Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
J Psychopharmacol. 2020 Mar;34(3):336-347. doi: 10.1177/0269881119867607. Epub 2019 Sep 2.
There has been growing interest in using oxytocin as a pharmacotherapy for psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorder. Limited data exist regarding oxytocin's reinforcing efficacy, which is a necessary consideration for novel pharmacotherapies, especially in substance-using populations.
This study aimed to determine the potential reinforcing effects of intranasally administered oxytocin by assessing behavioral economic demand and subjective effects.
Healthy adults ( = 23) participated in a double-blind, repeated-measures, laboratory study wherein they received intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) or placebo in a randomized order across two sessions. Participants completed drug purchasing tasks at the conclusion of both sessions. Throughout both sessions, subjective and physiological effects were assessed.
Demand-curve analysis of purchasing tasks revealed greater median purchasing for oxytocin relative to placebo. Physiological and subjective effects did not significantly differ between oxytocin and placebo. However, a nonsignificant trend was observed for moderately greater drug liking for oxytocin relative to placebo. There was a significant, positive correlation between the difference in drug liking (between oxytocin and placebo) and the difference in lowest-price purchasing (between oxytocin and placebo).
These data suggest the potential for limited reinforcing and abuse-related subjective effects of intranasal oxytocin. Given the small sample, the greater drug liking of oxytocin compared to placebo, and the positive relation between demand and drug liking, it is possible that oxytocin may produce reinforcing effects in some participants. Therefore, additional studies of oxytocin reinforcement are warranted.
人们对使用催产素作为精神疾病的药物治疗方法（包括物质使用障碍）越来越感兴趣。关于催产素的强化效果的数据有限，这对于新的药物治疗方法是必要的考虑因素，特别是在使用物质的人群中。
本研究旨在通过评估行为经济学需求和主观效应来确定鼻内给予催产素的潜在强化效果。
健康成年人（n=23）参加了一项双盲、重复测量、实验室研究，他们在两个阶段以随机顺序接受鼻内催产素（40IU）或安慰剂。在两个阶段结束时，参与者完成药物购买任务。在整个两个阶段，评估主观和生理效应。
购买任务的需求曲线分析显示，催产素的购买中位数大于安慰剂。催产素和安慰剂之间的生理和主观效应没有显著差异。然而，催产素相对于安慰剂的药物喜好程度略高，这是一个非显著趋势。药物喜好（催产素与安慰剂之间的差异）与最低价格购买（催产素与安慰剂之间的差异）之间存在显著正相关。
这些数据表明，鼻内催产素可能具有有限的强化和与滥用相关的主观效应。鉴于样本量小，催产素相对于安慰剂的药物喜好程度更高，以及需求和药物喜好之间的正相关关系，催产素可能会在一些参与者中产生强化作用。因此，需要进一步研究催产素的强化作用。
