Journal
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH-NEUROIMAGING
Volume 267, Issue -, Pages 45-50Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.06.015
Keywords
Autism; Oxytocin; Positron emission tomography; Clinical trial; Serotonin transporter
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), Japan [24000012]
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [15H01846, 17H04247, 16H06402, 16H06400] Funding Source: KAKEN
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The oxytocin (OT)-related serotonergic system is thought to play an important role in the etiology and social symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, no evidence exists for the relation between the prosocial effect of chronic OT administration and the brain serotonergic system. Ten male subjects with ASD were administered OT for 8-10 weeks in an open-label, single-arm, non-randomized, uncontrolled manner. Before and during the OT treatment, positron emission tomography was used with the (C-11)-amino4(2-[(demethylamino)methyl]phenylthio)benzonitrile(C-11-DASB) radiotracer. Then binding of serotonin transporter (11C-DASB BPND) was estimated. The main outcome measures were changes in C-11-DASB BPND and changes in the emotional response to others' faces. No significant change was found in the emotional response to others' faces after the 8-10 week OT treatment. However, the increased serotonin transporter (SERT) level in the striatum after treatment was correlated significantly with increased negative emotional response to human faces. This study revealed a relation between changes in the serotonergic system and in prosociality after chronic OT administration. Additional studies must be conducted to verify the chronic OT effects on social behavior via the serotonergic system.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available