title: A single dose of oxytocin nasal spray improves higher-order social cognition in schizophrenia.
abstract: Schizophrenia is associated with significant impairments in both higher and lower order social cognitive performance and these impairments contribute to poor social functioning. People with schizophrenia report poor social functioning to be one of their greatest unmet treatment needs. Recent studies have suggested the potential of oxytocin as such a treatment, but mixed results render it uncertain what aspects of social cognition are improved by oxytocin and, subsequently, how oxytocin might best be applied as a therapeutic. The aim of this study was to determine whether a single dose of oxytocin improved higher-order and lower-order social cognition performance for patients with schizophrenia across a well-established battery of social cognition tests. Twenty-one male patients received both a single dose of oxytocin nasal spray (24IU) and a placebo, two weeks apart in a randomized within-subjects placebo controlled design. Following each administration, participants completed the social cognition tasks, as well as a test of general neurocognition. Results revealed that oxytocin particularly enhanced performance on higher order social cognition tasks, with no effects on general neurocognition. Results for individual tasks showed most improvement on tests measuring appreciation of indirect hints and recognition of social faux pas. These results suggest that oxytocin, if combined to enhance social cognition learning, may be beneficial when targeted at higher order social cognition domains. This study also suggests that these higher order tasks, which assess social cognitive processing in a social communication context, may provide useful markers of response to oxytocin in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Research Institute, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: adam.guastella@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Guastella
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Unit, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Australia.
authors.forename: Philip B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Research Institute, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Ian B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Hickie
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Research Institute, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahrestani
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Research Institute, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Child Development Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Marie Antoinette Redoblado
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hodge
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Research Institute, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (CCD) and Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langdon
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000187:drug effects; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059085:Nasal Sprays; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D059085:Nasal Sprays; D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Emotion recognition; Hormone; Neuropeptides; Psychosis; Social behavior