Oxytocin’s role in the interaction between emotion and cognitive control

Abstract

Emotional stimuli, especially negative ones, have been shown to impair cognitive performance. Previous studies demonstrated that tasks that recruit cognitive control attenuate the emotional interference effect, enhancing emotion regulation. The current study focused on the effects of oxytocin—a hormone known to influence socioemotional processing and motivation—on the interaction between emotion and cognitive control. In a double-blind placebo-controlled design, 124 male students (mean age 25.18 ± 3) were administered intranasal oxytocin or a placebo and completed self-report questionnaires, an emotional flanker task, and an emotional rating task. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that oxytocin significantly reduced the effect of cognitive control on emotion. However, counter to our prediction, it did not affect emotional experience or perception. These findings suggest that oxytocin plays a role in shaping the association between emotion and cognitive control, specifically affecting the ability of cognitive control to regulate emotional responses, but not impacting emotional processing itself. The effect of oxytocin is attributed to its role in increasing approach motivation while reducing avoidance motivation—mechanisms supported by frontal-limbic interactions. Furthermore, it has been suggested that approach behavior is achieved by reducing inhibition. Therefore, the results may suggest changes in connectivity between frontal and emotional areas following oxytocin inhalation, leading to impaired regulation by cognitive control. These findings not only enhance our understanding of oxytocin’s role in emotional processing and regulation but also highlight the importance of comprehensively examining these mechanisms due to their significant implications for both healthy populations and various psychopathologies.