The influence of oxytocin on eating behaviours and stress
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The influence of oxytocin on eating behaviours and stress in eating disorders. A hormonal challenge task
IRAS ID
158697
Contact name
Janet Treasure
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Eating disorders (EDs) can lead to changes in brain function which are associated with the chronicity of the illness and the formation of permanent unhelpful habits, such as overeating (Gold et al. 2013; Treasure et al. 2013). These changes in brain function have profoundly detrimental impact on social, psychological and physical health (Kessler et al. 2013). The hormone Oxytocin has been found to play a key role in regulating appetite, stress and social functioning. Translational pilot work suggests that oxytocin can influence the permanent habits that underpin treatment resistance. This proof of concept, basic science study will investigate the effect of a single dose of oxytocin on eating behaviour, social processing, stress, brain function and gene expression in a sample of patients suffering from bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED). The project, although not a randomised-control trial but a basic science study, will employ a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover design by counter-balancing the order in which participants receive oxytocin and placebo. Although this groundwork study is not a clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of a new novel medical treatment, it will provide pilot data to develop a randomised controlled trial investigating the long-term impact of oxytocin in EDs as well as a clinical trial investigating the efficacy of oxytocin as a treatment enhancer.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/2115
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion