Conditions: Autism
Keywords: Autism Treatment Oxytocin Adults Autism Spectrum Disorder
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 19
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to learn whether or not the drug called oxytocin is helpful in improving mood and social functioning in adults with autism.

Detailed description:
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in speech and communication, impaired social functioning, and repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. A number of researchers have suggested that the neuropeptide oxytocin may be implicated in the etiology of autism.

Given the likely possibility of dysregulated oxytocin in autism, the goal of this pilot study is to investigate the long-term therapeutic effects of oxytocin in the treatment of autism. One practical issue with oxytocin is that it does not exist in a pill form. Only the intravenous form is available in the United States and this form may or may not pass the blood-brain barrier. In addition, intravenous oxytocin is not practical for treatment studies. One alternative is intranasal oxytocin; this form of administration is known to pass the blood-brain barrier, and it is easy for participants to self-administer. Although not available in the United States, we are in the process of receiving an Investigational New Drug exemption for its use and can import it from Europe.

Thus, this pilot investigation will explore daily intranasal oxytocin in the treatment of autism. Also, there are very few, if any, outcome measures to assess social functioning in the "real world" in the context of clinical trials; yet, this is a major target for intervention, especially in autism. Thus, a final goal of this study will be to explore the use of Event Contingent Recording to index changes in social functioning and affect. Event Contingent Recording is a methodology developed by personality/social psychologists, which allows participants to report on symptoms, affect, and behavior close in time to experience. In addition, to enabling more sensitive assessments, this methodology allows for the assessment of more diverse (e.g., at home versus work) and more detailed measurements of mood and behavior.

Finally, a portion of this study aims to perform gene expression profiling using fresh whole blood to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying oxytocin therapy and oxytocin efficacy in adults with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome. The systemic effects of oxytocin therapy and the molecular basis for a positive treatment response to oxytocin are not well understood. An understanding of the former may help predict those persons who may suffer side-effects from treatment and the latter may help provide easily accessible peripheral biomarkers that could predict treatment response.

Arms:
arm 1: Subjects were given 24 IU intranasal oxytocin twice daily, in the morning and afternoon for 6 weeks. arm 2: Subjects were given placebo twice daily, in the morning and afternoon for 6 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: Oxytocin intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Intranasal Oxytocin intervention 2: Placebo Comparator

Protocol document: