Wiertsema, M.H. (Marijn) (2012) Het effect van oxytocine op de empathiebeleving : Een elektrofysiologische studie. thesis, Medicine.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background: Recent studies show that the hormone oxytocin affects social cognition. If oxytocin is administered nasally, this appears to promote empathy related prosocial behavior. Oxytocin may lead to a greater empathic response in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examines whether nasally administered oxytocin provides a stronger empathic response in a group of healthy men. Methods: In a double blind placebo controlled crossover study 24 UI oxytocin was nasally administered in thirty healthy men. Emotionally loaded photographs were then displayed. The electrophysiological response, a presumed measure of empathy, was determined using Electro-encephalography from which later event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were derived. In the analysis of the ERPs the late parietal positive potential was focused upon. At home the participants completed a series of questionnaires covering systemizing behavior, empathy experience and autistic traits. Results: The analysis did not reveal a clear effect of oxytocin in the ERPs. Higher ERPs were found in response to emotionally negative human photographs while lower ERPs were seen in emotionally positive human photographs. The magnitude of decrease in ERPs in emotionally positive human photographs in the oxytocin condition appeared to correlate with a high score on the Empathy Quotient. Conclusion: When taking oxytocin the processing of negative stimuli is different from the processing of positive stimuli. A possible conclusion is that negative stimuli are a better measure of emotional empathy than the positive stimuli in our study design. The follow-up study investigates the oxytocin-effects in a group of patients with ASD. The outcomes may provide further insights into the differential effect of oxytocin found in our study
| Item Type: | Thesis (Thesis) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Althaus, Dr. M. and Universitair Centrum voor Kinder- en Jeugdpsychiatrie (UCKJP |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2020 10:48 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2020 10:48 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/905 |
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