title: Effects of intranasal oxytocin on amygdala reactivity to emotional faces in recently trauma-exposed individuals.
abstract: There is a need for effective, early post-trauma preventive interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Attenuating amygdala hyperreactivity early post-trauma, a likely PTSD vulnerability factor, may decrease PTSD risk. Since oxytocin modulates amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli, oxytocin administration early post-trauma may be a promising candidate for PTSD prevention. In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled fMRI study, we investigated effects of a single intranasal oxytocin administration (40 IU) on amygdala reactivity to happy, neutral and fearful faces in 41 recently trauma-exposed men and women showing moderate to high distress after initial post-trauma screening. We explored treatment interactions with sex. Participants were scanned within 11 days post-trauma. Compared with placebo, oxytocin significantly increased right amygdala reactivity to fearful faces. There was a significant treatment by sex interaction on amygdala reactivity to neutral faces, with women showing increased left amygdala reactivity after oxytocin. These findings indicate that a single oxytocin administration may enhance fearful faces processing in recently trauma-exposed individuals and neutral faces processing in recently trauma-exposed women. These observations may be explained by oxytocin-induced increased salience processing. Clinical implications of these findings for PTSD prevention should be further investigated.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Netherlands Trial Registry; Boosting Oxytocin after trauma: Neurobiology and the Development of Stress-related psychopathology (BONDS); NTR3190; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC = 3190.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Brain Imaging Center, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, j.l.frijling@amc.nl.
authors.forename: Jessie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Frijling
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Zuiden
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Brain Imaging Center, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Saskia B J
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Brain Imaging Center, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nawijn
authors.affiliation: VU University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and.
authors.forename: Dick J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Veltman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group, Diemen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olff
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: PTSD; amygdala; oxytocin; prevention; sex differences; trauma