Yahuan Shi1,2, Jinmeng Liu1,2, Zhonghua Hu3,4, Shan Gao5,6. 1. Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China. 2. Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People's Republic of China. 3. Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610068, People's Republic of China. huzhonghua2000@163.com. 4. Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People's Republic of China. huzhonghua2000@163.com. 5. School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China. hohxil@sina.com. 6. The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China. hohxil@sina.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gaze direction is an important cue of the eye region. Previous studies have revealed that oxytocin (OXT) increases orienting to the eye region of face. However, little has been known about the effect of OXT in men and women on the perception of gaze direction particularly when associated with different emotions. OBJECTIVES: We investigated how oxytocin would affect gaze direction judgments for threatening, angry, and neutral facial expressions and whether this effect would be modulated by observers' sex. METHODS: We used the cone of direct gaze (CoDG) task. Participants were required to judge the gaze direction of face between directed and averted gaze. RESULTS: Results showed opposing sex-dependent effects of OXT such that OXT, as compared with placebo, tended to decrease the CoDG in men but increase it in women. The CoDG was marginally wider in men than in women in the placebo condition, and however, this difference was abolished following OXT treatment. We also found that the perception of gaze direction varied as a function of emotional expression such that the CoDG for angry and neutral faces was wider than that for fearful faces and the CoDG for angry faces was marginally wider than that for neutral ones. However, there was no significant interaction between treatment and facial expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence for sex-dependent effects of OXT on gaze direction perception, suggesting that OXT attenuates the self-referential judgment of gaze directions of others in men and enhances it in women despite differentiated emotions of faces.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Gaze direction is an important cue of the eye region. Previous studies have revealed that oxytocin (OXT) increases orienting to the eye region of face. However, little has been known about the effect of OXT in men and women on the perception of gaze direction particularly when associated with different emotions. OBJECTIVES: We investigated how oxytocin would affect gaze direction judgments for threatening, angry, and neutral facial expressions and whether this effect would be modulated by observers' sex. METHODS: We used the cone of direct gaze (CoDG) task. Participants were required to judge the gaze direction of face between directed and averted gaze. RESULTS: Results showed opposing sex-dependent effects of OXT such that OXT, as compared with placebo, tended to decrease the CoDG in men but increase it in women. The CoDG was marginally wider in men than in women in the placebo condition, and however, this difference was abolished following OXT treatment. We also found that the perception of gaze direction varied as a function of emotional expression such that the CoDG for angry and neutral faces was wider than that for fearful faces and the CoDG for angry faces was marginally wider than that for neutral ones. However, there was no significant interaction between treatment and facial expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence for sex-dependent effects of OXT on gaze direction perception, suggesting that OXT attenuates the self-referential judgment of gaze directions of others in men and enhances it in women despite differentiated emotions of faces.
Entities:
Keywords:
Facial expressions; Oxytocin; Sex differences; The cone of direct gaze (CoDG)