Healthy Adult MaleNCT07425938
Oxytocin's Effects on Emotional Processing and Its Acting Routes
A study testing vasoconstrictor (Otrivin) and oxytocin in people with Healthy Adult Male, run by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
The main goal of this study is to investigate the modulatory effects of intranasally administrated oxytocin on the processing of emotional stimuli and its acting routes. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Adult Male
- What is being tested?
- vasoconstrictor (Otrivin) and oxytocin
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 24 Jan 2026to 15 Apr 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders
Who cannot join
- History of head injury.
- Medical or psychiatric illness.
- Subjects take a certain drug for a long period of time.
- Subjects have metal implants in their bodies.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC)
Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731
About this study
Official title: The Modulatory Effects of Oxytocin on Emotional Processing and Its Acting Routes
The main goal of this study is to investigate the modulatory effects of intranasally administrated oxytocin on the processing of emotional stimuli and its acting routes.
Read the detailed description
In recent years ample studies have reported that intranasally administered oxytocin (OT) can facilitate social motivation and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. However, it is still unclear how effects are mediated since intranasally administered OT can both directly enter the brain (nose to brain) and increase peripheral vascular concentrations (nose to blood). The relative functional contributions of these routes are not established and have received insufficient attention in the field. Therefore, the investigators use the vasoconstrictor (VC) pretreatment to prevent intranasal OT (24 IU) from increasing peripheral concentrations and combine fMRI, behavioral measures, with physiological recording to examine the modulatory effects of OT on implicit emotional processing and its acting routes. In total 120 male participants are recruited for this double-blind, between-subject, placebo-controlled study. After arriving at the laboratory, participants first completed questionnaires for about 30 minutes, and were then randomly assigned into 3 groups receiving intranasal administration of "VC + OT", "placebo (PLC) + OT", or "VC + PLC". Then, they complete a resting-state scan and two task-based scans lasting approximately 65 minutes in total. There is a sencond resting-state scan between two task-based scans, which is mainly used as a break between the two tasks. Blood samples are collected twice (after finishing questionnaires and 30 minutes post-treatment) for subsequent analyses of plasma OT concentrations. The two task-based scans consist of an implicit face-emotion processing task (gender judgments of faces) and an emotional scene processing task (judging whether a child/old people/building/dog is present in the picture). After scanning, there is a 40-minute picture rating task (emotional valence, intensity, and arousal). Questionnaires include State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory II, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Autism Spectrum Quotient, Social Responsiveness Scale-2, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.
- Conditions
- Healthy Adult Male
- Being tested
- placebo (compared to vasoconstrictor), vasoconstrictor (Otrivin), placebo (compared to oxytocin), oxytocin
- Keywords
- oxytocin, negative emotion, vasoconstrictor
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
placebo (compared to vasoconstrictor)Drug
intranasal administration of placebo (4 sprays of 0.9% saline and glycerin)
vasoconstrictor (Otrivin)Drug
intranasal administration of vasoconstrictor (4 sprays of 0.9% Otrivin)
placebo (compared to oxytocin)Drug
intranasal administration of placebo (24 IU)
oxytocinDrug
intranasal administration of oxytocin (24IU)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo and oxytocin group | Experimental | Subjects receive placebo of vasoconstrictor and oxytocin treatment Receives: Drug: placebo (compared to vasoconstrictor); Drug: oxytocin |
| Vasoconstrictor and oxytocin group | Experimental | Subjects receive vasoconstrictor and oxytocin treatment Receives: Drug: vasoconstrictor (Otrivin); Drug: oxytocin |
| Vasoconstrictor and placebo group | Placebo comparator | Subjects receive vasoconstrictor and placebo of oxytocin treatment Receives: Drug: vasoconstrictor (Otrivin); Drug: placebo (compared to oxytocin) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Brain activity in response to emotional stimuli during task-based fMRI scanning
Subjects receive task fMRI scanning after treatment. The investigators will compare the activation differences in the brain, specifically focusing on the amygdala, among three groups.
Measured: 1 hour
Changes in plasma oxytocin concentrations
Blood samples will be collected two times, with one sample collected after finishing questionnaires and the other one 30-minute post-treatment.
Measured: After finishing questionnaires and 30-minute post-treatment
Secondary outcomes (4)
The valence rating in response to different emotional stimuli
The valence rating scores (1~9) were collected in response to neutral, positive or negative emotional pictures. The higher the score (5~9), the more positive the participants consider the picture to be; the lower the score (1~5), the more negative the participants consider the picture to be. The rating scores will be collected after fMRI scanning.
Measured: 40 minutes
The intensity rating in response to different emotional stimuli
The intensity rating scores (1~9) were collected in response to neutral, positive or negative emotional pictures. The higher the score, the stronger the intensity level. The rating scores will be collected after fMRI scanning.
Measured: 40 minutes
The arousal rating in response to different emotional stimuli
The arousal rating scores (1~9) were collected in response to neutral, positive or negative emotional pictures. The higher the score, the stronger the arousal level. The rating scores will be collected after fMRI scanning.
