TITLE:
Brief report: Plasma oxytocin is lower in children with Asperger syndrome and associated with autistic trait attention to detail
AUTHORS:
Veronika Husarova, Silvia Lakatosova, Anna Pivovarciova, Jan Bakos, Jaroslava Durdiakova, Aneta Kubranska, Daniela Ostatnikova
KEYWORDS:
Oxytocin; Asperger Syndrome; Autism Spectrum Quotient
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.3 No.4,
October
25,
2013
ABSTRACT: Aim: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are described as
a continuum of severity gradient of autistic symptoms diffusing through particular
ASD diagnoses, however the biological correlates among individuals with the different
ASD diagnoses slightly or considerably differ. Oxytocin (OT) has been implicated
to play an important role in autism etiology. Lower OT levels have been previously
found in children with infantile autism, however in a group of high-functioning
autistic subjects, no differences have been shown compared to controls. Moreover,
whereas the opposite patterns of OT associations with social measures have been
found in children with infantile autism compared to healthy children, no associations
have been found in individuals with high-functioning autism. We aimed to find out
the plasma OT differences between separate group of children with Asperger syndrome
(AS) and healthy children and the associations of OT with particular autistic traits
in a group of children with AS. Methods: We included 9 children (m = 6, f = 3) with
AS at the age 9 to 12 years and 9 age- and gender-matched controls. OT levels were
analyzed by ELISA method. Autistic traits in children with AS were evaluated by
Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), child and adolescent
versions. Results: Children with AS had significantly lower plasma OT levels
compared to healthy children. We found the significant negative correlation of OT
level and AQ Attention to detail area score. Conclusion: In spite of the lower OT
level in children with AS, which is also previously found in children with infantile
autism, the pattern of OT associations with autistic traits more resembles the pattern
in non-autistic population. Our preliminary results support the hypothesis of continuum
within the ASD particular diagnoses in the terms of biological correlates.