title: A pilot study of serotonergic modulation after long-term administration of oxytocin in autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Oxytocin (OT) and the serotonergic system putatively play important roles in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) etiology and symptoms, but no direct neurobiological evidence exists for long-term OT administration effects on the brain's serotonergic system. This pilot study examined 10 male participants with ASD who were administered OT intranasally for 8-10 weeks in an open-label, single-arm, nonrandomized, and uncontrolled manner. Positron emission tomography (PET) with a radiotracer (11C)-3-amino-4-(2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]phenylthio)benzonitrile (11C-DASB) was used before and after OT treatment. The binding potential of serotonin transporter (11C-DASB BPND) was then estimated. The main outcome measures were changes in11C-DASB BPNDand their correlation with changes in symptoms. ASD participants showed significantly elevated11C-DASB BPNDin the left inferior frontal gyrus extending to the left middle frontal gyrus. No significant correlation was found between the change in any clinical symptom and the change in11C-DASB BPND. This report of a pilot study is the first describing long-term effects of OT on the brain's serotonin system in ASD. Additional randomized controlled studies must be conducted to confirm whether activation of the serotonergic system contributes to the prosocial effect of OT in people with ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 821-828. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirosawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.|Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Medical Photonics Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuomi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouchi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furutani
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hiraishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Masamichi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yokokura
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, Hamamatsu Photonics KK, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Etsuji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Medical Photonics Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bunai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.|Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Minabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012701:Serotonin; D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: autism spectrum disorder; oxytocin; positron emission tomography; serotonin transporter