title: The effects of intranasal oxytocin on smoothie intake, cortisol and attentional bias in anorexia nervosa.
abstract: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterised by severe malnutrition as well as intense fear and anxiety around food and eating with associated anomalies in information processing. Previous studies have found that the neuropeptide, oxytocin, can influence eating behaviour, lower the neurobiological stress response and anxiety among clinical populations, and alter attentional processing of food and eating related images in AN.
  
  
  
  Thirty adult women with AN and twenty-nine healthy comparison (HC) women took part in the current study. The study used double blind, placebo controlled, crossover design to investigate the effects of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) on a standard laboratory smoothie challenge, and on salivary cortisol, anxiety, and attentional bias towards food images before and after the smoothie challenge in AN and HC participants. Attentional bias was assessed using a visual probe task.
  
  
  
  Relative to placebo intranasal oxytocin reduced salivary cortisol and altered anomalies in attentional bias towards food images in the AN group only. The oxytocin-induced reduction in attentional avoidance of food images correlated with oxytocin induced reduction in salivary cortisol in the AN group before the smoothie challenge. Intranasal oxytocin did not significantly alter subjective feelings of anxiety or intake during the smoothie challenge in the AN or HC groups.
  
  
  
  Intranasal oxytocin may moderate the automated information processing biases in AN and reduce neurobiological stress. Further investigation of the effects of repeated administration of oxytocin on these processes as well as on eating behaviour and subjective anxiety would be of interest.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, United Kingdom. Electronic address: jenni.leppanen@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jenni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leppanen
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardi
authors.affiliation: Singapore General Hospital, 20 College Road, Academia, 169865, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kah Wee
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Department of Neuroimaging, Division of Neuroscience, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Paloyelis
authors.affiliation: Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Illia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tchanturia
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treasure
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000070379:Attentional Bias / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D010121:Oxytocin; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Anxiety; Attentional bias; Cortisol; Food; Oxytocin; Smoothie challenge