Oxytocin administration during a trauma analogue has been shown to increase intrusive memories, which are a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is unknown whether oxytocin influences the acquisition or the consolidation of the trauma. The current study investigates the effect of the activation of the oxytocin system during the consolidation of an analogue trauma on the formation of intrusive memories over four consecutive days and whether this effect is influenced by individual neurobiological, genetic, or psychological factors. We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study in 217 healthy women. They received either a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo after exposure to a trauma film paradigm, which reliably induces intrusive memories. We used a general random forest to examine a potential heterogeneous treatment effect of oxytocin on the consolidation of intrusive memories. Furthermore, we used a poisson regression to examine whether salivary alpha amylase activity (sAA) as a marker of noradrenergic activity and cortisol response to the film, polygenic risk score (PRS) for psychiatric disorders, and psychological factors influence the number of intrusive memories. We found no significant effect of oxytocin on the formation of intrusive memories (F(2, 543.16) = 0.75, p = 0.51, ηp2 = 0.00) and identified no heterogeneous treatment effect. We replicated previous associations of the PRS for PTSD, sAA and the cortisol response on intrusive memories. We further found a positive association between high trait anxiety and intrusive memories, and a negative association between the emotion regulation strategy reappraisal and intrusive memories. Data of the present study suggest that the consolidation of intrusive memories in women is modulated by genetic, neurobiological and psychological factors, but is not influenced by oxytocin. Trial registration: NCT03875391.
ZusammenfassungIn der sowjetischen Besatzungszone (SBZ) und der Deutschen Demokratischen
Republik (DDR) wurden schätzungsweise zwischen 180 000 und
300 000 Personen aus politischen Gründen inhaftiert. Das Erleben
von traumatischem Stress, wie politischer Haft, kann zu langandauernden
gesundheitlichen Folgeerkrankungen führen. Zudem weisen
Forschungsergebnisse zu den Folgen politischer Gewalt in anderen Kontexten auch
auf transgenerationale Auswirkungen hin. Dieser Artikel gibt eine
Übersicht der Forschung zu körperlichen und psychischen Folgen
der politischen Haft in der SBZ und der DDR geben und die Relevanz der
gegenwärtig an der Charité – Universitätsmedizin
Berlin durchgeführten Studie zu diesem Thema verdeutlichen. Bisherige
Forschungsergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass erhöhte Prävalenzen
für psychische und körperliche Symptome und Erkrankungen bei
ehemaligen politischen Häftlingen und deren Kinder vorliegen.
Zusätzlich wird der große Bedarf für eine systematische
Erfassung der möglichen Erkrankungen der Betroffenen und deren
Nachkommen deutlich.
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