Hormone oxytocin may help Asperger's patients

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I found this neat article. It discusses a study in which aspie's were given oxytocin (known colloquially as the cuddle hormone) and it seemed to help with some social issues. What do you all think?

Hormone oxytocin may help Asperger's patients

A study links the hormone, which promotes mother-infant bonding and cooperation, to smoother social learning skills in people with the autism spectrum disorder.

People with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, dramatically improve their social learning skills and spend more time gazing at pictures of faces after inhaling the social-bonding hormone oxytocin, researchers have found.

The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, is the first to demonstrate the effects of oxytocin -- a hormone that promotes mother-infant bonding, socialization, trust and cooperation -- in people diagnosed with Asperger's.

It led some experts to speculate that supplementing the normally low oxytocin levels in people with autism disorders may help their social interactions.
*snip*

It's a fascinating concept, and it probably has something to it. I don't think I have naturally low oxytocin levels but I've heard it's a solid trend among spectrumers. It would be great if they could harness that for those who want more physical and social contact.

So yeah, if this works perfectly, it's basically something to stop me from working on my strengths in order to give my weaknesses half a chance of getting to low normal, probably with the lofty goal of making me totally average. Can I say "no thanks" loudly enough?

I posted in another thread that I believe based on reading about Oxytocin as
early as 1990 that Oxytocin only "cures" awkwardness and 'weird vibes'
and that it is probably just a "like hormone", in the way that pheromones may
be considered a "lust hormone". It has no effects on personality and only
blocks unwanted awkward instincts, as far as I know.

So why are they researching this for autism, then? It seems like the much larger group of people with social anxiety disorder, social phobia, and avoidant personality disorder should be the ones who could stand to benefit. If this is the effect it's supposed to have then it wouldn't change autistic people unless they had one of the aforementioned conditions comorbid to their autism (granted, common enough, but the same basic thing as when its' found in people without autism).

IMO it's just other ghost created by the "lack of empathy" impression that was taken to be more than an impression but rather an explanation.

...Because since autistics lack empathy, they are obviously are incapable of bonding to humans or animals or anything else, and are presumably low in oxytocin.

Anyone who loves their pets, stuffed animals, or even people, has oxytocin functioning fine in their brains, and there seem to be plenty of autistics who do those things. It's all the "lack of empathy," "lack of emotion" appearances yet again. It's even arguable that there is excess oxytocinergic action going on -- bonding "too much" to animals, or inanimate objects. (Or more likely there's something entirely else going on.)

aRGh. Color me skeptical and unimpressed.


Insightful comments about that study by Michelle Dawson, autistic researcher, here:

http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/2010/0 ... e-for.html

This.

I'd like to know how I would be perceived if I tried that. Right now, people avoid me. Well, yes, that can be a blessing. But I want to choose whether to be avoided and I don't have that option now. Can I buy oxytocin, where, how? I'd like to do my own try-outs on me. It would be worth it if I could spend more than half an hour with my brother, for example. That's no small beans - it would be a huge leap in family relations.

Homones are fascinating - I get blotches on my face and the strongest urges to scratch (waking & sleeping) - the doc gave me hormone cream and *instantly* the urge to scratch is gone, and I don't understand why I wanted to scratch. It wasn't even itchy.

As far as I know, oxitosin is not for sale, not with out a prescription anyway. It can't be taken orally as stomach acids destroy it, so another method of administration is needed. The other thing is, that it seems to get processed in the body rather quickly. So the effect from the nasal inhalers is rather short lived. They'd have to have to put it in a patch. Then you could be all huggy feely all day.

The better option is to take something that stimulates oxitocin production. Motherwort, an herb related to mint, is reputed to do this. Care must be taken in its use as motherwort can cause uterine contractions. In ancient times it was used to induce labor, hence the name. But it also supposedly stimulates production of oxitocin which helps mama bond with baby.

And a transdermal patch?

Correct. IMO, given that oxitocin only lasts a short while in the system, a trans dermal patch would be the best way to assure a long term flow during the day. If you want to go with administering oxitocin directly rather than stimulating natural production.

It'll just make you more interested in bonding with others, i.e., it'll make you less Schizoid. It's not going to do a single thing in regards to making your ability to actually bond with others increase (social reciprocation), just your desire. You might try a bit harder due to the increased interest....

I don't think there's anything wrong with being Schizoid.

I prefer Schizoid to Party Animal.

Apparently not:

http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscienc ... utisti.php



If the efect of oxytocin was simply reduce "schizoid"/introvert tendencies, the effect should be the opposite: "improvement" in the "aloof" group but not in the "active but odd" group

But some people with Asperger's syndrome (many that hate the impairment and would love to be without it because they want to be social but they get rejected) already have a need to go out and do things, and apparently it has negative side effects Article and as posted below, it reduces schizoid or introvert tendencies, which I would not want to get rid of (only speaking for myself), but then, I would not choose to take anything that boosts my social interaction.

now that's interesting. Hm....*looks up how to bring up oxytocin levels naturally*