Pain modulation by intranasal oxytocin and emotional picture viewing - a randomized double-blind fMRI study.

ABSTRACT: The hormone oxytocin has been hypothesized to influence the emotional dimension of pain. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study explored whether intranasal oxytocin and emotional context can affect heat pain perception in 30 healthy male volunteers. After receiving 36 IU oxytocin or placebo, participants underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during which noxious and non-noxious thermode heat stimuli were applied. Simultaneously, scenes from the International Affective Pictures System (IAPS) with positive, neutral, and negative emotional valence were shown. Heat intensity and unpleasantness ratings were obtained. The activity of whole-brain correlates of heat processing was quantified via multi-voxel pattern analysis. We observed no appreciable m

SUBMITTER: Zunhammer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4992880 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature