Aerosolized oxytocin increases cerebrospinal fluid oxytocin in rhesus macaques.
Intranasal (IN) administration is a widely used method for examining the effect of oxytocin (OT) on social behavior and cognition in healthy subjects and psychiatric populations. IN-OT in humans enhances trust, emotional perception, and empathetic behavior and is under investigation as a potential pharmacotherapy to enhance social functioning in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Nonhuman primates (NHP) are an important model for understanding the effect of OT on social cognition, its neural mechanisms, and the development of IN-OT as a pharmacotherapy for treating social deficits in humans. However, NHP and even some human populations, such as very young infants and children, cannot easily follow the detailed self-administration protocol used in the majority of human IN-OT studies. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of several OT-administration routes for elevating central OT concentrations in rhesus macaques. First, we examined the effect of IN and intravenous (IV) routes of OT administration on concentrations of OT and vasopressin (AVP) in plasma and lumbar CSF. Second, we examined these same measures in monkeys after an aerosolized (AE) OT delivery route. All three administration routes significantly increased plasma OT concentrations, but only the AE-OT route significantly increased concentrations of CSF OT. No route affected concentrations of AVP in plasma or CSF. This study confirms that the AE route is the most effective method for increasing central OT concentrations in monkeys, and may also be an effective route, alternative to IN, for administering OT to some human populations.
Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: meera.modi@pfizer.com.
Meera E
ME
Modi
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Fawn
F
Connor-Stroud
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
Rainer
R
Landgraf
Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Larry J
LJ
Young
Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Lisa A
LA
Parr
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000336:Aerosols; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D059085:Nasal Sprays; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects
D000336:Aerosols; D059085:Nasal Sprays; D010121:Oxytocin
Autism; Intranasal; Oxytocin; Rhesus monkey; Social cognition; Vasopressin