Altered oxytocin and vasopressin levels in autistic children in Central Saudi Arabia

Objectives: The aim of the current study is to assessplasma levels of oxytocin and vasopressin in autisticchildren. Also, to correlate plasma levels of thoseneuropeptides to the degree of autism and age of theaffected child. An additional aim is to investigate the roleof Pitocin induction in the genesis of autism.Methods: The study was conducted in Riyadh,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between September 2003 andApril 2004. Seventy-seven autistic child from Riyadharea participated in the study, with the confirmeddiagnosis according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria ofautism. The parents/guardians filled a simple relatedquestionnaire, then plasma oxytocin and vasopressinlevels were measured in autistic and control children.Results: Results showed a statistically significant lowerplasma level of oxytocin and vasopressin in autisticchildren as compared to controls. There was nosignificant correlation between the degree of autism, orthe age of the affected child and plasma levels ofoxytocin or vasopressin. There was a higher incidence ofPitocin-induced labor among autistics as compared tonormal.Conclusion: Data in this study prove that oxytocin andvasopressin plasma levels were reduced in autisticchildren which, might be related to abnormal socialbehavior in autistic children. Higher rates of Pitocininduction were found among the autistic group. The datasupports an association between exogenous exposure tooxytocin and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Furtherclinical studies are recommended to explore the possibletherapeutic effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in autism.