy Adult Male, Oxytocin, Atosiban, Eye-tracking, Autistic trait, attention