The effects of oxytocin on social behaviour: the influence of context and individual differences

The current thesis sought to investigate the role of oxytocin (OT) in social and emotional behaviours and whether these effects are moderated by contextual factors and individual differences; and to address some of the methodological issues that arise in studies that administer intranasal OT (IN-OT). The findings indicate that the social effects of OT extend to third-party behaviour, and that these effects are moderated by contextual factors, although in contrast to previous research there was no evidence that individual difference factors moderate the effect of OT on participants’ social or emotional behaviour. The moderating effect of ingroup/outgroup membership lends itself to the theoretical argument that OT plays a role in a biological mechanism, developed over evolutionary time, to promote group-serving as opposed to self-serving behaviour in order to preserve group functioning and therefore provide indirect fitness benefits to the individual. Findings reported in the second half of this thesis provide evidence of a reliable effect of IN-OT on salivary OT concentrations, and the presence of sizable individual differences in response to IN-OT. While the thesis provides evidence that these individual differences in peripheral concentrations of OT in response to IN-OT are not accounted for by various biological factors (such as gender) that often act as logistical constraints in OT research, there was also no evidence that psychological factors could explain these differences. Taken together the thesis reports valuable extensions to previous research, demonstrating that OT’s effects extend to third-party social and emotional behaviours and that these effects are moderated by contextual factors; and implications for clinical research, by reporting on a novel clinical group to OT research

The effect of oxytocin on pupil response to naturalistic dynamic facial expressions

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been found to play an important role in a variety of social behaviours and social cognition in particular. The social salience hypothesis of OT suggests that OT shifts attention towards socially relevant stimuli, which offers an explanation for improvements on social cognition measures following OT administration. Pupil dilation occurs with increasing attentional resource allocation and previous research has found that OT administration led to an increase in pupil diameter in response to social stimuli relative to placebo (PL), thereby suggesting increased social attention. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of OT on pupillary responses to more naturalistic social stimuli in a larger sample. Ninety-four male participants took part in the double-blind, placebo controlled, mixed-design study, in which they self-administered either an OT or PL nasal spray before viewing naturalistic dynamic facial expressions of emotion (happy, sad, fear and anger). Contrary to prediction, there was no effect of OT administration on pupil diameter. The results are discussed in light of the social salience hypothesis and with reference to the methodological differences between studies

The role of motion in the neural representation of social interactions in the posterior temporal cortex

Humans are an inherently social species, with multiple focal brain regions sensitive to various visual social cues such as faces, bodies, and biological motion. More recently, research has begun to investigate how the brain responds to more complex, naturalistic social scenes, identifying a region in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (SI-pSTS; i.e., social interaction pSTS), among others, as an important region for processing social interaction. This research, however, has presented images or videos, and thus the contribution of motion to social interaction perception in these brain regions is not yet understood. In the current study, 22 participants viewed videos, image sequences, scrambled image sequences and static images of either social interactions or non-social independent actions. Combining univariate and multivariate analyses, we confirm that bilateral SI-pSTS plays a central role in dynamic social interaction perception but is much less involved when ‘interactiveness’ is conveyed solely with static cues. Regions in the social brain, including SI-pSTS and extrastriate body area (EBA), showed sensitivity to both motion and interactive content. While SI-pSTS is somewhat more tuned to video interactions than is EBA, both bilateral SI-pSTS and EBA showed a greater response to social interactions compared to non-interactions and both regions responded more strongly to videos than static images. Indeed, both regions showed higher responses to interactions than independent actions in videos and intact sequences, but not in other conditions. Exploratory multivariate regression analyses suggest that selectivity for simple visual motion does not in itself drive interactive sensitivity in either SI-pSTS or EBA. Rather, selectivity for interactions expressed in point-light animations, and selectivity for static images of bodies, make positive and independent contributions to this effect across the LOTC region. Our results strongly suggest that EBA and SI-pSTS work together during dynamic interaction perception, at least when interactive information is conveyed primarily via body information. As such, our results are also in line with proposals of a third visual stream supporting dynamic social scene perception

