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Zhou M, Cheng L, Zhou Y, Zhu S, Zhang Y, Kendrick KM, Yao S. Intranasal Oxytocin Improves Interoceptive Accuracy and Heartbeat-Evoked Potentials During a Cardiac Interoceptive Task. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024:S2451-9022(24)00137-X. [PMID: 38839034 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interoception represents perception of the internal bodily state, which is closely associated with social/emotional processing and physical health in humans. Understanding the mechanism that underlies interoceptive processing, particularly its modulation, is therefore of great importance. Given the overlap between oxytocinergic pathways and interoceptive signaling substrates in both peripheral visceral organs and the brain, intranasal oxytocin administration is a promising approach for modulating interoceptive processing. METHODS Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-participant design, we recruited 72 healthy male participants who performed a cardiac interoceptive task during electroencephalograph and electrocardiograph recording to examine whether intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin could modulate interoceptive processing. We also collected data in a resting state to examine whether we could replicate previous findings. RESULTS The results showed that in the interoceptive task, oxytocin increased interoceptive accuracy at the behavioral level, which was paralleled by larger heartbeat-evoked potential amplitudes in frontocentral and central regions on the neural level. However, there were no significant effects of oxytocin on electroencephalograph or electrocardiograph during resting state. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that oxytocin may only have a facilitatory effect on interoceptive processing under task-based conditions. Our findings not only provide new insights into the modulation of interoceptive processing via targeting the oxytocinergic system but also provide proof-of-concept evidence for the therapeutic potential of intranasal oxytocin in mental disorders with dysfunctional interoception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghan Zhou
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lanqing Cheng
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yibo Zhou
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Siyu Zhu
- School of Sport Training, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
| | - Shuxia Yao
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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Yoshida M, Momita K, Kuwahara M, Kasuya E, Sutoh M, Yayou KI. Behavior and heart rate variability after intranasal administration of oxytocin in Holstein steers. J Vet Med Sci 2023; 85:956-963. [PMID: 37495517 PMCID: PMC10539827 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.22-0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide that regulates memory, emotion, stress response, and behavior in the brain. In our previous study with cattle, we demonstrated the anti-stress effect of intracerebroventricularly administered OXT on the central nervous system. However, it is important to investigate the effects of this peptide after intranasal administration, as it offers convenience and non-invasiveness for practical use. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of intranasal OXT on the behavior and autonomic nervous system of Holstein steers. The experiment followed a within-subjects design, including a total of six steers. Each steer received intranasal administration of either 1 mL of saline (SAL), 100 µg OXT (OXT100), or 200 µg OXT (OXT200). However, due to some issues, the sample size for the OXT200 group was reduced to five. After these treatments, we conducted electrocardiography recordings to analyze heart rate variability (HRV) and also made behavioral observations for 90 min. OXT200 tended to increase the time spent ruminating while lying down (Steel's multiple comparison test; P=0.053). In contrast, OXT treatment did not affect HRV indices. In conclusion, the current OXT dosage did not significantly affects behavior or the autonomic nervous system. However, the observed tendency to increase rumination may suggest a central effect of OXT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masumi Yoshida
- Department of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Chiba Prefecture Agricultural Mutual Aid Union Federation, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kosuke Momita
- School of Agriculture, Tokai University, Kumamoto, Japan
- Megmilk Snow Brand, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Masayoshi Kuwahara
- Department of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Etsuko Kasuya
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Madoka Sutoh
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Yayou
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan
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Yao S, Chen Y, Zhuang Q, Zhang Y, Lan C, Zhu S, Becker B, Kendrick KM. Sniffing oxytocin: Nose to brain or nose to blood? Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3083-3091. [PMID: 37185959 PMCID: PMC10615745 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02075-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In recent years ample studies have reported that intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin can facilitate social motivation and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. However, it is still unclear how effects are mediated since intranasally administered oxytocin 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. The current study used vasoconstrictor pretreatment to prevent intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) from increasing peripheral concentrations and measured effects on both resting-state neural (electroencephalography) and physiological responses (electrocardiogram, electrogastrogram and skin conductance). Results demonstrated that intranasal oxytocin alone produced robust and widespread increases of delta-beta cross-frequency coupling (CFC) from 30 min post-treatment but did not influence peripheral physiological measures. As predicted, vasoconstrictor pretreatment greatly reduced the normal increase in peripheral oxytocin concentrations and, importantly, abolished the majority of intranasal oxytocin effects on delta-beta CFC. Furthermore, time-dependent positive correlations were found between increases in plasma oxytocin concentrations and corresponding increases in delta-beta CFC following oxytocin treatment alone. Our findings suggest a critical role of peripheral vasculature-mediated routes on neural effects of exogenous oxytocin administration with important translational implications for its use as an intervention in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxia Yao
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
| | - Yuanshu Chen
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Qian Zhuang
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Chunmei Lan
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Siyu Zhu
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
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Cosme G, Arriaga P, Rosa PJ, Mehta MA, Prata D. Temporal profile of intranasal oxytocin in the human autonomic nervous system at rest: An electrocardiography and pupillometry study. J Psychopharmacol 2023:2698811231158233. [PMID: 36891949 DOI: 10.1177/02698811231158233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human social behavior is modulated by oxytocin (OT). Intranasal administration of OT (IN-OT) is a noninvasive route shown to elicit changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity; however, IN-OT's effect on the temporal profile of ANS activity at rest is yet to be described. AIMS We aimed to describe the temporal profile of IN-OT at six 10-min time windows from 15- to 100-min post-administration in 20 male participants at rest while continuously recording their pupillary in an eyes-open condition and cardiac activity in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. METHODS We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design study where we extracted two proxies of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity: high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and pupillary unrest index (PUI); and a proxy of sympathetic nervous system activity: sample entropy of the pupillary unrest. RESULTS In the eyes-open condition, we found an effect of IN-OT on the proxies of PNS activity: decreased PUI in the three-time windows post-administration spanning 65-100 min, and as an exploratory finding, an increased HF-HRV in the 80-85 min time window. CONCLUSIONS We suggest there is a role of OT in PNS regulation that may be consistent with OT's currently theorized role in the facilitation of alertness and approach behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo Cosme
