Oxytocin and cortisol concentrations in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder in response to physical exercise

Albantakis, Laura; Brandi, Marie-Luise; Brückl, Tanja; Gebert, Dorothea; Auer, Matthias; Kopczak, Anna; Stalla, G. K.; Neumann, Inga D.; Schilbach, Leonhard

doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100027

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…As in the original sample [35], the present sub-sample showed no signi cant main effects of diagnostic group (F(1,49) = 0.104, p = .749), sex (F(1,49) = 0.769, p = .385) or age (F(1,49) = 0.058, p = .810) on plasma OXT baseline concentrations.…”

Section: Peripheral Baseline Oxt Concentrationssupporting

confidence: 50%

“…The situation is particularly unclear in adults. While there are reports of lower [58] and higher levels [59] in autistic adults, our group recently added to the existing literature by reporting no differences in basal OXT levels [35], which was also true for the subsample included here. In accordance with our ndings and highlighting the importance of age in this context, a recent meta-analysis including 31 studies reported baseline concentrations of OXT to be lower in autistic children compared with control participants, whereas they did not differ in autistic adults [60].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…For VBM correlation analyses, which included peripheral OXT baseline levels, the concentrations in pg/ml were used. To con rm that the present subsample of participants showed OXT characteristics similar to the sample included in Albantakis et al 2021 [35], univariate analyses were performed to test for effects of diagnostic group on baseline OXT concentrations, including age and sex as covariates. Data on baseline OXT levels were available for n = 53 participants (ASD: n = 26; CG: n = 27).…”

Section: Oxytocin Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…For a detailed description of sample acquisition and OXT extraction please refer to the relevant publication [35]. In brief, the participants were asked to abstain from food (> 12h), water (> 1h) and sports the day before the study.…”

Section: Oxytocin Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peripheral oxytocin levels are linked to hypothalamic gray matter volume in autistic adults: a cross-sectional study

Haaf

Brandi

Albantakis

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background Oxytocin (OXT) is known to modulate social behavior and cognition and has, thus, been expected to be a potential therapeutic agent for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the underlying neurobiology is far from clear. For instance, relatively little is known about the association between OXT levels and brain structural differences in autistic people. An accumulating body of evidence indicates the hypothalamus to be of particular importance in this regard. Methods Here we used region of interest (ROI)- based voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach to investigate hypothalamic gray matter volume (GMV) in autistic and non-autistic adults. T1-weighted MRI images were obtained from autistic adults without intellectual impairment (n = 29, age 36.03 ± 11.0) and matched non-autistic controls (n = 27, age 30.96 ± 11.2). Peripheral plasma OXT levels and the autism quotient for autistic traits were used for correlation analyses. Results GMV of the hypothalamus did not differ between groups. However, the groups showed significant differences in the link between hypothalamic GMV with peripheral OXT levels, such that a positive correlation was found for the ASD group. In addition, hypothalamic GMV showed a positive correlation with autistic traits in the ASD group, while no such correlation was observed in the comparison group. Limitations : The relatively small sample size and the wide age range of the participants warrant caution when interpreting the results. Results could be confounded by the use of various psychiatric medications among our autistic participants. At the same time, this adequately represents the adult autistic population in terms of a naturalistic study design. Conclusion The results provide new evidence for a potentially important role of the HTH in ASD and its relationship to the OXT system, but also point towards the importance of interindividual differences.

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Section: Peripheral Baseline Oxt Concentrationssupporting

confidence: 50%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Oxytocin Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Oxytocin Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Peripheral oxytocin levels are linked to hypothalamic gray matter volume in autistic adults: a cross-sectional study

Haaf

Brandi

Albantakis

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Many paradigms have been used to elicit an oxytocin response in humans, including other types of social stress paradigms [22,132], exercise [23,[133][134][135], and sexual arousal [23,43]. In comparison with work in non-human species showing methods of inducing robust oxytocin responses [51], studies involving extracted human plasma or saliva in paradigms such as these have revealed similarly small increases in oxytocin of <3 pg/ml [22,23,43,136].…”

Section: Typical Increases In Human Oxytocin Concentrations In Psycho...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in human oxytocin measurement: challenges and proposed solutions

et al. 2022

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Oxytocin, a neuropeptide known for its role in reproduction and socioemotional processes, may hold promise as a therapeutic agent in treating social impairments in patient populations. However, research has yet to uncover precisely how to manipulate this system for clinical benefit. Moreover, inconsistent use of standardized and validated oxytocin measurement methodologies—including the design and study of hormone secretion and biochemical assays—present unresolved challenges. Human studies measuring peripheral (i.e., in plasma, saliva, or urine) or central (i.e., in cerebrospinal fluid) oxytocin concentrations have involved very diverse methods, including the use of different assay techniques, further compounding this problem. In the present review, we describe the scientific value in measuring human endogenous oxytocin concentrations, common issues in biochemical analysis and study design that researchers face when doing so, and our recommendations for improving studies using valid and reliable methodologies.

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A comparison of stress reactivity between BTBR and C57BL/6J mice: an impact of early-life stress

et al. 2023

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Oxytocin and cortisol concentrations in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder in response to physical exercise

Cited by 9 publications

References 69 publications

Peripheral oxytocin levels are linked to hypothalamic gray matter volume in autistic adults: a cross-sectional study

Peripheral oxytocin levels are linked to hypothalamic gray matter volume in autistic adults: a cross-sectional study

Advances in human oxytocin measurement: challenges and proposed solutions

A comparison of stress reactivity between BTBR and C57BL/6J mice: an impact of early-life stress

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