title: Neonatal CSF oxytocin levels are associated with parent report of infant soothability and sociability.
abstract: Oxytocin (OT) has been linked to social behavior in rodents, non-human primates, and adult humans, but almost nothing is known about brain OT activity in human newborns or its impact on social development. To better understand the role of OT biology in human social functioning, a multi-disciplinary, longitudinal study was conducted. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) OT levels from 18 human neonates were evaluated and examined in relationship to social-seeking behavior at term, at 3 months, and at 6 months of age. Higher neonatal CSF OT levels were consistently associated with solicitation of parental soothing and interest in social engagement with others. This is the first study to link CSF OT levels to normative human social functioning. Research is now required to test whether early OT levels serve as a biomarker for subsequent social abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5485, United States.
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: St John
authors.forename: Anca M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pasca
authors.forename: Shellie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hornbeak
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abramova
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Anna A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Penn
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D012919:Social Behavior; D013694:Temperament
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin