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 |