This is my MSc at UPorto project proposal

1. Marie Zelenina
Supervisor: Dr. Diana Prata
Instituto de Medicina Molecular
Co-supervisor: Prof. Paulo Aguiar
Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde
Definining a temporal profile of oxytocin pharmacodynamics
with human EEG data

2. INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin
2
Produced in:
paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus
Released by:
posterior pituitary gland
Acts upon:
multiple sites

3. INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin
3
bonding
emotion recognition and processing
empathy
stress processing
etc (childbirth, breastfeeding …)

4. INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin
4
bonding
emotion recognition and processing
empathy
stress processing
etc (childbirth, breastfeeding …)
Autism
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Psychopathy
Personality disorders
etc

5. INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin
5
bonding
emotion recognition and processing
empathy
stress processing
etc (childbirth, breastfeeding …)
Autism
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Psychopathy
Personality disorders
etc
Treatment with oxytocin (IN-OT)

6. INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin
6
24 IU

7. PROBLEM STATEMENT
7
For how long does it affect the brain?
• Temporal profile of the neuronal activity
that results from IN-OT administration of
24 IU

8. PROBLEM STATEMENT: Temporal profile of IN-OT action
8
1. From saliva
2. From cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
3. From regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF)

9. PROBLEM STATEMENT: Temporal profile of IN-OT action
9
1. From saliva
2. From cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
3. From regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF)
Indirect measurement of
brain activity
40 IUs

10. PROBLEM STATEMENT: Temporal profile of IN-OT action
10
Research goal: estimate temporal profile of neuronal action of 24 UIs IN-OT
Direct measurement of brain activity

11. GOALS AND AIMS
11
1. Design and set up the experiment [Completed]
2. Collect data [In progress]
3. Analyse data
• Univariate analysis
• Pattern recognition
4. Write up results
5. Prepare and submit a publication - additional step

12. Multiple stages of criteria testing
METHODOLOGY: Participants
12https://neurocolab.wordpress.com/
20 participants,
2 trials (OT/ control).
Double-blinded study.

13. METHODOLOGY: Data collection
13
ActiCHamp, 64 electrodes
Impedance < 5 kΩ.
EyeLink 1000 Plus

14. METHODOLOGY: Data collection
14
EyeLink 1000 Plus
• Yu (2016)
• Nishida (2013)
• Albrecht (2016)
• Britz (2010)
• Jobert (2015)
International Pharmaco-
Encephalography Society (IPEG)

15. METHODOLOGY: Data collection
15

16. METHODOLOGY: Data Analysis
16
Microstates - the “atoms of thought”

17. METHODOLOGY: Data Analysis
17
• Univariate Statistical:
- ANOVA
- Independent t-test
- Regression
• Pattern recognition

18. METHODOLOGY: Data Analysis: Pattern recognition
18
Paloyelis et al., 2016
Microstates
time

19. METHODOLOGY: Data Analysis: Pattern recognition
19
Paloyelis et al., 2016
Microstates
time
20
participants
e.g.
Gaussian
Process
Classifier
18 train
1 validate
1 test
DATA MODEL PREDICTION

20. Other methodological considerations:
20
• Integrated in: “Oxytocin and Dopamine Interplay in Humans – on the Biology of Social
Cognition”
• Financed by: EU Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG-631952)
(€100.000), between 2015 and 2019.
• Ethics approved by: the Ethics Committee of the Lisbon Medical Academic Center
(CHLN / FMUL / IMM) and complies with national and EU legislation
• Supported by: