Copy of Volume 6 - publication


Abstract
 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder with many symptoms ranging from a lack of social skills and communication to
repetitive actions and behaviors. . The disorder is characterized by a large spectrum, making it difficult to diagnose, due to the
wide variety of symptoms it can portray in affected people. ASD poses a challenge on a worldwide scale due to lack of
information regarding causes or curative treatment. Though there are no acknowledged cures, there are many types of
therapies for children with ASD - all aimed at improving their symptoms (“Autism spectrum disorder”, 2022). One possible
treatment option that is being researched is ‘Oxytocin Therapy’. Oxytocin therapy utilizes oxytocin -a hormone/chemical
messenger that promotes qualities of recognition, trust, and bonding which leads to its positive enforcement of social
interactions in people (DeAngelis, 2008). These qualities are what led to the development of a hypothesis that this hormone
could be administered in a therapeutic form to improve the social functioning in those diagnosed with ASD (Ford, n.d.). This
neuropeptide is administered intranasally and has been researched mostly in young children and teenagers. The results from
these studies prove to be controversial as they display both positive as well as negative findings. Hence, further research
needs to be conducted on oxytocin therapy before a comprehensible conclusion can be made on its outcome.

Using Oxytocin as a Therapy For Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Alisha Babu

Introduction
In 2018 it was established that an average of 1 in 4 children
are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by the CDC
(“Data and statistics”, 2022). Autism spectrum disorder (also
known as ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder
characterized by difficulties in social communication and
interaction (“Autism spectrum disorder”, 2022). Patients
diagnosed with autism have a large number of symptoms and
behavioral abnormalities. These symptoms include: social
impairment with communication difficulties along with
repetitive and characteristic behaviors. Specifically, signs of
this include attention deficits such as failing to respond to
one’s name when called, lack of eye contact, and an
abnormal range of speech (no speech or fluent speech that
may be awkward or inappropriate). Repetitive behaviors may
include certain bodily or speech ticks as well as an
obsessive/deep interest in ideas or concepts which are
intriguing to the patient(“Autism spectrum disorder”, 2022). 

Doctors and clinicians categorize the disorder into different
types based on these symptoms. One type of ASD is known
as high functioning autism (HFA) which is also known as
level 1 autism, and another type is known as low functioning
Autism (LFA) which is also called level 3 autism. (Fredericks,
2008). Patients with high functioning autism are able to read,
write, and speak efficiently and are able to perform basic life
skills such as eating and getting dressed. They show
incredible persistence, can recognize patterns, and pay
attention to detail. However, they experience difficulties with
social interaction, are hypersensitive to their environment,
display uncoordinated movements, and lack desire for a
routine. (“What is Asperger Syndrome?”, n.d.). Level 2
includes the same symptoms, but more severe, with marked
deficits in social interaction and verbal display. Level 3 is
characterized by the most prevalent symptoms which
characterizes it as low functioning autism.

These symptoms include severe deficits in social interaction
and verbal communication (“Autism diagnosis criteria”, n.d.).
Patients diagnosed with level 3 ASD are typically in need of
full time aides and/or intensive therapy (Holland, 2018).

Children and adults with low functioning autism (LFA) will
commonly show pronounced symptoms including limited
social abilities, repetitive behaviors, and restrained
communication skills. Research indicates that 25-50 percent
of individuals with LFA will never be able to achieve the skill
of functional speech in their lifetime. Patients diagnosed with
LFA also tend to have more memory impairments as
compared to patients with HFA (Ni Chuileann & Quigley,
2012).

Typically, ASD is diagnosed during childhood. If symptoms
are very apparent, diagnoses can be made at the early age
of 18 months of age. This early diagnosis can be sought if the
child shows signs of ASD at the age of 6 to 12 months.
However, it is also possible for autistic symptoms to emerge
and subside by the age of 24 months (WebMD Editorial
Contributors, n.d.).  
 Although ASD is not curable, there are many treatments
(including medications and a variety of different therapies)
that can alleviate its symptoms. One new type of therapy -
known as Oxytocin Therapy - has been recently researched
and is considered effective in treating individuals with ASD. 

Oxytocin - also known as alpha-hypophamine - is a
hormone/chemical messenger that is produced in the
hypothalamus and is transported and stored in the posterior
pituitary gland. Subsequently, the pituitary releases the
hormone into the bloodstream in response to a trigger. The
secretion of oxytocin from the pituitary gland relies on the
activity of neurons within the hypothalamus - excitation of
these neurons leads to the release of oxytocin into the 

1Brain Matters Volume VI



bloodstream (“Oxytocin”, n.d.).

