Haoran Dou1,2,3, Liye Zou4, Benjamin Becker5, Yi Lei6,7. 1. Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610101, China. 2. College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518061, China. 3. Active Mind Laboratory, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland. 4. Exercise and Mental Health Laboratory, College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518061, China. 5. Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China. 6. Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610101, China. leiyi821@vip.sina.com. 7. College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518061, China. leiyi821@vip.sina.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A previously acquired fear response often spreads to perceptually or conceptually close stimuli or contexts. This process, known as fear generalization, facilitates the avoidance of danger, and dysregulations in this process play an important role in anxiety disorders. Oxytocin (OT) has been shown to modulate fear learning, yet effects on fear generalization remain unknown. METHODS: We employed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, between-subject design during which healthy male participants received either intranasal OT or placebo (PLC) following fear acquisition and before fear generalization with concomitant acquisition of skin conductance responses (SCRs). Twenty-four to 72 h before the fear learning and immediately after the fear generalization task, participants additionally complete a discrimination threshold task. RESULTS: Relative to PLC, OT significantly reduced perceived risk and SCRs towards the CS+ and GS1 (the generalization stimulus that is most similar to CS+) during fear generalization, whereas the discrimination threshold was not affected. CONCLUSIONS: Together, the results suggest that OT can attenuate fear generalization in the absence of effects on discrimination threshold. This study provides the first evidence for effects of OT on fear generalization in humans and suggests that OT may have therapeutic potential in anxiety disorders characterized by dysregulated fear generalization.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: A previously acquired fear response often spreads to perceptually or conceptually close stimuli or contexts. This process, known as fear generalization, facilitates the avoidance of danger, and dysregulations in this process play an important role in anxiety disorders. Oxytocin (OT) has been shown to modulate fear learning, yet effects on fear generalization remain unknown. METHODS: We employed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, between-subject design during which healthy male participants received either intranasal OT or placebo (PLC) following fear acquisition and before fear generalization with concomitant acquisition of skin conductance responses (SCRs). Twenty-four to 72 h before the fear learning and immediately after the fear generalization task, participants additionally complete a discrimination threshold task. RESULTS: Relative to PLC, OT significantly reduced perceived risk and SCRs towards the CS+ and GS1 (the generalization stimulus that is most similar to CS+) during fear generalization, whereas the discrimination threshold was not affected. CONCLUSIONS: Together, the results suggest that OT can attenuate fear generalization in the absence of effects on discrimination threshold. This study provides the first evidence for effects of OT on fear generalization in humans and suggests that OT may have therapeutic potential in anxiety disorders characterized by dysregulated fear generalization.
Entities:
Keywords:
Discrimination threshold; Fear generalization; Oxytocin; Skin conductance responses (SCRs)
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