Intranasal arginine vasopressin enhances the encoding of happy and angry faces in humans.
BACKGROUND
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) has a complex but crucial role in social behavior. In nonhuman mammals it facilitates social recognition and bonding while also promoting defensive, aggressive, and territorial behaviors. There has been little research in humans exploring its effect on social cognition, including the encoding of social memories.


METHODS
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subject design, we administered AVP (20 IU) or a placebo intranasally to 48 healthy human male volunteers and then presented 54 happy, angry, or neutral human faces. Participants returned the following day to make "remember", "know", or "new" judgments for a mix of 108 new and previously seen faces.


RESULTS
Participants who were administered AVP were more likely to make know judgments for previously seen happy and angry faces in comparison with neutral human faces. Arginine vasopressin did not influence judgments for faces that had not been presented previously.


CONCLUSIONS
Administration of AVP to male humans enhances the encoding of both happy and angry social information to make this more memorable. Results suggest that AVP could facilitate both bonding and aggressive related behaviors in humans by enhancing the encoding of positive and negative social cues within everyday interactions.
Guastella
Adam J
AJ
Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. adam.guastella@sydney.edu.au
Kenyon
Amanda R
AR
Alvares
Gail A
GA
Carson
Dean S
DS
Hickie
Ian B
IB
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects*
D001127:Arginine Vasopressin