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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jan 31.
Published in final edited form as: Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2014 Aug 1;25(2):265–282. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.07.012

Table 2.

Studies examining combination treatment with oxytocin with psychotherapy.

Study Population N Intervention Results: Oxytocin effect vs. Placebo Limitations
Macdonald et al., 2013 Major Depressive Disorder 18 Single 20-minute psychotherapy session + pretreatment with double-blind intranasal oxytocin (40IU) vs. placebo Greater improvement in social cognition on “reading the mind in the eyes test”, greater reduction in non-verbal behaviors that cut off social contact, but increased anxiety during psychotherapy session. Single-dose oxytocin (vs sustained use). Therapists instructed to provide “minimal or neutral interaction with the subjects.”
Guastella et al., 2009 Social Anxiety Disorder 25 5 weekly sessions of group exposure therapy + pretreatment with double-blind intranasal oxytocin (24IU) vs. placebo Oxytocin yielded greater improvements in self-perceived performance and appearance during social performance (speech) than placebo. No difference in anxiety outcomes between groups. Single-dose oxytocin (vs sustained use).
Bryant and Hung, 2013 Healthy volunteers 28 Single session of hypnosis + intranasal oxytocin (24IU) vs. placebo Greater hypnotizability observed following oxytocin than placebo Single-dose, single-session. Not a clinical population, hypnosis not for therapeutic purposes