Can the 'Love Hormone' ease arthritis pain? new study investigates

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * knee osteoarthritis/or back pain of at least six months duration, experience pain on more days than not, with moderate pain at baseline (i.e., \> 3/6 in the Visual Descriptor Scale), and who have elevated levels of plasma Imterleukin-6 (\>2.5 pg/ml) will be considered for participation. Exclusion Criteria: * Hypersensitivity to OT or vasopressin, * history of hyponatremia, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, or psychogenic polydipsia, * on vasoconstrictors such as desmopressin, pseudoephedrine, or antidiuretic medication, * low sodium and high osmolality levels, * excessive smoking, * excessive drinking, * muscle pain as a result of systemic disease, * significant nasal pathology, * previous or concurrent use of narcotics delivered intranasally (e.g., cocaine), * gastroparesis. * individuals with heart problems (e.g., cardiomyopathy, history of myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, prolonged QT interval) * Participants will also be excluded if they have concurrent medical or arthritic conditions that could confound symptomatic knee osteoarthritis-related outcomes or coexisting disease that could preclude successful completion of the protocol including: * systemic rheumatic condition (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, fibromyalgia); * a history of clinically significant surgery to the index knee; * uncontrolled hypertension (\>150/95); * poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c\>7%); * neurological disease (e.g., Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis); * cardiovascular or peripheral arterial disease; * serious psychiatric disorder requiring hospitalization within the past twelve months or characterized by active suicidal ideation; * diminished cognitive function that would interfere with completion of study procedures (i.e., Montreal Cognitive Assessment score \< 25)\]; and * large pieces of metal in the body or metal in the face or neck, * claustrophobia, * major medical surgery in the past two months, * history of brain surgery or any serious brain condition like aneurysm, stroke, or seizures\]. * pregnant individuals will be excluded