“Love is the Drug” for Autism

‘Love hormone’ may reduce autism symptoms

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) — The “love hormone,” released at childbirth and during sex, is being used in a U.S. trial of young adults with autism spectrum disorders, researchers say.

Dr. Eric Hollander, the center’s advisory board chairman and chairman of the psychiatry at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says giving oxytocin may improve social functioning and repetitive behaviors — irrespective of the age of the patient.

“For the first time, certain core systems of autism may respond to treatment,” Hollander says in a statement.

In the trial, autistic patients age 18 and older, who were given oxytocin nasally for 12 weeks significantly reduced their repetitive behavior, and were better able to recognize anger or happiness in the tone of a speaker’s voice. Upbeat results were also provided in a similar age group who took the peptide intravenously, the study said. Autism spectrum disorders refers to a group of symptoms, like a profound inability to communicate and other developmental disorders.

Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

It is best known for its roles in female reproduction: it is released in large amounts after distension of the cervix and vagina during labor, and after stimulation of the nipples, facilitating birth and breastfeeding, respectively. Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin’s role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, trust, love, and maternal behaviors.

Link Between Autism and Oxytocin Gene

Study reveals possible link between autism and oxytocin gene via non-DNA sequence mutation

A new study indicates a link between autism and alterations to the oxytocin receptor, OXTR, caused by inherited alterations that do not involve DNA sequence mutation. Published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, identified the non-DNA change in ‘OXTR’ via an autistic child and his mother, who potentially has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Dr Simon Gregory headed up a team from the US, UK and Italy, who analysed the DNA of 119 people with autism and 54 neurotypical individuals. He said, “As many as 1 in 150 children in the US are born with a form of autism. We have shown that the non-DNA sequence mutation in the gene responsible for the oxytocin receptor is altered in both peripheral blood cells and the temporal cortex of the brain”.

The oxytocin pathway has many known effects, from facilitating breast-feeding to childbirth and social interaction. This discovery shows that it also plays a major role in human development.

Dr Gregory concludes, “This study provides additional evidence for the role  of oxytocin and its receptor in the development of autism. It also shows that  autism will be caused by a number of different factors, not just those  involving the sequence of our genomes”.  www.biomedcentral.com