ODP365 The psychological impact of adult-onset craniopharyngioma: the experience of patients and clinicians

Introduction Individuals who experience social and emotional difficulties struggle to maintain successful social relationships and incur an increased risk of developing mood disorders. These, in turn, have been found to have a significant impact on both psychological and physical wellbeing. A small number of medical studies suggest that patients with adult-onset craniopharyngioma (AoC) report a poorer quality of life, however, no psychological research has been carried out. The present study aimed to capture, for the first time, a detailed description of AoC patients’ lives outside the clinic. Specifically, whether they experience a psychological impact from their diagnosis and whether psychological factors may contribute to a poorer quality of life. Methods Both patients with AoC and clinicians with experience of working with patients with AoC were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Clinicians were recruited with the view to providing an alternative viewpoint and the possibility to assess potential (mis)matches in perceptions of AoC patients’ social strengths and difficulties. Participants were recruited from three geographically disperse NHS units across the UK. Eight patients and 11 clinicians took part in the study. Interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis wherebycodes are identified which represent statements centring on a similar topic that are endorsed by multiple participants. Codes that are frequently used are compiled into larger themes, reflecting broader topics. Results The central theme of 'symptoms’ was consistent across patients and clinicians and consisted of three sub-themes: physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and the tendency for patients to hide symptoms. Both cohorts stated that weight gain and fatigue were the most common physical symptoms, but these were also closely related to psychological symptoms, such as changing lifestyle patterns and a shrinking social network. Crucially, both cohorts stated that low mood, anxiety, and low self-esteem were common and significant experiences. Both cohorts discussed instances of specific mental health disorders. Conversely, some patients tried to hide symptoms with diminishing or contradictory statements or acknowledged that others had encouraged them to seek help, a theme that was also found with clinicians. In addition to these similarities there were also important differences in perceptions. Firstly, while clinicians believed they were open to or actively discussed a patient's psychological wellbeing during consultations, many patients felt they had never been asked about this. Secondly, while some clinicians were very clear on the extreme negative impact of the condition, patients also described more subtle social impacts. Finally, clinicians felt a sense of frustration regarding poor, unspecialised, under resourced psychological support, a feeling that was not common among patients. Conclusion In conclusion, both patients and clinicians recognised significant psychological impact as a result of AoC. Further research is planned to quantitively assess the topics raised in the present study

The psychological impact of adult-onset craniopharyngioma: A qualitative study of the experience of patients and clinicians.

Purpose ndividuals who experience social and emotional difficulties struggle to maintain successful social relationships and incur an increased risk of developing mood disorders. These, in turn, have a significant impact on psychological and physical wellbeing. A small number of medical studies suggest that patients with adult-onset craniopharyngioma (AoC) report poorer quality of life, however, no in-depth psychological research has been carried out. The present study aimed to capture a rich understanding of whether patients with AoC experience a psychological impact from their diagnosis and whether psychological factors may contribute to a poorer quality of life. Method Both patients with AoC and clinicians with experience of working with patients with AoC were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Participants were recruited from three geographically disperse National Health Service (NHS) units across the United Kingdom (UK). Eight patients and 10 clinicians took part in the study. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Two key themes, with multiple subthemes, were identified: 1) Patients experience psychological impacts of AoC; and 2) Patients also experience common physical symptoms. Conclusions Patients and clinicians recognised significant psychological impact as a result of AoC, and these impacts contributed to overall poorer quality of life. Crucially, both parties also felt that further research into psychological impact of AoC was both interesting and useful

Oxytocin has ‘Tend-and-Defend’ Functionality in Group Conflict Across Social Vertebrates

