NCT06624904

Losartan and Social Processing

The Effects of Single-dose Losartan on Social Processing in Healthy Adults: a Randomized Controlled Study

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: EARLY_Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 68 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Oxford · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study explores the effects of single-dose losartan (50mg) versus placebo on social processing in healthy volunteers.

Detailed description

While renin-angiotensin mechanisms have been implicated in physiological disease, such as hypertension and stroke, the discovery of a local brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the 1970s brought into question whether the RAS may play a role in psychiatric disorders too. Recent work has supported this link, with several studies reporting RAS influence on aversive learning, stress response to traumatic stimuli, and fear extinction. Despite these promising results, studies have yet to fully explore the influence of the RAS and losartan on social processes. It is plausible that the RAS may be involved in social functioning, as recent work reported that losartan reduces sensitivity to social punishment in healthy volunteers. Such an effect of losartan may have broad relevance for psychopathology, as impairment to social functioning is present across a range of psychiatric disorders. In this double-blind, randomized between-group study, the investigators will examine the effects of a single dose of losartan (50mg) versus placebo on social processing in N=68 healthy volunteers. Following a one-hour waiting period, participants will complete a set of computer tasks investigating social processes reported to be sensitive to psychopathology. Specifically, participants will complete the Approach Avoidance Task which assesses social approach and avoidance behaviour in response to various facial expressions via joystick movement, the Interpretation Inflexibility Task which evaluates cognitive flexibility in a social context, the Social Learning Trust Game which evaluates social learning through a trust game between participant investors and realistic trustees, and Cyberball, which probes response to social rejection. Results from this study will provide more insight on the potential role of the RAS in social cognitive processing in humans, which could lead to an improved mechanistic understanding of emotional disorders that are marked by social impairment.

Conditions

• Social Cognition

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Losartan potassium 50mg	Single dose losartan (50 mg), encapsulated identically to placebo.
OTHER	Placebo	Single tablet encapsulated identically to placebo.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-08-19
• Primary completion: 2025-10-01
• Completion: 2025-10-01
• First posted: 2024-10-03
• Last updated: 2025-07-28

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom