Mora-Jensen Anna-Rosa Cecilie, Clemmensen Line Katrine Harder, Grønberg Manja Gersholm, Lebowitz Eli R, Quintana Daniel S, Jørgensen Niklas Rye, Larsen Charlotte Sewerin, Bak Lasse Kristoffer, Christensen Gitte Lund, Pretzmann Linea, Uhre Valdemar, Christensen Sofie Heidenheim, Uhre Camilla, Korsbjerg Nicoline Løcke Jepsen, Thoustrup Christine Lykke, Hagstrøm Julie, Ritter Melanie, Plessen Kerstin Jessica, Pagsberg Anne Katrine, Lønfeldt Nicole Nadine
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH, Gentofte Hospitalsvej 3A, Hellerup, 2900, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 33.5, Sektion A, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 20;14(1):28693. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80194-8.
The oxytocin system has been thought to contribute to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Few studies, only involving adults, have investigated this hypothesis and have found inconsistent results regarding oxytocin system activity and OCD. We investigated whether salivary oxytocin concentrations differed between children and adolescents with and without OCD and qualified our comparative analysis by investigating the possible covariates age, pubertal stage, and sex. Participants included 113 children and adolescents (8-17 years) with OCD and 88 children and adolescents without any previous or current psychiatric disorder and their parents (254 parents included). Salivary oxytocin concentrations were measured in children and parents with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were performed using frequentist and Bayesian approaches. We found no evidence of a difference in mean salivary oxytocin concentrations between children and adolescents with and without OCD. Bayesian analysis indicated anecdotal to moderate support for the null hypothesis. We found an association between oxytocin and age and between oxytocin and pubertal stage, which by visual inspection of plots and post-hoc tests indicated nonlinear relationships. We found no association between oxytocin concentration and sex. Our findings do not suggest elevated oxytocin concentrations in pediatric OCD. Nonlinear changes in oxytocin across development show the importance of accounting for hormonal and behavioral changes during puberty.
催产素系统被认为与强迫症（OCD）有关。很少有研究（仅涉及成年人）对这一假设进行过调查，并且在催产素系统活性与强迫症方面发现了不一致的结果。我们调查了患有和未患有强迫症的儿童及青少年的唾液催产素浓度是否存在差异，并通过研究年龄、青春期阶段和性别这些可能的协变量对我们的比较分析进行了限定。参与者包括113名患有强迫症的儿童及青少年（8至17岁）和88名既往及目前均无精神疾病的儿童及青少年及其父母（共包括254名父母）。采用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）测量儿童及其父母的唾液催产素浓度。使用频率学派和贝叶斯方法进行统计分析。我们没有发现患有和未患有强迫症的儿童及青少年之间唾液催产素平均浓度存在差异的证据。贝叶斯分析表明对零假设存在轶事性至中等程度的支持。我们发现催产素与年龄以及催产素与青春期阶段之间存在关联，通过对图表的目视检查和事后检验表明为非线性关系。我们没有发现催产素浓度与性别之间存在关联。我们的研究结果并不表明小儿强迫症患者的催产素浓度升高。催产素在整个发育过程中的非线性变化表明了在青春期考虑激素和行为变化的重要性。
