A meta-analytic review of the impact of intranasal oxytocin administration on cortisol concentrations during laboratory tasks: Moderation by method and mental health

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.014

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Volume 49, November 2014, Pages 161-170

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.014 Get rights and content

Highlights

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The effect of nasal oxytocin on post-challenge cortisol concentrations was examined.
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There was no main effect of oxytocin. However, moderation effects were observed.
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Stronger activation of the HPA-axis elicited a larger attenuating effect of oxytocin.
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The attenuating effect of nasal oxytocin on cortisol was larger in clinical samples.
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A longer post-oxytocin cortisol sample collection interval produced a smaller effect.

Abstract

Background

A large body of research has examined the acute effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on social cognition and stress-regulation. While progress has been made with respect to understanding the effect of oxytocin administration on social cognition in clinical populations (e.g. autism, schizophrenia), less is known about its impact on the functioning of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis among individuals with a mental disorder.

Method

We conducted a meta-analysis on the acute effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on the cortisol response to laboratory tasks. The search yielded eighteen studies employing a randomized, placebo-controlled design (k = 18, N = 675). Random-effects models and moderator analyses were performed using the metafor package for the statistical program R.

Results

The overall effect size estimate was modest and not statistically significant (Hedges g = −0.151, p = 0.11) with moderate heterogeneity in this effect across studies (I² = 31%). Controlling for baseline differences in cortisol concentrations, moderation analyses revealed that this effect was larger in response to challenging laboratory tasks that produced a robust stimulation of the HPA-axis (Hedges g = −0.433, 95% CI[−0.841, −0.025]), and in clinical populations relative to healthy controls (Hedges g = −0.742, 95% CI[−1.405, −0.078]).

Conclusion

Overall, oxytocin administration showed greater attenuation of the cortisol response to laboratory tasks that strongly activated the HPA-axis, relative to tasks that did not. The effect was more robust among clinical populations, suggesting possible increased sensitivity to oxytocin among those with a clinical diagnosis and concomitant social difficulties. These data support the view that oxytocin may play an important role in HPA dysfunction associated with psychopathology.

Section snippets

Inclusion criteria

Articles were required to meet the following methodological criteria: (1) administration of intranasal oxytocin, (2) measurement of endogenous cortisol concentrations, (3) use of human participants, and (4) use of a randomized and placebo-controlled research design. Only English language articles were considered. All participant populations, and studies of all sample sizes were included in the analysis.

Study variables

To calculate the effect of oxytocin administration on the cortisol response to laboratory

Main effects

The studies included in the meta-analysis, along with listed descriptive and moderator variables, can be found in Table 1. As expected, no statistically significant differences in cortisol concentrations were observed between drug condition at baseline (Z = 0.737, p = 0.461, Hedges g = 0.056, 95% CI[−0.093, 0.204]), and this effect did not vary across studies (χ² (17) = 13.666, p = 0.691, I² = 0%). The overall effect size estimate for the effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on the cortisol

Discussion

The present meta-analysis demonstrates that the administration of intranasal oxytocin does not lower post-task cortisol concentrations per se (Hedges g = −0.15, 95% CI[−0.340, 0.037]), however, the analyses do provide evidence that intranasal oxytocin administration attenuates the release of cortisol during challenging laboratory tasks that produce a robust stimulation of the HPA-axis (Hedges g = −0.43). The effect is modest, but it is in keeping with the effect size statistics reported in this

Role of funding source

This research was supported by grants to Dr. Ellenbogen from the Canada Research Chair program (supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; SSHRC; 950-213802) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; 12678). Christopher Cardoso is supported by a scholarship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Santé (FRQS). Danielle Kingdon is supported by a scholarship from SSHRC.

Conflict of interest statement

All authors on this manuscript declare that they have no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Contributors

Christopher Cardoso designed the meta-analytic review, conducted the systematic search, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Christopher Cardoso and Danielle Kingdon conducted the statistical analyses. Danielle Kingdon and Mark A. Ellenbogen provided revisions to the manuscript. All authors contributed to and approved of the final manuscript.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Christopher Aidan Brown for his assistance during the organization of the research articles described in the systematic search section of this article.

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A meta-analytic review of the impact of intranasal oxytocin administration on cortisol concentrations during laboratory tasks: Moderation by method and mental health

Highlights

Abstract

Background

Method

Results

Conclusion

Section snippets

Inclusion criteria

Study variables

Main effects

Discussion

Role of funding source

Conflict of interest statement

Contributors

Acknowledgements

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