Intranasal Oxytocin Treatment of Impairments in Theory of Mind in Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Motivation: The psychiatric disease schizophrenia is characterised by considerable impairments in social cognition. Impairments in the social cognitive domain Theory of Mind, ToM, are strong predictors of social- and community functioning and thus crucial for the overall outcome. The neuropeptide oxytocin, OT, has been suggested as a possible treatment of the social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to review the effect of intranasal OT on ToM in patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: A free-text search was conducted in the databases PubMed and Embase and based on inclusion- and exclusion criteria, six individual RCT-studies comparing OT with placebo were included in this review. The daily OT-doses varied from 40 to 48 IU, and the duration of the treatment varied from a single dose to four months of OT-treatment. ToM was assessed with tests at baseline and after the intervention.

Results and conclusion: No significant between-group effect of OT compared with placebo was found in the included studies.

Further knowledge of the working mechanisms of OT in social cognition and the interactions with antipsychotic medication is needed.