Health & Medicine
Autism: New Treatment Options May Available, Oxytocin Increase Could Help
Matt Hoffman
First Posted: Nov 18, 2015 12:37 PM EST
Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex social behavior disorder that cause difficulties in social interactions, as well as both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Although it is sometimes associated with intellectual disabilities, many diagnosed with ASD as seen to excel in math, music, visual skills and art. It currently affects more than 3 million people in the United States alone, and tens of millions worldwide.
"Today there is as yet no treatment in autism to improve social behaviour, but one of the most promising therapies for ASD is intervention in the oxytocin system," Olga Peñagarikano, a researcher in the University of the Basque Country's Pharmacology Department, said in a news release.
Oxytocin is a natural hormone that is produced by the brain and is involved in social behavior. It is often referred to as the "cuddle hormone" and is released by women's bodies during labor, in order to increase female biological reproductive functions during and after childbirth. Oxytocin is also known to interact with the neurotransmitters of serotonin and dopamine, both which can influence a person's mood.
However, it has also been shown to increase social attachment in subjects injected with it in previous studies.
Researchers believe that at least one subset of those with autism may have a deficit in their oxytocin levels, and some clinical trials have shown that when levels of oxytocin are increased, social interaction is improved in patients with autism. Peñagarikano previously showed in a mouse autism model that mice with oxytocin deficits increased their social behavior when supplemented with the hormone.
"Autism is highly heterogeneous, but if you can find subsets of individuals - those who have oxytocin-signalling deficits - they may be the best candidates for oxytocin therapy," Karen Parker, a behavioural neuroscientist at Stanford University, said.
In Peñagarikano's model, she built a virus that isn't pathogenic - it doesn't cause illness - known as a viral vector, to transfer a receptor to neurons within the mice. This is a technique known as Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs, or DREADD, and it is used by many scientists to study neuronal circuits.
Daniele Piomelli, an endocannabinoid expert from the University of California-Irvine, teamed up with Peñagarikano to use the DREADD system, finding that oxytocin's release led to an increase in anandamide, an endogenous substance that effects the cannabinoid receptors. These receptors are the same ones affected by cannabis, and they affect mood, appetite, pain-sensation, and memory. Piomelli believes that the increase in anandamide is what leads to the patient's perception of social interactions as positive.
The duo found that when the mice's anandamide levels were increased, they had a much greater preference to social interaction. These findings reveal "a new component in the system, which could have implications when it comes to developing drugs for conditions affected by impairments in social behavior, such as autism, and based on the modulation of this circuit," according to Peñagarikano.
A few large-scale clinical trials are now attempting to test oxytocin and oxytocin-based therapies for autism spectrum disorder. Linmarie Sikich, a child psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina, currently heads the largest of the trials. His plans include recruiting 300 people with ASD, from ages three to 17, and giving them 6 months of either oxytocin or a placebo, followed by 6 months in which everyone will receive oxytocin, to study the effects of the hormone.
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TagsHealth, Social Health, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, Olga Penagarikano, University of the Basque Country, Oxytocin, cuddle hormone, serotonin, Dopamine, social attachment, social interaction, Karen Parker, Stanford University, Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs, DREADD, Daniele Piomelli, University of California-Irvine, UCI, UC Irvine, neuronal circuits, Cannabinoids, Cannabinoid receptors, Cannabis, anandamide, Linmarie Sikich, University of North Carolina ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Nov 18, 2015 12:37 PM EST
Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex social behavior disorder that cause difficulties in social interactions, as well as both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Although it is sometimes associated with intellectual disabilities, many diagnosed with ASD as seen to excel in math, music, visual skills and art. It currently affects more than 3 million people in the United States alone, and tens of millions worldwide.
"Today there is as yet no treatment in autism to improve social behaviour, but one of the most promising therapies for ASD is intervention in the oxytocin system," Olga Peñagarikano, a researcher in the University of the Basque Country's Pharmacology Department, said in a news release.
Oxytocin is a natural hormone that is produced by the brain and is involved in social behavior. It is often referred to as the "cuddle hormone" and is released by women's bodies during labor, in order to increase female biological reproductive functions during and after childbirth. Oxytocin is also known to interact with the neurotransmitters of serotonin and dopamine, both which can influence a person's mood.
However, it has also been shown to increase social attachment in subjects injected with it in previous studies.
Researchers believe that at least one subset of those with autism may have a deficit in their oxytocin levels, and some clinical trials have shown that when levels of oxytocin are increased, social interaction is improved in patients with autism. Peñagarikano previously showed in a mouse autism model that mice with oxytocin deficits increased their social behavior when supplemented with the hormone.
"Autism is highly heterogeneous, but if you can find subsets of individuals - those who have oxytocin-signalling deficits - they may be the best candidates for oxytocin therapy," Karen Parker, a behavioural neuroscientist at Stanford University, said.
In Peñagarikano's model, she built a virus that isn't pathogenic - it doesn't cause illness - known as a viral vector, to transfer a receptor to neurons within the mice. This is a technique known as Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs, or DREADD, and it is used by many scientists to study neuronal circuits.
Daniele Piomelli, an endocannabinoid expert from the University of California-Irvine, teamed up with Peñagarikano to use the DREADD system, finding that oxytocin's release led to an increase in anandamide, an endogenous substance that effects the cannabinoid receptors. These receptors are the same ones affected by cannabis, and they affect mood, appetite, pain-sensation, and memory. Piomelli believes that the increase in anandamide is what leads to the patient's perception of social interactions as positive.
The duo found that when the mice's anandamide levels were increased, they had a much greater preference to social interaction. These findings reveal "a new component in the system, which could have implications when it comes to developing drugs for conditions affected by impairments in social behavior, such as autism, and based on the modulation of this circuit," according to Peñagarikano.
A few large-scale clinical trials are now attempting to test oxytocin and oxytocin-based therapies for autism spectrum disorder. Linmarie Sikich, a child psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina, currently heads the largest of the trials. His plans include recruiting 300 people with ASD, from ages three to 17, and giving them 6 months of either oxytocin or a placebo, followed by 6 months in which everyone will receive oxytocin, to study the effects of the hormone.
Related Articles
Autism Estimated To Affect 1 in 45 Children
Scientists Discover Possible Link Between BPA Exposure and Autism
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone