Effect of intranasal oxytocin on clinical symptoms and social behavior in patients with schizophrenia

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K10279
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Miura Itaru 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (30612709)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 矢部 博興 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (60210316)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: オキシトシン / 統合失調症 / 社会認知 / 事象関連電位

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled single administration study to investigate the effects of oxytocin on social cognition and mismatch negativity (MMN) in patients with schizophrenia. A total of 24 patients with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to the two groups, and subjects received 24 IU of intranasal oxytocin (n=12) or intranasal placebo spray (n=12). Facial Emotion Selection Test (FEST) and MMN recording were demonstrated before and after the administration of oxytocin or placebo.
There was no significant effect for time x drug interaction on the changes of FEST total score (p=0.06). Also, there were no significant time x drug interactions on the changes of MMN amplitude (p=0.86) and latency (p=0.78). In the low amplitude group (n=12), oxytocin (n=7, p=0.03) increased MMN amplitude, although there were no significant differences between the two drug groups (p=0.7).Our results suggest that oxytocin does not have effects on facial emotion cognition or MMN.

Free Research Field

精神薬理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では，統合失調症においてオキシトシンはプラセボに比し表情認知機能やMMN振幅，潜時を変化させる効果は認められなかった．統合失調症においてオキシトシンが認知機能，とりわけ社会認知機能に与える結果については先行研究の結果も十分に一致しておらず，全般的な認知機能については改善しないとの報告もある．
本研究はサンプルサイズが小さいため，より大規模なサンプルサイズでオキシトシン投与量を複数（低用量・高用量）設定し，多様な認知機能への効果についてさらなる検討が必要と考えられた．