Autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent complex
disorders of brain development characterized by impairments in social
interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. With
a diagnosed incidence estimated to be one in 68 children and time-consuming behavioral
therapies as the only current treatment option, researchers have begun
investigating oxytocin as a potential medical treatment to improve social
difficulties among children with autism. In addition to facilitating labor and
stimulating lactation in women, oxytocin plays a substantial role in intimacy,
social bonding, and emotion recognition.
In a study published in Molecular Psychiatry, 31 children, ages
three to eight-years-old, received 12 International Units (IU) of oxytocin or a
placebo nasal spray twice daily for five weeks. Following this phase of
treatment and a four-week “washout” period, phase two of treatment was
initiated; subjects who received the oxytocin nasal spray in the first phase
received the placebo in the second phase (and vice versa). This was done so
that participant response to oxytocin could be directly contrasted to their
placebo-treatment response.
Subjects were assessed via a caregiver-rated social
responsiveness scale (SRS-P), a caregiver-rated severity of repetitive behavior
scale (RBS-R-P), and weekly via an independent clinician. A significant mean
improvement was observed in subject social responsiveness (P < 0.001) when oxytocin
was administered versus the placebo; the influence of oxytocin on repetitive behaviors
was not significant, however. Importantly, the nasal spray was found to be well
tolerated. Adverse effects of the oxytocin treatment, although not significant,
included thirst, increased urination, and constipation which reflects
hypothalamic response to oxytocin.
http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp2015162a.html
Who does not like oxytocin? It gives you warm, fuzzy feelings. I was actually drawn to this article due to the title, “The cuddle hormone.” I recently saw a segment on the best paying jobs and it showcased professional cuddlers. It is one of the better paying jobs with high satisfaction; do not get it mixed up with prostitution, it is strictly cuddling. It sounds silly, but people do need personal interactions with one another and the main reason is to release oxytocin. As this post explains, oxytocin improves social interactions so we should all embrace one another, literally.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.wsj.com/articles/professional-cuddlers-embrace-more-clients-1420759074
Using oxytocin as a way to increase sociability in children and adults with autism is a promising strategy. With this recent study that you’ve mentioned, it was important that it took place over a 5 week span, because it helped to examine the longer-term safety of oxytocin. This is because there was, and still may be, concerns that delivering oxytocin to children on a consistent basis may cause adverse affects. An example provided was noted by Dr. Yound and Barrett giving young mice oxytocin, and this hormone application decreased their brain’s sensitivity to the hormone. This resulted in the mice growing up to be less social than the mice who were not given the oxytocin treatment. It is also interesting to consider that there is no clear evidence that autism directly means a lower concentration of oxytocin. There was a study done that showed that oxytocin levels in autistic children were no more nor less than oxytocin levels in non-autistic children. However, it was shown that low oxytocin levels resulted in worse sociability in autistic patients. Thus, it has been proposed that the greatest potential for oxytocin treatment may be to utilize occasional application while engaging in behavioral therapy that focuses on honing their social skills.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/can-oxytocin-treat-autism
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/12/02/oxytocin-treating-autism-not-so-fast-%E2%80%A6