Abstract
Social-cognitive deficits contribute to poor functional outcomes in early psychosis; however, no effective pharmacological treatments exist for these problems. This study was the first to investigate the efficacy of an extended treatment of oxytocin nasal spray combined with social cognition training (SCT) to improve social cognition, clinical symptoms, and social functioning in early psychosis. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subjects trial, 52 individuals (aged 16-35 years) diagnosed with an early psychosis schizophrenia-spectrum illness were recruited. Participants received oxytocin (24 International Units) or placebo nasal spray twice-daily for 6 weeks, combined with group SCT (2 × 1 hour weekly sessions for 6 weeks). An additional dose of oxytocin was administered before each weekly session. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. Primary outcomes included the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms, and the Social Functioning Scale. Secondary outcomes included self-report and behavioral assessments of social cognition, symptom severity, and social functioning. Results showed that on all primary and secondary outcomes, there was no benefit of oxytocin nasal spray treatment in comparison to placebo. Exploratory post hoc analysis suggested that increased use of nasal spray was, however, associated with reductions in negative symptoms in the oxytocin condition only. This study represents the first evaluation of oxytocin treatment for early psychosis. Although results suggest no benefit of oxytocin treatment, results also highlight an urgent need to consider nasal spray delivery and dose-related variables for future clinical trials.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 483-493 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Schizophrenia Bulletin |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Oxytocin Nasal Spray and Social Cognition Training for Young People with Early Psychosis. / Cacciotti-Saija, Cristina; Langdon, Robyn; Ward, Philip B.; Hickie, Ian B.; Scott, Elizabeth M.; Naismith, Sharon L.; Moore, Loretta; Alvares, Gail A.; Redoblado Hodge, Marie Antoinette; Guastella, Adam J.
In: Schizophrenia Bulletin, Vol. 41, No. 2, 01.03.2015, p. 483-493.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Oxytocin Nasal Spray and Social Cognition Training for Young People with Early Psychosis
AU - Cacciotti-Saija, Cristina
AU - Langdon, Robyn
AU - Ward, Philip B.
AU - Hickie, Ian B.
AU - Scott, Elizabeth M.
AU - Naismith, Sharon L.
AU - Moore, Loretta
AU - Alvares, Gail A.
AU - Redoblado Hodge, Marie Antoinette
AU - Guastella, Adam J.
PY - 2015/3/1
Y1 - 2015/3/1
N2 - Social-cognitive deficits contribute to poor functional outcomes in early psychosis; however, no effective pharmacological treatments exist for these problems. This study was the first to investigate the efficacy of an extended treatment of oxytocin nasal spray combined with social cognition training (SCT) to improve social cognition, clinical symptoms, and social functioning in early psychosis. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subjects trial, 52 individuals (aged 16-35 years) diagnosed with an early psychosis schizophrenia-spectrum illness were recruited. Participants received oxytocin (24 International Units) or placebo nasal spray twice-daily for 6 weeks, combined with group SCT (2 × 1 hour weekly sessions for 6 weeks). An additional dose of oxytocin was administered before each weekly session. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. Primary outcomes included the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms, and the Social Functioning Scale. Secondary outcomes included self-report and behavioral assessments of social cognition, symptom severity, and social functioning. Results showed that on all primary and secondary outcomes, there was no benefit of oxytocin nasal spray treatment in comparison to placebo. Exploratory post hoc analysis suggested that increased use of nasal spray was, however, associated with reductions in negative symptoms in the oxytocin condition only. This study represents the first evaluation of oxytocin treatment for early psychosis. Although results suggest no benefit of oxytocin treatment, results also highlight an urgent need to consider nasal spray delivery and dose-related variables for future clinical trials.
AB - Social-cognitive deficits contribute to poor functional outcomes in early psychosis; however, no effective pharmacological treatments exist for these problems. This study was the first to investigate the efficacy of an extended treatment of oxytocin nasal spray combined with social cognition training (SCT) to improve social cognition, clinical symptoms, and social functioning in early psychosis. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subjects trial, 52 individuals (aged 16-35 years) diagnosed with an early psychosis schizophrenia-spectrum illness were recruited. Participants received oxytocin (24 International Units) or placebo nasal spray twice-daily for 6 weeks, combined with group SCT (2 × 1 hour weekly sessions for 6 weeks). An additional dose of oxytocin was administered before each weekly session. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. Primary outcomes included the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms, and the Social Functioning Scale. Secondary outcomes included self-report and behavioral assessments of social cognition, symptom severity, and social functioning. Results showed that on all primary and secondary outcomes, there was no benefit of oxytocin nasal spray treatment in comparison to placebo. Exploratory post hoc analysis suggested that increased use of nasal spray was, however, associated with reductions in negative symptoms in the oxytocin condition only. This study represents the first evaluation of oxytocin treatment for early psychosis. Although results suggest no benefit of oxytocin treatment, results also highlight an urgent need to consider nasal spray delivery and dose-related variables for future clinical trials.
KW - emotion recognition
KW - neuropeptides
KW - schizophrenia
KW - social behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940825450&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/schbul/sbu094
DO - 10.1093/schbul/sbu094
M3 - Article
VL - 41
SP - 483
EP - 493
JO - Schizophrenia Bulletin
JF - Schizophrenia Bulletin
SN - 0586-7614
IS - 2
ER -