Hormone Oxytocin Might Help People with Autism

A new study revealed that a hormone that strengthens the relationship between mother and baby may be beneficial for adults with autism. JoAnne Allen from Reuters reports, “[Researchers] found patients who inhaled the hormone oxytocin paid more attention to expressions when looking at pictures of faces and were more likely to understand social cues in a game simulation.” According to Allen, “Angela Sirigu of the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience in Lyon, who led the study, said the hormone has a therapeutic potential in adults as well as in children with autism.”

Sirigu said the study was centered around oxytocin because the hormone has shown to help breast-feeding moms bond with their babies and many autistic children lack normal levels of the hormone. People who suffer from autism normally have trouble with social interactions, but autism patients who have normal intellectual functions and decent language abilities could benefit from oxytocin because it improves eye contact, which can be considered the “first step of social approach,” according to Sirigu.

Do you think your child may be showing signs of autism? Find a pediatrician in your area who can help.

A new study shows that people who are happy a majority of the time are less likely to develop heart disease than those who are down in the dumps all the time. This study is the first to show an independent relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease, states Kate Kelland from Reuters. “We desperately need rigorous clinical trials in this area. If the trials support our findings, then these results will be incredibly important in describing specifically what clinicians and/or patients could do to improve health,” said Karina Davidson of Columbia University Medical Center.

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