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Sex-specific effect of intranasal vasopressin, but not oxytocin, on emotional recognition and perception in schizophrenia patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

L. Vadas ,
B. Bloch ,
R. Levin ,
I. Shalev ,
S. Israel ,
F. Uzefovsky ,
R. Bachner-Melman ,
A. Reshef ,
R.P. Ebstein  and
I. Kremer
L. Vadas
Affiliation:
Emek Medical Center, Psychiatry Department, Haifa, Israel
B. Bloch
Affiliation:
Emek Medical Center, Psychiatry Department, Haifa, Israel
R. Levin
Affiliation:
Herzog Memorial Hospital, Psychology Department, Jerusalem, Israel
I. Shalev
Affiliation:
Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Neurobiology Department, Jerusalem, Israel
S. Israel
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Psychology Department, Jerusalem, Israel
F. Uzefovsky
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Psychology Department, Jerusalem, Israel
R. Bachner-Melman
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Psychology Department, Jerusalem, Israel
A. Reshef
Affiliation:
Emek Medical Center, Psychiatry Department, Haifa, Israel
R.P. Ebstein
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore, Psychology Department, Singapore, Singapore
I. Kremer
Affiliation:
Flügelman's Mazor Mental Health Medical Center, Mental Health Medical Center, Acre, Israel

Abstract

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Background

Impairments in social behavior and cognition, such as the ability to identify others’ emotional state, are important features in schizophrenia. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) and are nonapeptides that influence social cognition and behavior. Previous studies have shown that the administration of intranasal AVP or OXT may affect the ability to recognize facial emotions. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a single dose of AVP or OXT on social cognition in patients with schizophrenia. The secondary objective of the study was to test for sex-specific effects of intranasal AVP and OXT administration on social cognition.

Methods

In this double-blind, placebo-control, cross-over study, 34 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder, received a dose of AVP, OXT or placebo in three separate meetings. Forty-five minutes after administration, subjects performed facial emotion recognition tasks.

Results

There were no significant main effects of hormone administration on the ability to recognize facial emotions between treatment conditions. However, AVP administration resulted in sex-specific differences in emotion recognition. Specifically, in men, AVP administration reduced the ability to recognize angry faces. In women, AVP administration reduced the ability to recognize sad faces and improved the ability to recognize fearful faces.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that intranasal AVP may affect the recognition of facial emotions differently in men and women. Thus, AVP may increase the differences between men and women on social cognition.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Type
e-Poster Walk: Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders – Part 5
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 41 , Issue S1: Abstract of the 25th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2017 , pp. S387 - S388
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2017
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