Single Dose Intranasal Oxytocin Administration: Data from Healthy Younger and Older Adults

Contact: Dr. Natalie Ebner ([e-mail])

Please see the following Data in Brief paper that describes this dataset: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109669

## Overview
Single Dose Intranasal Oxytocin Administration: Data from Healthy Younger and Older Adults
This study examined the effects of a single-dose (24 international units) intranasal OT vs. PL administration on brain and behavioral outcomes in younger (n = 44; aged 18-31 years; 48% female) and older (n = 43; aged 63-81 years; 56% female) adults. The study followed a 2 (age: Younger, Older) X 2 (sex: Male, Female) X 2 (treatment: OT, PL) design.

Data was collected between August 2013 and October 2014. Potential participants were first prescreened for study eligibility over the phone (~30 min), during which they completed the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (Brandt, Specter, & Folstein, 1988) and self-reported demographic information. Eligible participants then came to the University of Florida for an in-person screening session (~45 min) during which they completed cognitive tests (Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Weschler, 1981; Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Rey, 1964) as well as provided blood and saliva samples. Participants then returned for an in-person full session (~3 hrs) during which they self-administered the intranasal spray (OT or PL; randomized, double-blind procedure) and underwent a T1-weighted (T1w) structural scan along with a resting-state fMRI scan. Neuroimaging data were collected on a 3T Philips Achieva MRI Scanner at the UF McKnight Brain Institute.

### Subjects
Generally healthy younger (n = 44; aged 18-31 years; 48% female) and older (n = 43; aged 63-81 years; 56% female) adults were recruited from the Gainesville, FL area. No participant had neurological or psychiatric disorders, and all participants were able to understand and give informed written consent for this study. All older participants scored ≥ 30 on the Telephone Interview For Cognitive Status (Brandt, Specter, & Folstein, 1988). Only white, English-speaking adults were included in this study. All older women included in the study were postmenopausal whereas all younger women were premenopausal. Individuals with contraindications for MRI or intranasal OT spray self-administration were excluded for safety. Individuals with certain metal implants or pacemakers; who were pregnant or breastfeeding; excessively smoked or drank alcohol; and/or had severe or progressive medical illness(es) were not eligible for this study. Participants were debriefed and compensated at the end of the study.

### Apparatus
A 3T Philips Achieva MRI Scanner with a 32-channel head coil was used to acquire brain images. Participants were placed in the MRI scanner with their heads comfortably positioned and stabilized with cushions to reduce head motion.

### Task details
Following recommendations for the standardized administration of intranasal OT (Guastella et al., 2013), participants self-administered 24 IU (i.e., one puff per nostril) of OT or PL, which contained the same ingredients as the OT spray except for the synthetic OT (IND 100,860). Compounding, dispensing, and randomization were overseen by the dispensing pharmacy.

Before MRI scanning, participants received instructions about the MRI procedure as well as an overview of the experimental tasks they would complete inside the scanner. Participants were settled into the 3T MRI scanner ~45 minutes after self-administration of OT or PL. Participants underwent anatomical image acquisition followed by functional image acquisition across four tasks (not included in this dataset), including an eyes-open resting-state scan.

Anatomical data was collected in the first 10 minutes of the MRI scanning for anatomical details. These anatomical scans included a high-resolution three-dimensional T1w scan using an MP-RAGE sequence (sagittal plane, TR/TE/TI = 7/3.2/2750 ms, flip angle = 8°; in-plane FOV = 240 mm x 240 mm; imaging matrix 240 x 240; 170 contiguous sagittal slices with 1 mm slice thickness, 1x1x1 mm3 isotropic voxels).

For functional scans, a single-shot gradient echo, echo-planar imaging sequence sensitized to blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast (TR = 2000 ms, TE = 30 ms, flip angle = 90°, in-plane FOV = 240 mm x 240 mm, 80x80 matrix size, 3x3x3 mm3 isotropic voxels, 38 interleaved axial slices (ascending 1, 3, 5, etc.), zero inter-slice gap) was used for whole-brain fMRI coverage. Every functional run started with 4 dummy scans (each lasting 1 TR (2000ms) which is 8 seconds); each run ended with a “fade out” period of 4 dummy scans (each lasting 1 TR (2000ms) which is 8 seconds). The resting-state scan took place between 70–90 minutes after spray administration and lasted about 8 minutes with 240 time points acquired. Participants lay supine and were instructed to relax and look at a white fixation cross on a black screen.

### Additional data acquired
This study comprised 1) an initial phone prescreening call to determine study eligibility (~30 min), 2) an in-person screening session (~45 min), and 3) an in-person full MRI session (~3 hrs; see task details above). Only the acquisition of measures provided in this dataset is described here.

1. Prescreening call

During an initial phone prescreening, older participants underwent the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status to screen for cognitive decline (Brandt, Spencer, & Fosltein, 1988). All participants completed an MRI Eligibility Form and a study-specific Health Screening and Demographics Form to assess demographic information, present health conditions, and health history. Based on these measures, eligibility for the study was determined. Eligible participants were then scheduled for an in-person screening session and full session on campus. All participants provided informed written consent before enrollment . All in-person sessions took place at ~8:00 AM. Participants were also instructed to stay hydrated and abstain from substance use and caffeine for 24 hours and from food, exercise, and sexual activity for at least two hours before the sessions.

2. In-person screening session

During the in-person screening session, participants completed an intake interview and cognitive measures that included the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning task (RAVLT; Rey, 1964), which measures short-term verbal memory, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST; Wechsler, 1981), which measures sensorimotor processing speed, among other questionnaires. For female participants, menstrual cycle phase data was also obtained via self-report.

Saliva (i.e., ApoE status) and blood sampling (i.e., plasma OT and AVP levels) were conducted along with a health review by a clinician. Saliva samples were collected using the OraGene DNA Self Collection Kit OG-500 (http://www.dnagenotek.com/ROW/products/OG500.html); participants salivated approximately 2mL into a collection tube that is part of the kit. Saliva samples were assayed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (PI: Huentelman) between February and April 2022. Blood plasma was frozen to –70 °C directly after collection and only thawed immediately before assay. OT (unextracted) and AVP were measured via Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA), purchased from Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. (Farmingdale, New York); plasma samples were run at the same time with inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variation less than 8%.

3. In-person full MRI session

Participants eligible for full study participation returned to campus at a later date for the in-person full session. During this session, participants underwent further MRI safety determination and completed another intake interview. See task details above for more information.

### Experimental location
Participants were recruited around the Gainesville area in Florida, USA (GPS coordinates: 29.6446° N, 82.3535° W) and attended study sessions at the University of Florida. Sessions were conducted in the Department of Psychology, the Institute on Aging, and the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida between August 2013 to October 2014.

### Missing data
Some data was not included in this repository due to technical issues (resulting in missing or corrupted files) as well as study attrition. Several participants did not complete the resting-state functional scan, which was the last scan in the imaging sequence, due to time restrictions (e.g., technical difficulties earlier on in the session, late arrival of participant) and thus are not included in this dataset. Any missing phenotype data are designated with “n/a” (i.e., not applicable) in the dataset.

### Notes
Two subjects (sub-11001 and sub-12000) had slightly different resting state scan parameters from the rest of the participants. Participant specific JSON resting state files are in the /func directories for these participants, while the JSON files at the root directory apply to all other participants.