Authors
Elissar Andari, Jean-René Duhamel, Tiziana Zalla, Evelyn Herbrecht, Marion Leboyer, Angela Sirigu
Publication date
2010/3/2
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume
107
Issue
9
Pages
4389-4394
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Description
Social adaptation requires specific cognitive and emotional competences. Individuals with high-functioning autism or with Asperger syndrome cannot understand or engage in social situations despite preserved intellectual abilities. Recently, it has been suggested that oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds, may be implicated in the social deficit of autism. We investigated the behavioral effects of oxytocin in 13 subjects with autism. In a simulated ball game where participants interacted with fictitious partners, we found that after oxytocin inhalation, patients exhibited stronger interactions with the most socially cooperative partner and reported enhanced feelings of trust and preference. Also, during free viewing of pictures of faces, oxytocin selectively increased patients’ gazing time on the socially informative region of the face, namely the eyes. Thus, under oxytocin, patients respond more strongly …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
E Andari, JR Duhamel, T Zalla, E Herbrecht, M Leboyer… - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010