The effect of oxytocin on social processing in Anorexia V1 01.07.2014
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A systematic examination of the influence of oxytocin on social and interoceptive processing in anorexia nervosa
IRAS ID
146805
Contact name
Aikaterini (Katerina) Fotopoulou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Research summary
Title: The effect of oxytocin on social processing in anorexia nervosa (AN)
AN is a type of eating disorder characterized by restricting eating, a pursuit of thinness and fears of becoming fat. Social difficulties are involved in the development and maintenance of the disorder, and may persist after recovery. Also, AN patients show a reduced ability to perceived internal/visceral stimuli (the so called interoception), such as hanger and pain; this ability has been found to play an important role in building up an healthy sense of our own body. Oxytocin (OT) is a hormone involved in childbirth lactation, and importantly it is fundamental for the relationship between mother-infant, and for social interactions generally (e.g. it increases trust between people).
The aim of the current study is to test the effect of OT on social and interoceptive processing in AN. We will test 20 woman with AN and 20 healthy woman (control group). Participants will come in two separate days: in one they will self-administer intranasal OT (40 International Units) and in the other one placebo, that will have no effects on subjects. During the study neither the subject nor the researcher will know what the subject is receiving (OT or placebo), so that they cannot influence the study outcome in any way.
Participants will complete some questionnaires investigating their eating attitudes, well-being, obsessive and anxiety thoughts and attachment style. Then, participants will complete a set of experimental tasks following the administration of OT/placebo: they will be asked to estimate their heartbeat (task usually used to investigate interoception); they will complete the rubber hand illusion, typically used to investigate how strong is the sense of body ownership and they will be asked to rate the pleasantness of touch that they perceive on their forearms while looking at different social stimuli.REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1593
Date of REC Opinion
10 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion