Effects of Oxytocin on Emotion Recognition and Response Inhibition

Effects of Oxytocin on Emotion Recognition and Response Inhibition

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the basic neurobiological mechanisms which underlie social information processing in healthy men. More specifically, we intend to examine whether a person's social competence level is related to the patterns of neural activity and his visual search strategies during evaluation of social scenes. Furthermore, it will be assessed whether an oxytocin-driven increase in activity in brain areas relevant to the task will facilitate social information processing and thus enhance task performance. Additionally it will be examined whether oxytocin can facilitate response inhibition in an emotional context.

Inclusion Criteria:

• MRI- eligibility
• Subject's ability to fully grasp the type, scope and individual consequences of the study
• Willingness to participate in and comply with the study procedures as indicated by signing the dated informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

• Left-handedness
• Smoking
• Regular intake of medication
• Hypersensitivity towards oxytocin or a chemically similar substance
• Current or previous neurological or psychiatric disorder
• Nose surgery or chronic sinus infection
• Any somatic disorder that may interfere with the experimental procedures, affect the outcome measures or pose a risk for the participant during performance of the experiment