Oxytocin on Irritability/Emotional Dysregulation of Disruptive Behavior and Mood Disorders

Summary

Irritability and emotional dysregulation are recognized as serious aspects of psychopathology seen in in pediatric psychiatric patients. While various behavioral as well as psychopharmacological interventions have shown some efficacy in improving irritability and emotional dysregulation, there are no data determining the neurobiological mechanism of effect at the neural level. Previous studies have demonstrated that heightened amygdala response to negative emotional stimuli is closely related to irritability and emotional dysregulation in children and adolescents. Also, there are studies showing administration of oxytocin can decrease the heightened amygdala response to negative emotional stimuli across various psychiatric diagnoses. This study is a double-blind randomized trial of oxytocin for irritability and emotional dysregulation in the pediatric population. Neuroimaging modalities of fMRI and MEG are employed to probe the neuro-circuitry changes occurring as a result of the oxytocin intervention, specifically including heightened amygdala response to negative emotional stimuli and dysfunctional fronto-amygdala connectivity. The investigators will also investigate the genetic sequence of the oxytocin receptor in the study participants and its relationship with symptom profile and neural activity changes. Children and adolescents (age 10-18) with a diagnosis of disruptive mood and/or behavior disorders (including Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder \[ADHD\], Oppositional Defiant Disorder \[ODD\], Conduct Disorder \[CD\], and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder \[DMDD\]), and clinically significant levels of irritability and emotional dysregulation as measured by the Affective Reactivity Index Scale (score\>/= 4).

2 weeks randomized, double-blind treatment with intranasal oxytocin (24 IU daily, or 12 IU daily if the weight is \< 40kg) with assessment of diagnosis, symptom profiles (the Affective Reactivity Index \[ARI\], Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Trait \[ICU\], Behavior Assessment System for Children, second version \[BASC-2\], and Clinical Global Impression \[CGI\]) and pre- and post-oxytocin treatment neuroimaging (fMRI and MEG). The genetic sample will be obtained via buccal mucosa sampling.

Participants may receive outpatient clinically indicated follow-up care in the UNMC department of psychiatry or other local community agency as appropriate.

Conditions

• Mood Disorder
• Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Interventions

DRUG

Oxytocin

A growing body of data shows that intra-nasal administration of oxytocin has promise for treating a host of psychiatric disorders. Considerable data indicates that oxytocin reduces amygdala response to negative stimuli in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Given that one of the potential underlying neurobiological mechanisms of irritability and emotional dysregulation in pediatric population with disruptive behavior and mood disorder is the hyperactivity of amygdala to negative emotional stimuli, and that oxytocin reduces this, it is critical to determine the extent to which this intervention improves irritability and emotional dysregulation in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior and mood disorders.

DRUG

Placebo

Inactive substance administered in volume equivalent to volume administered in active treatment arm.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Nebraska

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Soonjo Hwang, MD · Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-01-27

Primary Completion

2021-08-10

Completion

2021-08-10

FDA Drug

Yes

Countries

• United States

Study Locations