Does Acute Oxytocin Administration Enhance Social Cognition in Individuals With Schizophrenia?
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Individuals with schizophrenia have been found to have deficits in social cognition, which is
defined as the functions that are engaged during social interactions. Social cognition has
been found to be critical in predicting multiple aspects of community functioning. There are
no currently available medications that have been consistently found to improve social
cognition in individuals with schizophrenia. Oxytocin functions as a neurotransmitter that is
thought to be involved in multiple aspects of social behavior and related emotions. In this
study, we test the hypothesis that acute administration of intranasal oxytocin will improve
social cognition in individuals with schizophrenia.