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Takano R, Nomura M. A closer look at the time course of bodily responses to awe experiences. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22506. [PMID: 38110602 PMCID: PMC10728215 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49681-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure and function of awe have been examined by focusing on the average level of outcomes during awe experiences. In the present study, we tested the psychophysiological process of experiencing awe, focusing on time-series changes in skin conductance responses (SCRs), a moment-by-moment measure of sympathetic nervous responses, and pupil diameter, which is dilated or constricted through the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The responses were measured through an experiment where 77 Japanese university students watched emotional (awe, amusement, or neutral) videos while moving a joystick when they felt supernatural agency or non-agency, examining the underlying psychological processes. We found that experiencing awe was associated with frequent and steep changes in SCRs and frequent changes in pupil diameter. The joystick inclination, the perceptions of the supernatural, was kept at a high level from the start to the end of awe experiences. These results may reflect the psychophysiological processes of awe: the "fluctuation" of the sympathetic nervous system might underlie awe-specific experiences. Our findings shed new light on the mechanisms of the body-mind interaction in awe experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Takano
- Department of Social Psychology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Michio Nomura
- Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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Alaerts K, Bernaerts S, Wenderoth N. Effects of single- and multiple-dose oxytocin treatment on amygdala low-frequency BOLD fluctuations and BOLD spectral dynamics in autism. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:393. [PMID: 36127337 PMCID: PMC9489696 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02158-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior neuroimaging clinical trials investigating the neural effects of intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin demonstrated a key role of the amygdala in oxytocin's neuromodulatory effects. These studies mostly demonstrated the acute effects of single-dose administrations, examining task-dependent effects of oxytocin on brain activity elicited during explicit experimental tasks or stimuli presentations. The increased consideration of oxytocin as a potential ameliorating treatment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires a better understanding of how multiple-dose oxytocin administration affects intrinsic, task-free, amygdala function. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with between-subject design, 38 adult men with ASD underwent resting-state fMRI scanning before and after oxytocin or placebo treatment. Effects were assessed either after a single-dose administration, consisting of 24 international units, or after multiple-dose treatment, consisting of 4 weeks of once-daily nasal spray administrations. Compared to placebo, oxytocin induced a decrease in intrinsic resting-state BOLD signal amplitudes of the bilateral amygdala (fractional amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations) and modulated cross-frequency interactions between adjacent BOLD frequency components. The right amygdala showed a pattern of reduced cross-frequency harmonicity, while the left amygdala showed a relative increase in harmonic cross-frequency interactions after oxytocin treatment. Notably, the direction and magnitude of BOLD spectral changes induced after a single-dose were qualitatively similar to treatment effects induced after multiple-dose treatment. Furthermore, the identified spectral changes in amygdalar BOLD amplitude and cross-frequency harmonicity were associated with improved feelings of tension, reflecting oxytocin's anxiolytic, stress-reducing neuromodulatory role. The observed effects of oxytocin on amygdalar BOLD spectral characteristics and associated behaviors contribute to a deeper mechanistic understanding of the intrinsic, task-free neuromodulatory dynamics that underlie single- and multiple-dose oxytocin treatment in ASD. European Clinical Trial Registry (Eudract 2014-000586-45).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Alaerts
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, Neuromodulation Laboratory, Neurorehabilitation Research Group, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Sylvie Bernaerts
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, Neuromodulation Laboratory, Neurorehabilitation Research Group, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicole Wenderoth
- grid.5801.c0000 0001 2156 2780Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Neural Control of Movement Lab, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Goh KK, Chen CYA, Wu TH, Chen CH, Lu ML. Crosstalk between Schizophrenia and Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Oxytocinergic Dysfunction. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137092. [PMID: 35806096 PMCID: PMC9266532 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in persons with schizophrenia has spurred investigational efforts to study the mechanism beneath its pathophysiology. Early psychosis dysfunction is present across multiple organ systems. On this account, schizophrenia may be a multisystem disorder in which one organ system is predominantly affected and where other organ systems are also concurrently involved. Growing evidence of the overlapping neurobiological profiles of metabolic risk factors and psychiatric symptoms, such as an association with cognitive dysfunction, altered autonomic nervous system regulation, desynchrony in the resting-state default mode network, and shared genetic liability, suggest that metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia are connected via common pathways that are central to schizophrenia pathogenesis, which may be underpinned by oxytocin system dysfunction. Oxytocin, a hormone that involves in the mechanisms of food intake and metabolic homeostasis, may partly explain this piece of the puzzle in the mechanism underlying this association. Given its prosocial and anorexigenic properties, oxytocin has been administered intranasally to investigate its therapeutic potential in schizophrenia and obesity. Although the pathophysiology and mechanisms of oxytocinergic dysfunction in metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia are both complex and it is still too early to draw a conclusion upon, oxytocinergic dysfunction may yield a new mechanistic insight into schizophrenia pathogenesis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kah Kheng Goh
- Department of Psychiatry, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan; (K.K.G.); (C.Y.-A.C.); (C.-H.C.)
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Cynthia Yi-An Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan; (K.K.G.); (C.Y.-A.C.); (C.-H.C.)
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
| | - Tzu-Hua Wu
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hsin Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan; (K.K.G.); (C.Y.-A.C.); (C.-H.C.)
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Mong-Liang Lu
- Department of Psychiatry, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan; (K.K.G.); (C.Y.-A.C.); (C.-H.C.)
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Correspondence:
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Soriano JR, Daniels N, Prinsen J, Alaerts K. Intranasal oxytocin enhances approach-related EEG frontal alpha asymmetry during engagement of direct eye contact. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa093. [PMID: 32954338 PMCID: PMC7475692 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin is suggested to play a major role in a variety of complex human behaviours, including interpersonal bonding, trust and attachment. Recent theories have suggested that the role oxytocin plays in these complex social behaviours involves a modulation of motivational tendencies of approach-/avoidance-related behaviours. However, to date, direct neurophysiological evidence supporting this notion is limited. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with parallel design, we assessed the effects of administered intranasal oxytocin in 40 adult men on gaze behaviour and a neural marker of approach/avoidance motivational tendencies. Specifically, electroencephalography recordings were performed during the engagement of eye contact with a live model in a naturalistic two-person social context and electroencephalographic frontal alpha asymmetry, an established neurophysiological index of motivational tendencies for approach-/avoidance-related behaviours, was assessed. Compared to placebo, a single dose of oxytocin (24 international units) was shown to increase relative left-sided frontal asymmetry upon direct eye contact with a live model, which is indicative of an increase in approach-related motivational tendencies towards the presented eye contact stimulus. Notably, the treatment effect was most prominently observed in participants with lower self-reported social motivation (higher Motivation subscale scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale), indicating that participants with lower social motivation benefitted the most from the administered oxytocin. No treatment-specific changes were identified in terms of gaze behaviour towards the eye region of the live model. Together, these observations add neurophysiological evidence to the hypothesized role of oxytocin in modulating approach-/avoidance-related tendencies and suggest that inter-subject variability in person-dependent factors need to be considered to evaluate the potential benefit of intranasal oxytocin as a treatment. This notion is of particular relevance to the variety of neuropsychiatric populations such as autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety disorder and depression, for which intranasal oxytocin is increasingly considered a potential treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier R Soriano
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicky Daniels
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jellina Prinsen
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kaat Alaerts
- Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
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