Oxytocin benefits and Autism

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A five week treatment with the synthetic hormone oxytocin significantly improved social, emotional and behavioral issues among young children with autism, according to University of Sydney research published today in Molecular Psychiatry.

The study, led by researchers at the University's Brain and Mind Centre, is thought to be the first evidence of a medical treatment for social impairments in children with autism. It is also the first clinical trial investigating the efficacy, tolerability and safety of intranasal-administered oxytocin in young children with autism.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 102615.php

A simple nasal spray has improved the social skills of young children with autism.
A world-first study found that oxytocin, the ‘cuddle chemical’ released during lovemaking, labour and even when hugging a teddy bear, helped youngsters aged between three and eight.
It paves the way for the first medicine capable of easing the difficulty many autistic children experience in interacting with others.
More than one in 100 British children has autism or a related condition such as Asperger's Syndrome - a ten-fold increase on 30 years ago.
Symptoms vary from child to child but can include avoiding eye contact, preferring to play alone, struggling to read emotions and ‘talking at’ other people, rather than participating in a conversation.
One woman whose son took part in the Australian trial said the spray seemed to unlock his personality and made him a ‘happier child’.
Previous research has shown that boosting oxytocin levels helps autistic adults and teenagers read others’ emotions.
The latest study looked at whether younger children also benefit – because early treatment should have the biggest impact.
Thirty one children with autism sniffed an oxytocin spray twice a day for five weeks. A placebo spray was used for a separate five weeks.
Crucially, neither the families nor the researchers knew when the child was on the drug and when it was taking the dummy treatment.
Christine Blue, whose seven-year-old son Hayden took part in the trial, said the improvement was dramatic.

Hayden is talking ‘a whole lot more’, takes part in conversations and is ‘just a happier child’.
Mrs Blue, of Sydney, said the spray seems to allow him to reap the benefits of years of therapy.
She told ABC News: ‘We were doing a whole lot of intervention before oxytocin .
‘We weren’t really seeing a lot of results. The oxytocin trial seemed to be the point where Hayden was able to put all the puzzle pieces together.

‘And from that point on, Hayden’s development has gone from strength to strength.

‘For example ... he'd be in the car and come out with “I like being in the car”, and because we're not used to hearing anything from him, my husband and I looked at each other and were like “Did he say that? Did that come from Hayden?”’
Researcher Adam Guastella, of the University of Sydney, said: ‘It’s the first time a medicine has ever been shown to improve social interaction skill.

‘These results tell us that we’ve got something that seems to be working for a portion of people and is doing something which hasn't been done before.’

A spray should also be cheaper and easier to administer than the time-consuming therapy sessions that are currently one of the mainstays of treatment.

However, the hormone potion, which caused side-effects including thirst and constipation, won’t be a cure.
It only improved the social skills of around a third of the children and had no effect on repetitive behaviour, another common symptom of autism.

Autism experts said that some children with autism are very difficult to deal with and even a small improvement can be important.

However, the research is still preliminary and it is too early for families to stock up on the spray.

The results are reported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

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