Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40679087›Full record

Trial reportAdvanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)2025

Oxytocin Reduces Subjective Fear in Naturalistic Social Contexts via Enhancing Top-Down Middle Cingulate Amygdala Regulation and Brain-Wide Fear Representations.

Kun Fu, Shuyue Xu, Zheng Zhang, Dan Liu, Ting Xu, Yuan Zhang, Feng Zhou, Xiaodong Zhang, Chunmei Lan, Junjie Wang and 8 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Kun FuThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4475-3851
Shuyue XuSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Zheng ZhangThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Dan LiuThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Ting XuFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
Yuan ZhangThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Feng ZhouFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
Xiaodong ZhangThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Chunmei LanThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Junjie WangThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Lan WangThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Jingxian HeThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Keith M KendrickThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Bharat BiswalMOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Dezhong YaoMOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Zhen LiangSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Weihua ZhaoThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
Benjamin BeckerThe Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9014-9671

Funding

funderDoi="10.13039/501100012149">Science Technology Innovation (STI) 2030 Major Projects 2022ZD0208500National Natural Science Foundation of China 82271583-BBNatural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province 2022NSFSC1375-WZUniversity of Hong Kong, Start-up and Seed grant-BB
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests a fear-regulating potential of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), yet the clinical translation into novel interventions for pathological fear requires a behavioral and neurofunctional characterization under close-to-real-life conditions. Here, we combined a naturalistic fMRI-design that elicited strong and immersive fear experience in social and non-social contexts with a preregistered between-subjects randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intranasal OT trial (24 IU, n  =  67 healthy men). OT selectively reduced subjective fear in social contexts but not in non-social contexts. On the neural level OT enhanced left middle cingulate cortex (lMCC) activation and its functional connectivity with the contralateral amygdala, with both neural indices significantly and inversely associated with subjective fear following OT. On the network level, OT enhanced communication between the dorsal attention network (DAN) with the fronto-parietal (FPN) and the default-mode network (DMN), and modulated brain-wide communication patterns. Utilizing an independent activity-connectivity neuromarker for fear in naturalistic contexts (CAFE) confirmed that OT attenuated brain-wide fear expressions. Findings indicate an ecologically valid and socially specific fear-reducing effect of OT, highlighting its promise as a treatment option for disorders characterized by excessive fear in social situations.

Indexed as

AmygdalaFearGyrus CinguliOxytocinAdministration, IntranasalAdultBrainDouble-Blind MethodHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleYoung AdultOxytocinamygdalaanxietyfearfMRIoxytocin

Identifiers

PMID40679087
PMCPMC12520527

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.