Neurohormone Oxytocin Focusing Ability May Have Links To Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Researchers may have discovered a link between the neurohormone oxytocin and autism. Studies at the NYU Langone Medical Center show that oxytocin help the brain process information by filtering out background signals and increases the strength of desired signals.

From past data, they have noted that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have low levels of oxytocin and that mutations in the oxytocin receptor gene predispose people to autism.

Oxytocin is a neurohypophysial hormone present in mammals and acts primarily as a neuromodulator in the brain. Neuromodulators affect multiple neurons at once and are diffused through large areas of the nervous system.

Oxytocin is usually associated with parenting and social bonding behavior through psychological behaviors such as trust, pair bonding, and empathy.

MIT News: Studying The Zebrafish To Understand Autism And Other Human Brain Disorders

Zebrafish with certain genes turned off during embryonic development (center and right images) showed abnormalities of brain formation (top row) and axon wiring (bottom row). At left is a normally developing zebrafish embryo. Credit: Sive Lab

Autism is a disorder that affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

It is a developmental disorder that manifests itself in the first three years of a person. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize each other.

The causes of autism are still unknown. Research seem to point to genetic factors but scientists find it to complex a disorder to be certain of its cause. Autism affects boys three to four times more often than girls. Social and economic factors such as family income, education, and lifestyle does not seem to affect the risk of contracting this disorder.

Some suspected but unproven causes for autism are:

• Diet
• Digestive tract changes
• Mercury poisoning
• The body's inability to properly use vitamins and minerals
• Vaccine sensitivity

Fishing for answers to autism puzzle

Fish cannot display symptoms of autism, schizophrenia or other human brain disorders. However, a team of MIT biologists has shown that zebrafish can be a useful tool for studying the genes that contribute to such disorders.

Led by developmental biologist Hazel Sive, the researchers set out to explore a group of about two dozen genes known to be either missing or duplicated in about 1 percent of autistic patients. Most of the genes’ functions were unknown, but the MIT study revealed that nearly all of them produced brain abnormalities when deleted in zebrafish embryos.

The findings should help researchers pinpoint genes for further study in mammals, says Sive, a professor of biology and associate dean of MIT’s School of Science. Autism is thought to arise from a variety of genetic defects; this research is part of a broad effort to identify culprit genes and develop treatments that target them.