Oxytocin in CDI. Version 1.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Emotion recognition and oxytocin concentrations in cranial diabetes insipidus
IRAS ID
186643
Contact name
Aled Rees
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cranial diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a condition which occurs because of a deficiency of a hormone made in the back of the pituitary gland (the posterior pituitary) called arginine vasopressin (AVP). This often occurs due to pituitary surgery for benign pituitary tumours. This can also cause problems with deficiency of hormones from the front of the pituitary gland, called hypopituitarism, which needs lifelong hormone replacement therapy. Oxytocin is another hormone made by the posterior pituitary which is likely to be deficient in patients with CDI because its release is regulated in a very similar manner to AVP. However, this is not usually tested for because oxytocin deficiency is not currently recognised as causing any significant clinical problems. Recent research has suggested that oxytocin may have a positive influence on social interaction, suggesting that it may be useful as a new treatment option in conditions such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which are associated with difficulties in interpreting emotions. We believe that patients with CDI are likely to be deficient in oxytocin and that this may be accompanied by subtle defects in emotion processing which are not currently recognised. We wish to test this by collecting saliva samples from patients with CDI, patients with hypopituitarism and healthy volunteers to test for oxytocin levels, and to test for emotion processing using a series of computer tasks and questionnaires.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0382
Date of REC Opinion
30 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion