title: Adaptive coding of the value of social cues with oxytocin, an fMRI study in autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is one of the major targets of research in neuroscience, with respect to social functioning. Oxytocin promotes social skills and improves the quality of face processing in individuals with social dysfunctions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although one of OT's key functions is to promote social behavior during dynamic social interactions, the neural correlates of this function remain unknown. Here, we combined acute intranasal OT (IN-OT) administration (24 IU) and fMRI with an interactive ball game and a face-matching task in individuals with ASD (N = 20). We found that IN-OT selectively enhanced the brain activity of early visual areas in response to faces as compared to non-social stimuli. OT inhalation modulated the BOLD activity of amygdala and hippocampus in a context-dependent manner. Interestingly, IN-OT intake enhanced the activity of mid-orbitofrontal cortex in response to a fair partner, and insula region in response to an unfair partner. These OT-induced neural responses were accompanied by behavioral improvements in terms of allocating appropriate feelings of trust toward different partners' profiles. Our findings suggest that OT impacts the brain activity of key areas implicated in attention and emotion regulation in an adaptive manner, based on the value of social cues.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive, UMR 5229, CNRS, Bron, France. Electronic address: eandari@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Elissar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andari
authors.affiliation: Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive, UMR 5229, CNRS, Bron, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.affiliation: Inserm U 955, AP-HP, FondaMental Foundation, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Mondor, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leboyer
authors.affiliation: Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive, UMR 5229, CNRS, Bron, France. Electronic address: sirigu@isc.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sirigu
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal / Q000379:methods; D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Amygdala; Autism; Intranasal oxytocin; Orbitofrontal cortex; Social values; Visual areas