An autism-linked variant in the receptor for oxytocin may alter connections in the brain, according to a study published 17 May in Neuroimage.

The BTBR mouse model, an asocial strain often used to study autism, may not be optimal for autism research, suggests an unpublished study presented today at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

People with autism who inhaled regular doses of the hormone oxytocin were better at recognizing others’ emotions and reported a higher quality of life than those who took a placebo, according to a small study published 5 December in Molecular Autism.

After years of making do with drugs developed for other conditions, doctors and scientists are eagerly pursuing drugs that target the social symptoms of autism.

A new study shows that long-term treatment with oxytocin, a hormone that typically enhances social bonds, can have unexpected consequences, says Sue Carter, a research scientist at RTI International.

Mice missing the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2 have broad defects in their oxytocin system, according to research presented Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans. Treatment with oxytocin alleviates social deficits in these mice.

The hormone oxytocin modulates molecular pathways associated with autism in gut cells, according to unpublished research presented Saturday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Men with a common autism-linked variant of CD38, a gene that regulates levels of the ‘trust hormone’ oxytocin, benefit more from the hormone than do those with other variants, according to a study published in the May issue of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Preliminary research shows that in people with autism, oxytocin enhances activity in brain areas that process social information.

Multiplayer games can help researchers identify differences in social behavior in people with autism.