The roles of oxytocin span in variety. One significant role of
the hormone is specifically to trigger contractions of the
uterine wall and lactation during childbirth. Not only does
oxytocin stimulate the muscles within the uterus to contract
but also boosts production of prostaglandins - which sustain
these contractions. The psychological effects of these
increased levels of oxytocin during childbirth can lead to
“reducing pain and anxiety, enhancing well-being, and
promoting interaction and bonding with the child” (Doherty,
n.d.). Oxytocin is also known to play a role in facilitating
social-interactions with others and can encourage their ability
to affiliate with others. Stressful situations can also boost
levels of oxytocin in the body. This response has been linked
with low norepinephrine levels, blood pressure, and heart
rate (DeAngelis, 2008). The hormone is capable of
enhancing trust or suspicion, affiliation or aggression, sexual
arousal, and learning and memory (Ford, n.d.). The role
oxytocin has within social bonding and stress regulation is
what led researchers to hypothesize that oxytocin could be
utilized as an effective therapy for those with ASD
(DeAngelis, 2022). 

Oxytocin Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Oxytocin therapy aims to optimize the circuits that underlie
social deficits in those with ASD while improving reward,
motivation, and learning in them (Guastella, 2016). Nature
Reviews Neurology states that, “oxytocin increases the
salience of social stimuli and fine-tunes neural processes so
that an organism can better attend and respond to those
stimuli”(Ford, n.d.). Specifically, oxytocin facilitates the flow of
social information from incoming sensory signals. This
information is encoded in the regions involved with cognitive
processes such as reward, learning, and memory. 

The method of administration of this treatment would be
through a nasal spray. This method of therapy was observed
and analyzed through many different studies and trials. One
randomized double-blind clinical trial studied oxytocin’s effect
on children with ASD conducted by Yatawara et al. In this
trial, 31 children aged 3-8 and affected with ASD were used
as participants. These participants were randomly assigned
drug kits which either had an oxytocin nasal spray or a
placebo spray. The first dose started with 3 IU (International
Units) twice a day and gradually increased to 12 IU twice a
day (full dose) by day 7. 15 of the participants had ‘oxytocin
then placebo’ and 16 had ‘placebo then oxytocin’. This
treatment lasted for a total of 5 weeks. The participants’
oxytocin levels were measured before and after the treatment
and their behavior was observed (Yatawara et al., 2015).

Results of this experiment revealed that children aged 3-8
with autism had an improved social responsiveness - as
rated by their care-giver - over a 5 week course of oxytocin
treatment. This study shows how there can be significant
improvements caused by this new form of therapy, however
another study experimenting with the effects of oxytocin with
individuals with autism did not show as promising results. 

Brain Matters Volume VI

Another study published in the New England Journal of
Medicine was conducted using 290 participants aged 3-17
years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. These
participants were administered 24-40 international units of
intranasal oxytocin or placebo twice a day for a maximum of
24 weeks. Clinical questionnaires were completed by the
parents/guardians of the participants in 4 week intervals. The
data provided by 277/290 participants had shown that the
administration of oxytocin had no effect on ASD symptoms
(Sikich et al., 2021). 

 The ability of oxytocin to penetrate through the blood/brain
barrier and diffuse intracerebrally has been questioned due
to its short half-life. Instead of the chronic supplementation
route, researchers wonder if enhancing oxytocin signaling
could be a promising treatment. In addition to solely
supplying the participants with doses of oxytocin, researchers
speculate whether pairing this intranasal dose with cognitive
and behavioral therapy would prove to be an effective
method (Ford, n.d.). 

Another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
utilized 19 adult participants diagnosed with high functioning
autism or Asperger’s disorder - 16 males. These participants
were aged 33 years with a standard deviation of 13. The
subjects were randomized to a dose of 24 IU (6 puffs)
intranasal oxytocin twice daily for 6 weeks. Their social and
cognitive function was measured using the Diagnostic
Analysis of nonverbal Accuracy, and repetitive behaviors
were measured through Repetitive Behavior Scale Revised.
Molecular Autism states that “secondary measures included
the Social Responsiveness Scale, Reading-the-Mind-in-the-
Eyes Test and the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale
– compulsion subscale and quality of life (World Health
Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire – emotional/social
subscales). These tests were conducted every 2 weeks.
Results showed that based on the scores of the
measurement scales, improvements occurred in social
cognition and quality of life after the full 6 weeks of dosage
(Anagnostou et al., 2012). 

