Vasopressin and the Social Brain
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - 30 |
| Updated: | 4/21/2016 |
| Start Date: | January 2015 |
| End Date: | August 2016 |
| Contact: | Benjamin A Tabak, PhD |
| Email: | btabak@psych.ucla.edu |
Vasopressin's Effect on Behavior and Neural Activity During Social Cognition Tasks
It has long been established that interpersonal relationships can have a profound impact on
health and well-being. Yet, the investigators are still learning about the complex
biological processes that contribute to positive social interactions and the ability to
develop and maintain social relationships. Recent research has begun to focus on
vasopressin, a neuropeptide that is naturally produced in the hypothalamus, because
administration of this neuropeptide has been associated with empathy, cooperation, memory of
social stimuli (e.g., faces), and brain activity in neural regions associated with social
and emotional processes. To date, several aspects of vasopressin's effects on social
behavior have been unexplored. As such, the overarching goal of this project is to examine
the effects of intranasal vasopressin on several tasks involving learning and social
processes. In addition, the investigators will explore associated neural activity through
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results from the study will inform our
understanding of the neurobiology of socioemotional processes.
The investigators hypothesize that compared to placebo, vasopressin will improve deception
detection, increase empathy and altruism, enhance responses to photo stimuli of primary
caregivers, and improve learning when the subject has a prosocial goal of teaching another
person. These effects will manifest in behavioral and neural activity. It is also
hypothesized that main effects will not be found for vasopressin, but rather, analyses of
relevant moderators will elucidate these findings.
health and well-being. Yet, the investigators are still learning about the complex
biological processes that contribute to positive social interactions and the ability to
develop and maintain social relationships. Recent research has begun to focus on
vasopressin, a neuropeptide that is naturally produced in the hypothalamus, because
administration of this neuropeptide has been associated with empathy, cooperation, memory of
social stimuli (e.g., faces), and brain activity in neural regions associated with social
and emotional processes. To date, several aspects of vasopressin's effects on social
behavior have been unexplored. As such, the overarching goal of this project is to examine
the effects of intranasal vasopressin on several tasks involving learning and social
processes. In addition, the investigators will explore associated neural activity through
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results from the study will inform our
understanding of the neurobiology of socioemotional processes.
The investigators hypothesize that compared to placebo, vasopressin will improve deception
detection, increase empathy and altruism, enhance responses to photo stimuli of primary
caregivers, and improve learning when the subject has a prosocial goal of teaching another
person. These effects will manifest in behavioral and neural activity. It is also
hypothesized that main effects will not be found for vasopressin, but rather, analyses of
relevant moderators will elucidate these findings.
Inclusion Criteria:
- 18-30 years of age
- Healthy (see below)
- Fluent in English
- Right-handed
Exclusion Criteria:
- Women who gave birth in the last six months, are currently pregnant, planning to
become pregnant in the next 6 months, or currently breastfeeding women
- Symptoms of runny nose due to allergies/cold or other reason
- Current restricted fluid intake for any reason
- Heart disease
- Hypertension
- History of myocardial infarction
- History of cardiac arrhythmia
- Kidney or liver disease
- Vascular disease
- Epilepsy
- Migraine
- Asthma
- Nephritis
- Diabetes and other endocrine diseases
- Frequent or unexplained fainting
- History of stroke
- Aneurysm or brain hemorrhage
- Active psychiatric diagnosis
- Current psychopharmacologic treatment
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Medical or neurological illness
- Regular use of medication (e.g., vasoconstrictive medications)
- Medication intake less than 2 weeks prior to study (5 weeks for fluoxetine) including
daily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Smoking more than 15 cigarettes a day
- Consumption of any alcoholic beverages in the past 24 hours will be excluded
- Elevated blood pressure (>135/90)
- Low blood pressure (<90/55)
- Body temperature >100.1 F
- Left-handed
- Claustrophobia
- Presence of metal in their body
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