Trial reportPloS one2012
Oxytocin increases heart rate variability in humans at rest: implications for social approach-related motivation and capacity for social engagement.
Trial report in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The impact of a single administration of intranasal oxytocin on the recognition of basic emotions in humans: a meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2013Pooled it
- Feasibility study examining the short-term effects of Sonic Augmentation Technology™.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Temporal profile of intranasal oxytocin in the human autonomic nervous system at rest: An electrocardiography and pupillometry study.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Reduced vagal activity in borderline personality disorder is unaffected by intranasal oxytocin administration, but predicted by the interaction between childhood trauma and attachment insecurity.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2022Trial
- Oxytocin-enhanced group therapy for methamphetamine use disorder: Randomized controlled trial.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2020Trial
- Oxytocin Modulates Attention Switching Between Interoceptive Signals and External Social Cues.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2018Trial
- Somatic Psychoeducational Intervention Is Associated with Increased Oxytocin Levels, Improved Autonomic Function, and Reduced Psychological Distress Symptoms in Medical and Social Care Professionals.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The relationship between heart rate variability and affective disorders: associations with symptomatic improvement and therapeutic alliance.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Reduced attention to human eyes in autism-associated Shank3 mutant laboratory beagle dogs.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Article
- Article
- Development of precision medicine approaches to advance clinical trials for autism and social behavior: A research imperative.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Touch as emotion regulation.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Review
- The Effects of Heart Rhythm Meditation on Vagal Tone and Well-being: A Mixed Methods Research Study.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Article
- From Parental Behavior to Sexual Function: Recent Advances in Oxytocin Research.Current sexual health reports · 2024Review
- Behavior and heart rate variability after intranasal administration of oxytocin in Holstein steers.The Journal of veterinary medical science · 2023Article
- Sex Related Differences in Electrocardiography.Physiological research · 2023Review
- Sniffing oxytocin: Nose to brain or nose to blood?Molecular psychiatry · 2023Article
- Effects of Interactions with Cats in Domestic Environment on the Psychological and Physiological State of Their Owners: Associations among Cortisol, Oxytocin, Heart Rate Variability, and Emotions.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Social Touch: Its Mirror-like Responses and Implications in Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases.NeuroSci · 2023Review
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextOxytocin (OT) plays a key regulatory role in human social behaviour. While prior studies have examined the effects of OT on observable social behaviours, studies have seldom examined the effects of OT on psychophysiological markers such as heart rate variability (HRV), which provides an index of individual's motivation for social behaviour. Furthermore, no studies have examined the impact of OT on HRV under resting conditions, which provides an index of maximal capacity for social engagement.
objectiveTo examine the effects of OT on HRV measures in healthy male participants while at rest. OT was hypothesised to increase HRV, compared to placebo, and that the effects would be greatest for a non-linear measure of HRV (the detrended fluctuation scaling exponent).
methodsTwenty-one male participants were recruited for this study. Participants were non-smokers, not on any medications and reported no history of psychiatric illness, neurological disorder, or any other serious medical condition (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease). The study employed a randomised, placebo-controlled, within-subject, crossover, experimental design.
main outcome measuresHRV was calculated from electrocardiography under a standardized, 10-minute, resting state condition.
resultsAs hypothesised, OT increased HRV and these effects were largest using the detrended fluctuation scaling exponent, a non-linear measure. These changes were observed in the absence of any change in state mood, as measured by the profile of mood states. Importantly, participants were unable to correctly guess which treatment they had been assigned at either of the two assessments.
conclusionsTogether with the broader literature on OT and HRV, findings suggest that acute administration of OT may facilitate a fundamental psychophysiological feature of social behaviour, increasing capacity for social engagement. Findings also suggest that HRV changes may provide a novel biomarker of response to OT nasal spray that can be incorporated into research on response to treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.