Conclusion
 The skewed results obtained from the research conducted
so far indicates that utilizing oxytocin as a therapy needs to
continue being researched. A multi-level meta-analysis
conducted by Huong et al and published in The Journal of
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews highlights the
promise of using oxytocin as a new generation therapeutic to
address core social impairments in ASD (Huang, 2021).
There is still much that needs to be studied about the direct
effects of oxytocin on one’s actions and attitudes before a
clear determination can be made on whether this therapy will
be useful in improving the symptoms in those diagnosed with
ASD. Future studies should involve larger numbers of
participants with wider spectrums of race, age, and gender
represented in order to see if these traits affect the results
oxytocin therapy can have on its user with ASD. There must
be a wider pool of participants with diversity in age as well as
gender to see if these traits affect the results oxytocin can
have on its user with ASD. 

2



Anagnostou, E. (2012, December 12). Intranasal oxytocin
versus placebo in the treatment of adults with autism
spectrum disorders: A randomized controlled trial.
Molecular Autism. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from
https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11
86/2040-2392-3-16
Chuileann, S. N. (2012, October 30). Assessing
recollection and familiarity in low functioning autism.
Springer Link. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-012-
1697-3
DeAngelis, T. (2008, February). The two faces of
oxytocin. American Psychological Association. Retrieved
March 26, 2022, from
https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb08/oxytocin
Doherty, C. (2021, January 7). What is Oxytocin?
VeryWell Health. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-oxytocin-
5090160
Ford, C. L. (n.d.). Refining oxytocin therapy for autism:
Context is key. Nature Reviews Neurology. Retrieved
April 29, 2022, from
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-021-00602-9
Guastella, A. J. (2016, February). Oxytocin Treatment,
Circuitry, and Autism: A Critical Review of the Literature
Placing Oxytocin Into the Autism Context. Science Direct.
Retrieved March 27, 2022, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S00063
22315005430
Hoffman, M. (2020, December 6). What are the types of
autism spectrum disorders? WebMD. Retrieved April 28,
2022, from https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-
spectrum-disorders
Holland, K. (n.d.). High-functioning autism. Healthline.
Retrieved April 28, 2022, from
https://www.healthline.com/health/high-functioning-
autism#asperger's-syndrome.
Huang, Y. (2021). Intranasal oxytocin in the treatment of
autism spectrum disorders: A multilevel meta-analysis.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 122, 18-27.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.028
Low functioning autism ? symptoms, signs, treatments,
and more. (n.d.). AngelSense. Retrieved May 1, 2022,
from https://www.angelsense.com/blog/low-functioning-
autism/
Oxytocin. (n.d.). You and Your Hormones. Retrieved
March 23, 2022, from
https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/oxytocin/
Sikich, L. (2021). Intranasal oxytocin in children and
adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. New England
Journal of Medicine, 385(16), 1462-1473.
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2103583
Quigley, J., and S. Ni Chuileann. "Assessing Recollection
and Familiarity in Low Functioning Autism." Journal of
Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 23, pp. 1406-
22. MEDLINE with Full Text,
eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?

References
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

vid=5&sid=de746ea2-cccd-4198-b309-
7cdc1d3e060d%40sessionmgr4007&bdata=JkF1dGhUeX
BlPWNvb2tpZSxnZW8sdXJsLGlwJmdlb2N1c3RpZD1zOD
Q3NTc0MSZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3
d#db=mnh&AN=23108988. Accessed 1 May 2022.

Sikich, L. (2021). Intranasal oxytocin in children and
adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. New England
Journal of Medicine, 385(16), 1462-1473.
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2103583
What is asperger syndrome? (n.d.). What Is Asperger
Syndrome? Retrieved April 30, 2022, from
https://www.autismspeaks.org/types-autism-what-
asperger-syndrome
Yatawara, C. J. (2015, October 27). The effect of oxytocin
nasal spray on social interaction deficits observed in
young children with autism: a randomized clinical
crossover trial. Nature. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from
https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2015162

14. 

15.

16.

3Brain Matters Volume VI

https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-oxytocin-5090160
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2103583
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2103583