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'Trust' Drug Aims To Tackle Social Phobias
by
Liz Colville
A new nasal spray is being created from the hormone oxytocin, the so-called “cuddle chemical,” that may make its users more trusting.
30-Second Summary
Researchers at Zurich University recently found that a nasal spray form of oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone in humans, reduced activity in the amygdala region of the brain. Research subjects taking oxytocin “continued to trust strangers with their money—even after they were betrayed,” writes the BBC.
This apparent rise in the level of trust is encouraging for patients with social phobias, who are often prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, in conjunction with psychotherapy or on their own.
One of the researchers, Professor Markus Heinrichs, believes that oxytocin “could also be a candidate for treating patients with autism.”
The hormone is currently in drug trials after several years of research. Some members of this same Zurich University team published a study in Nature magazine in 2005 that pointed to the connection between oxytocin and trust.
Other research has investigated the link between the amygdala and human responses like fear and anxiety, as well as the usefulness of drugs like SSRIs in the treatment of social anxiety or phobia.
A 2003 study looked at a possible connection between oxytocin and the symptoms of autism and Asperger’s syndrome, specifically repetitive behavior, and found improved behavior using synthetic oxytocin versus a placebo.
This apparent rise in the level of trust is encouraging for patients with social phobias, who are often prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, in conjunction with psychotherapy or on their own.
One of the researchers, Professor Markus Heinrichs, believes that oxytocin “could also be a candidate for treating patients with autism.”
The hormone is currently in drug trials after several years of research. Some members of this same Zurich University team published a study in Nature magazine in 2005 that pointed to the connection between oxytocin and trust.
Other research has investigated the link between the amygdala and human responses like fear and anxiety, as well as the usefulness of drugs like SSRIs in the treatment of social anxiety or phobia.
A 2003 study looked at a possible connection between oxytocin and the symptoms of autism and Asperger’s syndrome, specifically repetitive behavior, and found improved behavior using synthetic oxytocin versus a placebo.
Headline Link: ‘Trust Drug may Cure Social Phobia’
The BBC News reported on the groundbreaking study on oxytocin and the amygdala, which employed MRI to monitor activity in the brain during a series of psychological “games” involving money. “We now know for the first time what exactly is going on in the brain when oxytocin increases trust,” lead researcher Dr. Thomas Baumgartner said. “We found that oxytocin has a very specific effect in social situations. It seems to diminish our fears.”
Source: The BBC
Background: Research on social anxiety treatments
Nature magazine published an article in 2005 by some of the same members of the Zurich University team currently studying oxytocin. Then, the researchers were analyzing the biological phenomena behind trust. “Little is known … about the biological basis of trust among humans,” the researchers wrote, but their preliminary work with oxytocin found that it “causes a substantial increase in trust among humans, thereby greatly increasing the benefits from social interactions.”
Source: Nature (PDF document)
In 2005, a joint study by Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania examined the effectiveness of two of the most prevalent treatments for social disorders, SSRIs and psychotherapy, jointly and on their own. The study concluded that “both pills and psychotherapy could work but that both together do not work better than either of the two on its own.” The study was reviewed by U.S. News & World Report.
Source: U.S. News & World Report
A 2003 study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences probed into the connection between the amygdala region of the brain and anxiety using neuroimagery. The researchers speculated that the amygdala “could be a target for the beneficial effects of cognitive-behavioral and medication treatments for anxiety disorders.”
Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Related Topic: The role of oxytocin in autism and Asperger’s syndrome
A 2003 study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology concluded a link between oxytocin and repetitive behaviors, which are seen in people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The study reviewed earlier research on oxytocin’s role not only in childbirth, which has been known for decades, but in social development. The 2003 study focused on repetitive behaviors, finding “significantly greater reduction in repetitive behaviors over time following oxytocin compared to placebo.”
Source: Nature
Reference: Defining social anxiety disorders
The American Academy of Family Physicians released an article in 1999 on social anxiety disorder—also known as social phobia—which it called “a highly prevalent yet often overlooked psychiatric disorder.” This detailed article sheds light on what were then relatively new treatments for social disorders, including SSRIs, MAOIs, and psychotherapy. The article also lists symptoms, as described in DSM-IV, the foremost manual on mental disorders.
Source: The American Academy of Family Physicians
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