PNAS：催產素和自閉癥

　　一項研究發現，為高功能自閉癥患者提供催產素看上去可以促進社會行為。盡管Asperger綜合征和其他高功能自閉癥譜疾病的患者具有智力功能，他們通常不能正確地在社會環境下與他人交往。催產素是一種在社會行為和情緒中激活的激素；此前的研究證明了某些自閉癥兒童體內缺乏這種激素。

　　Angela Sirigu及其同事通過吸入給藥方式為13位高功能自閉癥譜疾病提供催產素，并通過測量患者的血液濃度從而證實了這種激素的分布。為了測量行為的變化，這組科學家觀察了這些患者及對照組在一個虛擬傳球游戲中的表現。在另一個實驗中，這組作者測量了患者觀看人臉照片的時候對社會重要線索的留意程度。這組作者說，那些接受了吸入催產素治療的患者表現出了在觀看人臉時候的對視覺線索更加留意以及在虛擬傳球游戲中比對照組更可能處理社會線索。盡管在社會響應方面存在相當大的個體差異，這組作者提出，這些結果表明應該對長期使用催產素促進社會行為進行更多的研究。（生物谷Bioon.com）

　　生物谷推薦原始出處：

　　PNAS February 16, 2010, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0910249107

　　Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders

　　Elissar Andaria, Jean-René Duhamela, Tiziana Zallab, Evelyn Herbrechtb, Marion Leboyerb, and Angela Sirigua,1

　　aCentre de Neuroscience Cognitive, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69675 Bron, France; and

　　bInstitut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U 841, Department of Psychiatry, H?pital Chenevier-Mondor, 94000 Créteil, France

　　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 to others and exhibit more appropriate social behavior and affect, suggesting a therapeutic potential of oxytocin through its action on a core dimension of autism.