title: Attentional control and interpretation of facial expression after oxytocin administration to typically developed male adults.
abstract: Deficits in attentional-inhibitory control have been reported to correlate to anger, hostility, and aggressive behavior; therefore, inhibitory control appears to play an important role in prosocial behavior. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that oxytocin (OT) exerts a prosocial effect (e.g., decreasing negative behaviors, such as aggression) on humans. However, it is unknown whether the positively valenced effect of OT on sociality is associated with enhanced attentional-inhibitory control. In the present study, we hypothesized that OT enhances attentional-inhibitory control and that the positively valenced effect of OT on social cognition is associated with enhanced attentional-inhibitory control. In a single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, we tested this hypothesis using 20 healthy male volunteers. We considered a decrease in the hostility detection ratio, which reflects the positively valenced interpretation of other individuals' facial expressions, to be an index of the positively valenced effects of OT (we reused the results of our previously published study). As a measure of attentional-inhibitory control, we employed a modified version of the flanker task (i.e., a shorter conflict duration indicated higher inhibitory control). These results failed to demonstrate any significant behavioral effects of OT (i.e., neither a positively valenced effect on facial cognition nor an effect on attentional-inhibitory control). However, the enhancement of attentional-inhibitory control after OT administration significantly correlated to the positively valenced effects on the interpretation of uncertain facial cognition (i.e., neutral and ambiguous facial expressions).
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Tetsu
authors: T
authors: Hirosawa
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Mitsuru
authors: M
authors: Kikuchi
authors: Department of Epileptology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
authors: Eiichi
authors: E
authors: Okumura
authors: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Yuko
authors: Y
authors: Yoshimura
authors: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Hirotoshi
authors: H
authors: Hiraishi
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Toshio
authors: T
authors: Munesue
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Natsumi
authors: N
authors: Takesaki
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Furutani
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Yasuki
authors: Y
authors: Ono
authors: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Haruhiro
authors: H
authors: Higashida
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors: Yoshio
authors: Y
authors: Minabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005145:Face; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin