Oxytocin Enhances Brain Function in Children with Autism

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2013 Dec 4

PMID 24297883

Citations 139

Authors

Ilanit Gordon

Brent C Vander Wyk

Randi H Bennett

Cara Cordeaux

Molly V Lucas

Jeffrey A Eilbott

Orna Zagoory-Sharon

James F Leckman

Ruth Feldman

Kevin A Pelphrey

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Following intranasal administration of oxytocin (OT), we measured, via functional MRI, changes in brain activity during judgments of socially (Eyes) and nonsocially (Vehicles) meaningful pictures in 17 children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). OT increased activity in the striatum, the middle frontal gyrus, the medial prefrontal cortex, the right orbitofrontal cortex, and the left superior temporal sulcus. In the striatum, nucleus accumbens, left posterior superior temporal sulcus, and left premotor cortex, OT increased activity during social judgments and decreased activity during nonsocial judgments. Changes in salivary OT concentrations from baseline to 30 min postadministration were positively associated with increased activity in the right amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex during social vs. nonsocial judgments. OT may thus selectively have an impact on salience and hedonic evaluations of socially meaningful stimuli in children with ASD, and thereby facilitate social attunement. These findings further the development of a neurophysiological systems-level understanding of mechanisms by which OT may enhance social functioning in children with ASD.

Citing Articles

The Dynamicity of the Oxytocin Receptor in the Brain May Trigger Sensory Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Camerino C Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2025; 47(1).

PMID: 39852176 PMC: 11763978. DOI: 10.3390/cimb47010061.

Impact of chronic intranasal oxytocin administration on face expression processing in autistic children: a randomized controlled trial using fMRI.

Moerkerke M, Daniels N, Van der Donck S, Tang T, Prinsen J, Yargholi E Mol Autism. 2024; 15(1):53.

PMID: 39709442 PMC: 11662540. DOI: 10.1186/s13229-024-00635-z.

The impact of the early environment on oxytocin receptor epigenetics and potential therapeutic implications.

Nance M, Sullivan K, Puglia M Pediatr Res. 2024; .

PMID: 39548294 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03563-z.

Neuropeptide therapeutics to repress lateral septum neurons that disable sociability in an autism mouse model.

Borie A, Dromard Y, Chakraborty P, Fontanaud P, Andre E, Francois A Cell Rep Med. 2024; 5(11):101781.

PMID: 39423809 PMC: 11604546. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101781.

Emerging Treatments and Therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review.

Kaye A, Allen K, Smith Iii V, Tong V, Mire V, Nguyen H Cureus. 2024; 16(7):e63671.

PMID: 39092332 PMC: 11293483. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.63671.

References

Bartz J, Hollander E . Oxytocin and experimental therapeutics in autism spectrum disorders. Prog Brain Res. 2008; 170:451-62. DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)00435-4. View

Carter C . Oxytocin pathways and the evolution of human behavior. Annu Rev Psychol. 2013; 65:17-39. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115110. View

Bos P, Panksepp J, Bluthe R, van Honk J . Acute effects of steroid hormones and neuropeptides on human social-emotional behavior: a review of single administration studies. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2011; 33(1):17-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2011.01.002. View

Dadds M, MacDonald E, Cauchi A, Williams K, Levy F, Brennan J . Nasal oxytocin for social deficits in childhood autism: a randomized controlled trial. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013; 44(3):521-31. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1899-3. View

Averbeck B . Oxytocin and the salience of social cues. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(20):9033-4. PMC: 2889126. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1004892107. View

Pow D, Morris J . Differential distribution of acetylcholinesterase activity among vasopressin- and oxytocin-containing supraoptic magnocellular neurons. Neuroscience. 1989; 28(1):109-19. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(89)90236-4. View

Senju A, Tojo Y, Konno M, Dairoku H, Hasegawa T . [Reading mind from pictures of eyes: theory of mind, language ability, general intellectual ability, and autism]. Shinrigaku Kenkyu. 2002; 73(1):64-70. DOI: 10.4992/jjpsy.73.64. View

Leckman J . Variations in maternal behavior--oxytocin and reward pathways--peripheral measures matter?!. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011; 36(13):2587-8. PMC: 3230502. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.201. View

Ross H, Young L . Oxytocin and the neural mechanisms regulating social cognition and affiliative behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2009; 30(4):534-547. PMC: 2748133. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.004. View

10.

Huber D, Veinante P, Stoop R . Vasopressin and oxytocin excite distinct neuronal populations in the central amygdala. Science. 2005; 308(5719):245-8. DOI: 10.1126/science.1105636. View

11.

Bartz J, Zaki J, Bolger N, Ochsner K . Social effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter. Trends Cogn Sci. 2011; 15(7):301-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2011.05.002. View

12.

Andari E, Duhamel J, Zalla T, Herbrecht E, Leboyer M, Sirigu A . Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(9):4389-94. PMC: 2840168. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0910249107. View

13.

Insel T . The challenge of translation in social neuroscience: a review of oxytocin, vasopressin, and affiliative behavior. Neuron. 2010; 65(6):768-79. PMC: 2847497. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.005. View

14.

Haber S, Knutson B . The reward circuit: linking primate anatomy and human imaging. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2009; 35(1):4-26. PMC: 3055449. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.129. View

15.

L Seghier M . The angular gyrus: multiple functions and multiple subdivisions. Neuroscientist. 2012; 19(1):43-61. PMC: 4107834. DOI: 10.1177/1073858412440596. View

16.

Chang S, Barter J, Ebitz R, Watson K, Platt M . Inhaled oxytocin amplifies both vicarious reinforcement and self reinforcement in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012; 109(3):959-64. PMC: 3271866. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1114621109. View

17.

Petrovic P, Kalisch R, Singer T, Dolan R . Oxytocin attenuates affective evaluations of conditioned faces and amygdala activity. J Neurosci. 2008; 28(26):6607-15. PMC: 2647078. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4572-07.2008. View

18.

Amodio D, Frith C . Meeting of minds: the medial frontal cortex and social cognition. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006; 7(4):268-77. DOI: 10.1038/nrn1884. View

19.

Bethlehem R, van Honk J, Auyeung B, Baron-Cohen S . Oxytocin, brain physiology, and functional connectivity: a review of intranasal oxytocin fMRI studies. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2012; 38(7):962-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.10.011. View

20.

van IJzendoorn M, Bakermans-Kranenburg M . A sniff of trust: meta-analysis of the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on face recognition, trust to in-group, and trust to out-group. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011; 37(3):438-43. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.07.008. View