Peripheral Oxytocin and Touch

Completed · Phase 2 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Healthy Adults

In brief

Research shows that slow gentle skin stroking can activate special sensory nerves in the skin that elicit relaxing effects on the body and mind, similar to the effects of the hormone oxytocin. Studies also suggest that gentle stroking may even release oxytocin in the skin. However, we do not know what oxytocin does in the skin and how it affects nerves that send pleasant touch or pain signals to the brain. The proposed study will determine how individuals perceive gentle stroking and experimental pain before and after a skin injection of oxytocin compared to a placebo injection.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05326776

Run by

University of California, San Diego

People needed

20

Starts

2023-04-05

Expected to finish

2023-08-03

Last updated by the study team

2024-12-31

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Between the ages of 18 and 65 years old
• Fluent in English
• Healthy

You may not qualify if…

• Sensory or motor nerve deficit
• Acute or chronic pain
• Major medical conditions such as kidney, liver, cardiovascular (hypertension, preexisting cardiac arrhythmia), autonomic, pulmonary, or neurological problems (e.g., seizure disorder) or a chronic systemic disease (e.g., diabetes).
• Any disease, diagnosis, or condition (medical or surgical) that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, would place the subject at increased risk (active gynecologic disease in which increased tone would be detrimental e.g., uterine fibroids with ongoing bleeding), compromise the subject's compliance with study procedures, or compromise the quality of the data
• Unstable psychiatric conditions
• Needle phobia or history of fainting
• Current use of opiate medication(s)
• Hypersensitivity, allergy, or significant reaction to any ingredient of Pitocin®
• Currently pregnant or pregnant within the last two years
• Currently nursing or lactating
• Current or history of ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation or prolonged QT interval
• Past or current history of hyponatremia or at risk for hyponatremia
• Current use of thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics, combination diuretics, lithium, carbamazepine, enalapril, Ramipril, celecoxib, temazepam, gliclazide, glimepiride, glibenclamide, glipizide, omeprazole, pantoprazole, desmopressin, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitora, or the recreational drug ecstasy
• Latex allergy

Where it is running

• ACTRI — La Jolla, California, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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