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Oxytocin's hidden power: pupil test reveals nervous system secrets
NCT ID NCT04427709
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how oxytocin, a natural hormone, affects the part of your nervous system that controls rest and digestion. Researchers will give a single injection of oxytocin or a placebo to 38 people (some with knee arthritis, some healthy) and measure tiny changes in pupil size over time. The goal is to understand how oxytocin works in the body, not to treat any condition.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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4 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2020
- Finished
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Aug 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Male or female \> 18 and \< 75 years of age, Body Mass Index (BMI) \<40. 2. Generally in good health as determined by the Principal Investigator based on prior medical history, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1, 2, or 3. 3. For healthy volunteers, normal blood pressure (systolic 90-140 mmHg; diastolic 50-90 mmHg) resting heart rate 45-100 beats per minute) without medication. For knee arthritis subjects, normal blood pressure or, for those with hypertension, pressure controlled with anti-hypertensives and with a resting heart rate 45-100 beats per minute. 4. Female subjects of child-bearing potential and those \< 1 year post-menopausal, must be practicing highly effective methods of birth control such as hormonal methods (e.g., combined oral, implantable, injectable, or transdermal contraceptives), double barrier methods (e.g., condoms, sponge, diaphragm, or vaginal ring plus spermicidal jellies or cream), or total abstinence from heterosexual intercourse for a minimum of 1 full cycle before study drug administration. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Hypersensitivity, allergy, or significant reaction to any ingredient of Pitocin® 2. Any disease, diagnosis, or condition (medical or surgical) that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, would place the subject at increased risk (active gynecologic disease in which increased tone would be detrimental e.g., uterine fibroids with ongoing bleeding), compromise the subject's compliance with study procedures, or compromise the quality of the data 3. Women who are pregnant (positive result for serum pregnancy test at screening visit), women who are currently nursing or lactating, women that have been pregnant within 2 years 4. Subjects with neuropathy, chronic pain, diabetes mellitus, or taking benzodiazepines or pain medications on a daily basis. 5. Subjects with eye pathology, eye surgery, or taking topical eye medications, or any disease process that would cause motor tremors or excessive eye movements.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wake Forest Baptist Health
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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