Abstract
Background
Oxytocin (OT) plays a pivotal role in interpersonal bonding, affiliation, and trust,
and its intranasal administration is increasingly considered as a potential treatment
for autism spectrum disorder.
Methods
We explored whether variations in endogenous salivary OT concentration are related
to interindividual differences in core autism symptoms and expressions of attachment
in 38 male adults with autism spectrum disorder. Further, resting-state functional
magnetic resonance imaging was adopted to specifically explore whether interindividual
differences are reflected in the intrinsic network organization of key regions of
the central oxytocinergic system.
Results
Positive correlations were identified between peripheral OT and expressions of secure
attachment (the State Adult Attachment Measure and the Inventory of Peer Attachment),
but no significant relationships were identified with scales assessing core autism
symptom domains (the Social Responsiveness Scale and the Repetitive Behavior Scale).
At the neural level, higher levels of endogenous OT were associated with lower degrees
of interregional functional coupling between the amygdala and hippocampal regions.
Interestingly, a single dose of exogenously administered OT induced a further reduction
in amygdala–hippocampal connectivity, indicating that a higher availability of OT
can alter the degree of amygdala–hippocampal connectivity.
Conclusions
The identified associations between the oxytocinergic system, expressions of secure
attachment, and amygdala–hippocampal pathways are anticipated to be of relevance for
understanding the role of OT in modulating appropriate neural and physiological responses
to stress and restoring homeostasis.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 04, 2019
Accepted:
January 22,
2019
Received in revised form:
January 22,
2019
Received:
November 9,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
