Randomized clinical trial shows no substantial modulation of empathy-related neural activation by intranasal oxytocin in autism

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 15056 - 13
• Main Authors: Mayer, Annalina V., Wermter, Anne-Kathrin, Stroth, Sanna, Alter, Peter, Haberhausen, Michael, Stehr, Thomas, Paulus, Frieder M., Krach, Sören, Kamp-Becker, Inge
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23.07.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/378/2645/1458; 692/308/575; 692/699/476/1373; Administration, Intranasal; Adolescent; Adult; Amygdala; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnostic imaging; Autism Spectrum Disorder - drug therapy; Autism Spectrum Disorder - genetics; Autism Spectrum Disorder - pathology; Brain - drug effects; Brain - physiopathology; Brain mapping; Clinical trials; Double-Blind Method; Emotions; Empathy; Empathy - drug effects; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Gene polymorphism; Genotype; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Intellectual disabilities; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; multidisciplinary; Oxytocin; Oxytocin - administration & dosage; Pain; Patients; Placebos; Receptors, Oxytocin - genetics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Social Behavior; Translational Research, Biomedical; Young Adult

Evidence suggests that intranasal application of oxytocin facilitates empathy and modulates its underlying neural processes, which are often impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Oxytocin has therefore been considered a promising candidate for the treatment of social difficul...