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Arriaga
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Pedro J Rosa
- HEI-LAB: Human-Environment Interaction Lab/Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa, Portugal.,ISMAT, Transdisciplinary Research Center (ISHIP), Portimão, Portugal
| | - Mitul A Mehta
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Diana Prata
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.,Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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Back SN, Schmitz M, Koenig J, Zettl M, Kleindienst N, Herpertz SC, Bertsch K. Reduced vagal activity in borderline personality disorder is unaffected by intranasal oxytocin administration, but predicted by the interaction between childhood trauma and attachment insecurity. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2022; 129:409-419. [PMID: 35275249 PMCID: PMC9007810 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-022-02482-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show self-regulatory deficits, associated with reduced heart-rate variability (HRV). However, results on reduced HRV in BPD remain heterogeneous, thus encouraging the search for developmental constructs explaining this heterogeneity. The present study first examined predictors of reduced resting-state HRV in BPD, namely the interaction between self-reported adult attachment insecurity and childhood trauma. Second, we investigated if alterations in resting-state HRV are modified by intranasal oxytocin administration, as oxytocin may enhance HRV and is implicated in the interaction between childhood trauma and disturbed attachment for the pathogenesis of BPD. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 53 unmedicated women with BPD and 60 healthy controls (HC) self-administered either 24 I.U. of oxytocin or placebo and underwent a 4-min electrocardiogram. Our results replicate significantly reduced HRV in women with BPD, explained up to 16% by variations in childhood trauma and attachment insecurity. At high levels of acute attachment insecurity, higher levels of childhood trauma significantly predicted reduced HRV in BPD. However, our results do not support a significant effect of oxytocin on mean HRV, and no interaction effect emerged including childhood trauma and attachment insecurity. Our findings highlight a complex interaction between reduced vagal activity and developmental factors in BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Back
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Leopoldstraße 13, 80802, Munich, Germany.
| | - Marius Schmitz
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Leopoldstraße 13, 80802, Munich, Germany
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julian Koenig
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Max Zettl
- Institute of Psychosocial Prevention, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Kleindienst
- Medical Faculty Mannheim, Institute of Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Leopoldstraße 13, 80802, Munich, Germany
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Yao S, Kendrick KM. Effects of Intranasal Administration of Oxytocin and Vasopressin on Social Cognition and Potential Routes and Mechanisms of Action. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:323. [PMID: 35214056 PMCID: PMC8874551 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14020323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute and chronic administration of intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin have been extensively utilized in both animal models and human preclinical and clinical studies over the last few decades to modulate various aspects of social cognition and their underlying neural mechanisms, although effects are not always consistent. The use of an intranasal route of administration is largely driven by evidence that it permits neuropeptides to penetrate directly into the brain by circumventing the blood-brain barrier, which has been considered relatively impermeable to them. However, this interpretation has been the subject of considerable debate. In this review, we will focus on research in both animal models and humans, which investigates the different potential routes via which these intranasally administered neuropeptides may be producing their various effects on social cognition. We will also consider the contribution of different methods of intranasal application and additionally the importance of dose magnitude and frequency for influencing G protein-coupled receptor signaling and subsequent functional outcomes. Overall, we conclude that while some functional effects of intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin in the domain of social cognition may result from direct penetration into the brain following intranasal administration, others may be contributed by the neuropeptides either entering the peripheral circulation and crossing the blood-brain barrier and/or producing vagal stimulation via peripheral receptors. Furthermore, to complicate matters, functional effects via these routes may differ, and both dose magnitude and frequency can produce very different functional outcomes and therefore need to be optimized to produce desired effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxia Yao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Keith Maurice Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
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Ellis BJ, Horn AJ, Carter CS, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Developmental programming of oxytocin through variation in early-life stress: Four meta-analyses and a theoretical reinterpretation. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 86:101985. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Intranasal oxytocin and the stress-buffering effects of social support during experimentally induced pain: The role of attachment security. J Affect Disord 2021; 278:149-156. [PMID: 32961410 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study examined whether intranasal oxytocin enhances the stress-buffering effects of social support during experimentally induced pain, taking into account the role of individual differences in attachment security. METHODS Female participants (N = 193) were randomly assigned to oxytocin (24 IU intranasal) or placebo and to receive support or no support from a friend (2 × 2 factorial design with repeated measures)). Participants underwent the Cold Pressor Task (CPT) and were monitored for heart rate variability (HRV: RMSSD) and heart rate and reported pain levels. The Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire was used to measure attachment. RESULTS Oxytocin reduced RMSSD (p = 0.003, partial ɳ2 = 0.03) and increased heart rate (p = 0.039, partial ɳ2 = 0.03) in individuals who received support, possibly reflecting an enhanced attentional state. Oxytocin did not enhance beneficial effects of social support on perceived pain, but increased pain intensity in avoidantly attached individuals who were supported by a friend (p = 0.009, partial ɳ2 = 0.06). LIMITATIONS Only female participants were examined. Future studies are needed to determine sex differences in how oxytocin shapes stress-buffering effects of support. CONCLUSIONS Oxytocin may enhance the salience of social proximity and may be a mechanism underlying previously reported social influences on cardiovascular and mental health. However, oxytocin effects depend on interpersonal insecurities and may trigger discomfort in avoidantly attached individuals. Caution about oxytocin's therapeutic promise is warranted.
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