Plasma Oxytocin in Children with Autism and Its Correlations with Behavioral Parameters in Children and Parents

Husarova, Veronika; Lakatošová, Silvia; Pivovarciova, Anna; Babinská, Katarína; Bakoš, Ján; Durdiaková, Jaroslava; Kubranská, Aneta; Ondrejka, Igor; Ostatníková, Daniela

doi:10.4306/pi.2016.13.2.174

Cited by 64 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Populations characterized by low levels of social engagement, such as depressed mothers (Apter-Levy, Feldman, Vakart, Ebstein, & Feldman, 2013; Pratt et al, 2015), persons with autism (Feldman et al, 2014; Husarova et al, 2016), and patients with schizophrenia (Jobst et al, 2014; Rubin et al, 2010) have lower basal OT levels than healthy controls. Future research should compare OT responses in extremely premature infants and term infants before and after social interaction to determine if there are differences in basal OT levels and/or OT reactivity between the two groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin trajectories and social engagement in extremely premature infants during NICU hospitalization

Weber

Harrison

Steward

et al. 2017

Infant Behavior and Development

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Extremely premature infants, born 28 weeks gestation or less, are at high risk for impaired socioemotional development, due in part to exposure to early stressful social experiences that alter brain development. Understanding mediators that link experience with outcomes is necessary to assess premature infant responses to social experiences that are critical to brain development. The hormone oxytocin (OT), released during supportive interactions, has potential as a biomarker of the premature infant’s responses to social experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among infant plasma OT trajectories and maternal-infant social engagement behaviors during initial hospitalization. This study also examined demographic correlates of engagement behaviors in mothers and infants. Plasma from 28 extremely premature infants, born gestational ages 25–28 6/7 weeks, was collected at 14 days of life, then weekly until 34 weeks. Social engagement behaviors were measured by the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment during a videotaped feeding when the infant was receiving one-quarter full oral feeds. Maternal-infant demographics were extracted from the medical record. Higher infant plasma OT was associated with lower infant social engagement, but no associations were found with maternal social engagement. Infant social engagement was positively related to maternal social engagement. Maternal parity was related to maternal social engagement, and infant demographics did not predict infant social engagement. The significant, yet negative, association between infant OT and engagement provides support for the measurement of OT as a neurobiological antecedent to infant social behaviors. Finally, this research suggests that during the earliest period of infant socio-behavioral development, premature infants are behaviorally reactive to the social engagement behaviors of their mothers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin trajectories and social engagement in extremely premature infants during NICU hospitalization

Weber

Harrison

Steward

et al. 2017

Infant Behavior and Development

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“…An inverse relationship between plasma OXT levels in autistic individuals and their social behavior was observed, such that those autistic individuals who had the highest plasma OXT levels exhibited the worst forms of social behavior deficits 27,37 . Healthy individuals who have higher levels of OXT have better social abilities than healthy individuals with lower levels of OXT.…”

Section: Autism Spectrum Disordermentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Studies show that autistic individuals do not undergo the normal developmental increase in OXT levels. In fact, autistic individuals exhibit depressed levels of OXT in the bloodstream 27,[35][36][37] . Findings which show elevated levels of the precursor of OXT, OXT-X, in the bloodstream offer the possibility that the reason why autistic individuals exhibit lower levels of OXT in the plasma than normal is because of a malfunction occurring in the synthesis of OXT 36 .…”

Section: Autism Spectrum Disordermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the effect of OXT on social abilities in autistic individuals is opposite the effect it has on healthy individuals. Defects in the gene encoding OXT or in the processing of OXT could account for the decreased plasma OXT concentration in autistic patients, whereas defects in the gene encoding OXTR could account for the positive correlation between high OXT levels and worse social behavior deficits 37 .…”

Section: Autism Spectrum Disordermentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Other Face of Oxytocin : Role of Oxytocin in Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Chetcuti

Sammut

et al. 2019

IJPLS

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The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is well-known for its role in pregnancy and lactation. However, its role extends beyond the reproductive system. In fact, the role of OXT in neuropsychiatric disorders has long been studied. OXT is largely associated with social behavior and stress reduction, and so it is to no surprise that it is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Many studies have investigated how abnormalities in the OXT system give rise to symptoms and socio-cognitive deficits many patients with neuropsychiatric disorders exhibit. Understanding the patho-physiology of these disorders enables the development of more efficacious therapeutic agents which target the abnormalities and give rise to less adverse effects.In this review we summarize the literature available to date about the role of OXT in schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), addiction to drugs of abuse and anorexia nervosa (AN). Although these disorders are very Sept.arate and different entities, they all have something common in their pathology; they are associated with deranged OXT systems. Although many studies have been conducted to determine the exact role of OXT in these disorders and how OXT can be used to treat these disorders, research is still in its infancy. Further research is required to be able to standardize OXT as a therapeutic agent, determine its effects and safety, both in short-term and long-term use.

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“…For example, patients with autism‐spectrum disorder (ASD) show profound difficulties in social interactions, a finding that in turn led to the suggestion that oxytocin might have a crucial role in ASD aetiology and treatment 19,20 . Polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene, 21 as well as peripheral oxytocin levels, 22,23 have previously been connected to autistic traits. Yet, research results are still not consistent to verify that an oxytocin deficit is present in ASD 24 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin release deficit and social cognition in craniopharyngioma patients

Brandi

Gebert

Kopczak

et al. 2020

J Neuroendocrinology

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Oxytocin is a neuropeptide known to affect social behaviour and cognition. Craniopharyngioma patients are considered to have an oxytocin‐release‐deficit caused by a rare tumour affecting the pituitary and/or the hypothalamus relevant for oxytocin production and release. To assess social behaviour and socio‐cognitive abilities in this patient group, we tested 13 patients and 23 healthy controls on self‐report questionnaires and an eye‐tracking paradigm including fast facial emotion recognition. Additionally, saliva oxytocin levels acquired before and after a physical stress induction were available from a previous study, representing the reactivity of the oxytocin system. The data revealed three major results. First, patients with an oxytocin‐release‐deficit scored higher on self‐reported autistic traits and reduced levels of hedonia for social encounters, although they showed no impairments in attributing mental states. Second, patients showed more difficulties in the fast emotion recognition task. Third, although automatic gaze behaviour during emotion recognition did not differ between groups, gaze behaviour was related to the reactivity of the oxytocin system across all participants. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the importance of investigating the reactivity of the oxytocin system and its relationship with social cognition. Our findings suggest that reduced emotional processing abilities may represent a pathological feature in a group of craniopharyngioma patients, indicating that this patient group might benefit from specific treatments within the social domain.

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Plasma Oxytocin in Children with Autism and Its Correlations with Behavioral Parameters in Children and Parents

Cited by 64 publications

References 93 publications

Oxytocin trajectories and social engagement in extremely premature infants during NICU hospitalization

Oxytocin trajectories and social engagement in extremely premature infants during NICU hospitalization

The Other Face of Oxytocin : Role of Oxytocin in Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Oxytocin release deficit and social cognition in craniopharyngioma patients

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