Sex/Gender Differences in Risk and Resilience to PTSD; Implication of Oxytocin
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of the study is to use fMRI to investigate amygdala response to fearful faces in
men and women with and without PTSD who have experienced childhood trauma. The study will
also compare the effects of oxytocin and placebo on amygdala response, and explore the
interaction of oxytocin plasma levels and amygdala response in men and women with and without
PTSD who have experienced childhood trauma.
Hypothesis 1: Amygdala responding will be greater in subjects with PTSD as compared to
resilient subjects, and no sex differences in the magnitude of the response will be found.
Hypothesis 2A: In response to OT, women will exhibit a greater reduction in amygdala
responding than men.
Hypothesis 2B: In response to OT, women with PTSD will exhibit a greater reduction in
amygdala responding compared to women without PTSD.
Hypothesis 3A: Women with PTSD will have lower levels of plasma OT as compared to men with
PTSD, and women and men without PTSD.
Hypothesis 3B: Plasma OT levels will be inversely correlated with amygdala responding to
fearful faces in women but not in men.