Moerkerke Matthijs, Daniels Nicky, Van der Donck Stephanie, Tang Tiffany, Prinsen Jellina, Yargholi Elahe', Steyaert Jean, Alaerts Kaat, Boets Bart
Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Mol Autism. 2024 Dec 21;15(1):53. doi: 10.1186/s13229-024-00635-z.
Difficulties with (non-verbal) social communication, including facial expression processing, constitute a hallmark of autism. Intranasal administration of oxytocin has been considered a potential therapeutic option for improving social difficulties in autism, either by enhancing the salience of social cues or by reducing the social stress and anxiety experienced in social encounters.
We recorded fMRI brain activity while presenting neutral, fearful and scrambled faces, to compare the neural face processing signature of autistic children (n = 58) with that of matched non-autistic controls (n = 38). Next, in the autistic children group, we implemented this fMRI face processing task in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose oxytocin clinical trial, to evaluate the impact of four-week repeated oxytocin administration (24 IU daily dose) on brain activity in face processing regions.
No significant diagnostic-group differences were identified between autistic versus non-autistic children with regard to neural face processing. Furthermore, no significant treatment effects were found in the oxytocin clinical trial. However, exploratory analyses (uncorrected for multiple comparisons) demonstrated decreases in brain activity in the left superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferior frontal region in the oxytocin compared to the placebo group, and change-from-baseline analyses in the oxytocin group revealed significantly reduced neural activity in the core face-processing network (STS, inferior occipital, and posterior fusiform), as well as in amygdala and inferior frontal region.
These findings suggest an attenuating effect of multiple-dose oxytocin administration on neural face processing, potentially supporting the anxiolytic account of oxytocin.
包括面部表情处理在内的（非言语）社交沟通困难是自闭症的一个标志。鼻内给予催产素被认为是改善自闭症社交困难的一种潜在治疗选择，其作用机制可能是增强社交线索的显著性，或者减轻社交互动中所经历的社交压力和焦虑。
我们在呈现中性、恐惧和杂乱面孔时记录功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）脑活动，以比较自闭症儿童（n = 58）和匹配的非自闭症对照组（n = 38）的神经面部处理特征。接下来，在自闭症儿童组中，我们在一项双盲、安慰剂对照、多剂量催产素临床试验中实施了这项fMRI面部处理任务，以评估四周重复给予催产素（每日剂量24 IU）对面部处理区域脑活动的影响。
在神经面部处理方面，自闭症儿童与非自闭症儿童之间未发现显著的诊断组差异。此外，在催产素临床试验中未发现显著的治疗效果。然而，探索性分析（未进行多重比较校正）表明，与安慰剂组相比，催产素组左侧颞上沟（STS）和额下区域的脑活动降低，催产素组的基线变化分析显示，核心面部处理网络（STS、枕下和梭状回后部）以及杏仁核和额下区域的神经活动显著降低。
这些发现表明多剂量给予催产素对神经面部处理有减弱作用，这可能支持了催产素的抗焦虑作用机制。