Across vertebrate species, intergroup conflict confronts individuals with a tension between group interests best served by participation in conflict and personal interest best served by not participating. Here, we identify the neurohormone oxytocin as pivotal to the neurobiological regulation of this tension in distinctly different group-living vertebrates, including fish, birds, rodents, non-human primates, and humans. In the context of intergroup conflict, a review of emerging work on pro-sociality suggests that oxytocin and its fish and birds homologs, isotocin and mesotocin, respectively, can elicit participation in group conflict and aggression. This is because it amplifies (i) concern for the interests of genetically related or culturally similar ‘in- group’ others, and (ii) willingness to defend against outside intruders and enemy conspecifics. Across a range of social vertebrates, oxytocin can induce aggressive behaviour to ‘tend-and- defend’ the in-group during intergroup contests

Oxytocin therapy in hypopituitarism: Challenges and opportunities

SummaryPatients with hypopituitarism display impaired quality of life and excess morbidity and mortality, despite apparently optimal pituitary hormone replacement. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide synthesized in the anterior hypothalamus which plays an important role in controlling social and emotional behaviour, body weight and metabolism. Recent studies have suggested that a deficiency of oxytocin may be evident in patients with hypopituitarism and craniopharyngioma, and that this may be associated with deficits in cognitive empathy. Preliminary data hint at potential benefits of oxytocin therapy in improving these deficits and the accompanying metabolic disturbances that are common in these conditions. However, several challenges remain, including an incomplete understanding of the regulation and mechanisms of action of oxytocin, difficulties in accurately measuring oxytocin levels and in establishing a diagnosis of oxytocin deficiency, and a need to determine both the optimal mode of administration for oxytocin therapy and an acceptable safety profile with long‐term use. This review considers the data linking oxytocin to the neuropsychological and metabolic disturbances evident in patients with craniopharyngioma and hypopituitarism, and describes the challenges that need to be overcome before replacement therapy can be considered as a therapeutic option in clinical practice.</jats:p

Oxytocin and emotion recognition: Investigating the possible roles of facial synchrony and eye gaze

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to influence social cognition, including better recognition of emotion in faces. One potential way in which OT improves emotion recognition is by increasing the correspondence between a perceiver's own facial activity and observed facial expressions. Here we investigate whether increased facial synchrony while viewing facial expressions increases emotion recognition, and whether this effect is moderated by OT. Change in visual attention as captured by eye-gaze is another way in which OT might improve emotion recognition. We also examine visual attention to observed expressions, and whether this is influenced by OT. One hundred and four male undergraduates took part in a double-blind, randomized, between-subjects study in which they self-administered either a placebo (PL) or 24 IU of OT before viewing dynamic facial expressions of emotion, during which their facial activity and eye-gaze were measured, before answering questions on emotion recognition and affiliation. It was hypothesized that participants in the OT condition would exhibit more facial synchrony than would those in the PL condition, and that OT would influence time spent looking at the eye region of target faces. Consistent with previous research, participants in the OT condition were marginally but significantly better at emotion recognition than those in the PL condition. However, participants in the OT condition displayed less facial synchrony for fearful expressions, and there was no effect of OT on measures of eye-gaze. These results suggest that OT does not improve emotion recognition through increased facial synchrony or changing visual attention

Oxytocin modulates third-party sanctioning of selfish and generous behavior within and between groups

Human groups function because members trust each other and reciprocate cooperative contributions, and reward others’ cooperation and punish their non-cooperation. Here we examined the possibility that such third-party punishment and reward of others’ trust and reciprocation is modulated by oxytocin, a neuropeptide generally involved in social bonding and in-group (but not out-group) serving behavior. Healthy males and females (N = 100) self-administered a placebo or 24 IU of oxytocin in a randomized, double-blind, between-subjects design. Participants were asked to indicate (incentivized, costly) their level of reward or punishment for in-group (outgroup) investors donating generously or fairly to in-group (outgroup) trustees, who back-transferred generously, fairly or selfishly. Punishment (reward) was higher for selfish (generous) investments and back-transfers when (i) investors were in-group rather than outgroup, and (ii) trustees were in-group rather than outgroup, especially when (iii) participants received oxytocin rather than placebo. It follows, first, that oxytocin leads individuals to ignore out-groups as long as out-group behavior is not relevant to the in-group and, second, that oxytocin contributes to creating and enforcing in-group norms of cooperation and trust