Oxytocin effects on emotional response to others ’ faces via serotonin system in autism: A pilot study

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 (11C)-3-amino-4-(2-[(demethylamino)methyl]phenylthio)benzonitrile(11C-DASB) radiotracer.

Source: Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging - June 28, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Mina Fukai, Tetsu Hirosawa, Mitsuru Kikuchi, Yasuomi Ouchi, Tetsuya Takahashi, Yuko Yoshimura, Yoshiaki Miyagishi, Hirotaka Kosaka, Masamichi Yokokura, Etsuji Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu Bunai, Yoshio Minabe Source Type: research