A Mathematical Model Relating Pitocin Use during Labor with Offspring Autism Development in terms of Oxytocin Receptor Desensitization in the Fetal Brain.

A Mathematical Model Relating Pitocin Use during Labor with Offspring Autism Development in terms of Oxytocin Receptor Desensitization in the Fetal Brain. Comput Math Methods Med. 2019;2019:8276715 Authors: Gottlieb MM Abstract This paper develops a mathematical model describing the potential buildup of high oxytocin concentrations in the maternal circulation during labor in terms of continuous Pitocin infusion rate, half-life, and maternal weight. Oxytocin override of the degradation of oxytocin by placental oxytocinase is introduced to model the potential transfer of oxytocin from the maternal circulation across the placenta into the fetal circulation and from there into the brain of the fetus. The desensitization unit D equal to 1.8E6 (pg·min)/ml is employed to establish a desensitization threshold and by extension, a downregulation threshold as a function of oxytocin override concentration and continuous Pitocin infusion time, that could be a factor in the subsequent development of autism among offspring. Epidemiological studies by Duke University [1], Yale University [2], and Harvard University [3] are discussed regarding Pitocin use and offspring autism development for an explanation of the weak correlations they identified. The findings of the Harvard epidemiological study are reinterpreted regarding Pitocin use and its conclusion questioned. Further evaluations of the findings of these three epidemiological studies are cal...
Source: Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine - Category: Statistics Tags: Comput Math Methods Med Source Type: research