1Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
2Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
3Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/ National Health and Family Planning Commission, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
4Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
5Mental Health Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
6Department of Neurology and Center of Rehabilitation, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100045, China

Abstract 

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by impairments of social interaction and the presence of obsessive behaviors. The “twin” nonapeptides oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) are known to play regulatory roles in social behaviors. However, the plasma levels and behavioral relevance of OXT and AVP in children with ASD have seldom been investigated. It is also unknown whether their mothers have abnormal plasma peptide levels. Here, using well-established methods of neuropeptide measurement and a relatively large sample size, we determined the plasma levels of the two neuropeptides in 85 normal children, 84 children with ASD, and 31 mothers from each group of children. As expected, children with ASD had lower plasma OXT levels than gender-matched controls (P = 0.028). No such difference was found for plasma AVP concentrations. Correlation analysis showed that ASD children with higher plasma OXT concentrations tended to have less impairment of verbal communication (Rho = −0.22, P = 0.076), while those with higher plasma AVP levels tended to have lower levels of repetitive use of objects (Rho = −0.231, P = 0.079). Unlike the findings in children, maternal plasma OXT levels showed no group difference. However, plasma AVP levels in the mothers of ASD children tended to be lower than in the mothers of normal children (P = 0.072). In conclusion, our results suggest that the OXT system is dysregulated in children with ASD, and that OXT and AVP levels in plasma seem to be associated with specific autistic symptoms. The plasma levels of OXT or AVP in mothers and their ASD children did not seem to change in the same direction.

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder, Oxytocin, Vasopressin, Behavioral relevance

[SpringerLink]