Measured: 40 minutes
Resting-state fMRI
Subjects receive resting-state fMRI scanning before and after first task, with the sencond resting-state scan being mainly used as a break between the two tasks. The investigators will compare the resting-state functional connectivity (the amygdala as the seed region) among three groups.
Measured: 17 minutes in total with each lasting around 8.5 minutes.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Feb 2026
- Study start24 Jan 2026
- Primary completion15 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion15 Apr 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy Adult MaleStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Shuxia Yao, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- Investigators
- Shuxia Yao, Dr, Principal investigator, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07425938
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- UESTC-neuSCAN-106
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 28 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 23 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Modulatory Effects of Oxytocin on Emotional Processing and Its Acting Routes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07425938
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- UESTC-neuSCAN-106
- Conditions
- Healthy Adult Male
- Keywords
- oxytocin, negative emotion, vasoconstrictor
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 24 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 15 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 23 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The main goal of this study is to investigate the modulatory effects of intranasally administrated oxytocin on the processing of emotional stimuli and its acting routes.
Detailed description
In recent years ample studies have reported that intranasally administered oxytocin (OT) can facilitate social motivation and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. However, it is still unclear how effects are mediated since intranasally administered OT can both directly enter the brain (nose to brain) and increase peripheral vascular concentrations (nose to blood). The relative functional contributions of these routes are not established and have received insufficient attention in the field. Therefore, the investigators use the vasoconstrictor (VC) pretreatment to prevent intranasal OT (24 IU) from increasing peripheral concentrations and combine fMRI, behavioral measures, with physiological recording to examine the modulatory effects of OT on implicit emotional processing and its acting routes. In total 120 male participants are recruited for this double-blind, between-subject, placebo-controlled study. After arriving at the laboratory, participants first completed questionnaires for about 30 minutes, and were then randomly assigned into 3 groups receiving intranasal administration of "VC + OT", "placebo (PLC) + OT", or "VC + PLC". Then, they complete a resting-state scan and two task-based scans lasting approximately 65 minutes in total. There is a sencond resting-state scan between two task-based scans, which is mainly used as a break between the two tasks. Blood samples are collected twice (after finishing questionnaires and 30 minutes post-treatment) for subsequent analyses of plasma OT concentrations. The two task-based scans consist of an implicit face-emotion processing task (gender judgments of faces) and an emotional scene processing task (judging whether a child/old people/building/dog is present in the picture). After scanning, there is a 40-minute picture rating task (emotional valence, intensity, and arousal). Questionnaires include State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory II, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Autism Spectrum Quotient, Social Responsiveness Scale-2, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo and oxytocin group | Experimental | Drug: placebo (compared to vasoconstrictor), Drug: oxytocinSubjects receive placebo of vasoconstrictor and oxytocin treatment |
| Vasoconstrictor and oxytocin group | Experimental | Drug: vasoconstrictor (Otrivin), Drug: oxytocinSubjects receive vasoconstrictor and oxytocin treatment |
| Vasoconstrictor and placebo group | Placebo comparator | Drug: vasoconstrictor (Otrivin), Drug: placebo (compared to oxytocin)Subjects receive vasoconstrictor and placebo of oxytocin treatment |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Healthy subjects without past or current psychiatric or neurological disorders
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- History of head injury.
- Medical or psychiatric illness.
- Subjects take a certain drug for a long period of time.
- Subjects have metal implants in their bodies.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| placebo (compared to vasoconstrictor)intranasal administration of placebo (4 sprays of 0.9% saline and glycerin) | Drug | Placebo and oxytocin group |
| vasoconstrictor (Otrivin)intranasal administration of vasoconstrictor (4 sprays of 0.9% Otrivin) | Drug | Vasoconstrictor and oxytocin group, Vasoconstrictor and placebo group |
| placebo (compared to oxytocin)intranasal administration of placebo (24 IU) | Drug | Vasoconstrictor and placebo group |
| oxytocinintranasal administration of oxytocin (24IU) | Drug | Placebo and oxytocin group, Vasoconstrictor and oxytocin group |
Primary outcome
Brain activity in response to emotional stimuli during task-based fMRI scanning
Time frame: 1 hour
Subjects receive task fMRI scanning after treatment. The investigators will compare the activation differences in the brain, specifically focusing on the amygdala, among three groups.
Changes in plasma oxytocin concentrations
Time frame: After finishing questionnaires and 30-minute post-treatment
Blood samples will be collected two times, with one sample collected after finishing questionnaires and the other one 30-minute post-treatment.
4 secondary outcomes
The valence rating in response to different emotional stimuli
Time frame: 40 minutes
The intensity rating in response to different emotional stimuli
Time frame: 40 minutes
The arousal rating in response to different emotional stimuli
Time frame: 40 minutes
Resting-state fMRI
Time frame: 17 minutes in total with each lasting around 8.5 minutes.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Shuxia Yao, Dr principal investigator
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing vasoconstrictor (Otrivin) and oxytocin in people with Healthy Adult Male, run by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Shuxia Yao, Dr (+86 18111297596, yaoshuxia@uestc.edu.cn), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Brain activity in response to emotional stimuli during task-based fMRI scanning (time frame: 1 hour). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Feb 2026.