Un-cuddled ?

Wolf-Gero Lange1,2, Désirée Zieba1, Markus Heinrichs3, Frank Vitinius4, & Alexander

Gerlach1

1Dept. of Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy

Cologne University (G) 2Behavioural Science Institute

Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) 3Dept. Biological & Differential Psychology

Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg (G) 4Dept. Psychosomatics & Psychotherapy

University Medical Center, Cologne (G)

Background

Cognitive models of SAD

• Distorted assumptions about self and others in

social situations, self-focused attention (Clark &

Wells, 1995; Moscovitch, et al., 2009)

• Biased processing of ambiguous social

situations, e.g., social cues such as faces,

behavior of others (Rapee & Heimberg, 1997)

Face Processing

Visual Attention

• Attentional biases towards negative faces (e.g.,

Mogg & Bradley, 2002; Pishyar et al.; 2004;

Sposari & Rapee, 2007)

Impulsive Evaluative Behavior

• Avoidance impulse towards happy and angry

faces (e.g., Heuer et al., 2007; Lange et al.,

2008; Roelofs et al.)

Oxytocin

(Heinrichs et al., 2009; Kosfeld et al.,

2005; Meyer-Lindenberg et al., 2011)

(Heinrichs, et al., 2003)

(Bartz & Hollander, 2006;

Heinrichs & Domes, 2008)

• Reduces amygdala response to (Domes et al,

2007, Kirsch et al., 2008)

• Stimulates (Guastella et al., 2008)

• Improves from other individuals eyes

(Domes et al., 2007)

• Does not influences at early

perceptual level (Guastella et al., 2009)

• …

Oxytocin & Social Anxiety

between SAs vs NAs

but (Hoge et

al., 2008)

• OT

but not outcome of therapy

(Guastella et al., 2009)

• OT attenuates

in SAD (Labuschagne et al., 2010)

(Radke, et al., 2013)

• …

Study 1 Study 2

N = 100: 25 high SA females and 25 males; 25 low SA females and males

N = 100: 25 high SA females and 25 males; 25 low SA females and males

Prescreening: LSAS & eligibility Consult with Physician/Pregnancy Testing/Luteal Phase Testing &

Saliva Sampling/LSAS/FNE/CES-D/VAS… 24 IU intranasal OXT vs PLC (double blind cross-over design)

Dot-probe: 175 vs 500ms; Angry, neutral, smiling, disgust

Dot-probe: 175 vs 500ms; Sad, neutral, fear, surprise

AAT: direct version; Angry, neutral, smiling, disgust

AAT: direct version; Sad, neutral, fear, surprise

BB: SCR; HR; Photos of Angry, neutral, smiling, disgust, sad, fear, surprise faces

BB: SCR; HR; Clips of insulting, neutral, friendly, mixed actors

Oxytocin Study Cologne

Today

Study 1 Study 2

N = 51: 8 high SA females and 3 males; 20 low SA females and 20 males

N = 100: 25 high SA females and 25 males; 25 low SA females and males

Prescreening: LSAS & eligibility Consult with Physician/Pregnancy Testing/Luteal Phase Testing &

Saliva Sampling/LSAS/FNE/CES-D/VAS… 24 IU intranasal OXT vs PLC (double blind cross-over design)

Dot-probe: 175 vs 500ms; Angry, neutral, smiling, disgust

Dot-probe: 175 vs 500ms; Sad, neutral, fear, surprise

AAT: direct version; Angry, neutral, smiling, disgust

AAT: direct version; Sad, neutral, fear, surprise

BB: SCR; HR; Photos of Angry, neutral, smiling, disgust, sad, fear, surprise faces

BB: SCR; HR; Clips of insulting, neutral, friendly, mixed actors

The Sample

Gruppenvergleich NSA und HSA anhand der berechneten Mittelwerte (M), Standard Abweichungen (SD), test- Statistik (t) und Signifikanzwerte (p) Werte des Alters, des LSAS (telefonische Voruntersuchung), des LSAS (medizinische Voruntersuchung), des FNE-Ks und des ADS-Ls

Age

LSAS (pre-screen)

LSAS (on site)

FNE

CES-D

Characteristics of Sample

Gruppenvergleich NSA und HSA anhand der berechneten Mittelwerte (M), Standard Abweichungen (SD), test- Statistik (t) und Signifikanzwerte (p) Werte des Alters, des LSAS (telefonische Voruntersuchung), des LSAS (medizinische Voruntersuchung), des FNE-Ks und des ADS-Ls

VAS1 = baseline

VAS2 = pre dotpr.

VAS3 = pre AAT

VAS4 = post AAT

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

VAS1 VAS2 VAS3 VAS4

NSA, OXT

NSA, PLC

HSA, OXT

HSA, PLC

*

°

°

Visual Analogue Scale: Anxiety

The Dot-Probe

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

Face Processing: Dot-Probe

Left Right

RT

diffe

ren

ce

s (

ms)

Placebo Condition

Dot-probe: Results

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

NA (n=40) HA (n=11)

Anger

Happy

Disgust

* o

* *

* *

* o

RT

diffe

ren

ce

s (

ms)

Oxytocin Condition

Dot-probe: Results

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

NA (n=40) HA (n=11)

Anger

Happy

Disgust

* *

* *

* o * o

*

RT

diffe

ren

ce

s (

ms)

Happy

Dot-probe: Results

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

NA (n=40) HA (n=11)

Oxytocin

Placebo

*

*

The

Approach-

Avoidance Task

Approach & Avoidance

Approach & Avoidance

RT

diffe

ren

ce

s (

ms)

Placebo Condition

AAT: Results

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

NA (n=40) HA (n=11)

Anger

Happy

Disgust

Neutral

😃 😑 😠 😖 😃 😑 😠 😖

* *

*

RT

diffe

ren

ce

s (

ms)

Oxytocin Condition

AAT: Results

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

NA (n=40) HA (n=11)

Anger

Happy

Disgust

Neutral

* *

😃 😑 😠 😖 😃 😑 😠 😖

*

Summary

Subjective Anxiety

• Seems to decrease in SAs in oxytocin condition

Dot probe

• Replication of former results in placebo condition

• Attentional avoidance of happy faces in SA in

oxytocin condition

AAT

• No replication of former results in placebo

condition

• More approach of happy faces in SA when

compared to NA

Bartz et al., 2011

Discussion

Prof. Markus Heinrichs

& Prof. Alexander Gerlach

Desiree Zieba

Dr. Frank Vitinius

Sabine Jäger, Mara Haas,

Alina Salmen & Carolin Doll