Oxytocin doesn't improve Autism Symptoms: Study

Oxytocin- the love hormone- doesn't really help treat children diagnosed with autism, a new study has found.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), In the U.S., 1 in 88 children and 1 in every 54 boys are born with autism.

The idea that oxytocin helps improve symptoms of autism gained momentum last year when Yale University published a preliminary study saying that the hormone could help people with ASD. The National Institutes of Health recently announced grant awards of $100 million over five years to 11 centers nationwide. The projects include testing if an oxytocin nasal spray could help autism children.

The present study was conducted by Professor Mark Dadds at University of New South Wales and colleagues from University of Melbourne and Neuroscience Research Australia.

"Many parents of children with autism are already obtaining and using oxytocin nasal spray with their child, and clinical trials of the spray's effects are underway all over the world. Oxytocin has been touted as a possible new treatment, but its effects may be limited," Professor Dadds said in a news release.

The present clinical trial included 38 boys aged between seven and 16 years of age who were either given an oxytocin nasal spray or a placebo.

"We found that, compared to a placebo, oxytocin did not significantly improve emotion recognition, social interaction skills, repetitive behaviours, or general behavioural adjustment," said Professor Dadds. "This is in contrast to a handful of previous smaller studies which have shown some positive effects on repetitive behaviors, social memory and emotion processing."

The current study tested the behavior of the test participants before, during and after the trial, but recorded no improvement in the children. Researchers said that there could be a sub-group of people with autism who could benefit from the therapy.

One reason why children with autism don't respond to oxytocin therapy is that they don't have the receptor for the hormone (other research has shown that the hormone improves trust and eye-contact in children without autism).

The study is to be published in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.