title: Oxytocin and vasopressin modulate risk-taking.
abstract: The modulation of risk-taking is critical for adaptive and optimal behavior. This study examined how oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) influence risk-taking in function of three parameters: sex, risk-valence, and social context. Twenty-nine healthy adults (14 males) completed a risk-taking task, the Stunt task, both in a social-stress (evaluation by unfamiliar peers) and non-social context, in three separate drug treatment sessions. During each session, one of three drugs, OT, AVP, or placebo (PLC), was administered intra-nasally. OT and AVP relative to PLC reduced betting-rate (risk-averse effect). This risk-averse effect was further qualified: AVP reduced risk-taking in the positive risk-valence (high win-probability), and regardless of social context or sex. In contrast, OT reduced risk-taking in the negative risk-valence (low win-probability), and only in the social-stress context and men. The reduction in risk-taking might serve a role in defensive behavior. These findings extend the role of these neuromodulators to behaviors beyond the social realm. How the behavioral modulation of risk-taking maps onto the function of the neural targets of OT and AVP may be the next step in this line of research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC, USA; The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nilam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grillon
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nevia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavletic
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pine
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: ernstm@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011336:Probability; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Motivated behavior; Neuropeptides; Risk-valence; Sex; Social stress