Common polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is associated with human social recognition skills.

ABSTRACT: The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin are evolutionarily conserved regulators of social perception and behavior. Evidence is building that they are critically involved in the development of social recognition skills within rodent species, primates, and humans. We investigated whether common polymorphisms in the genes encoding the oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptors influence social memory for faces. Our sample comprised 198 families, from the United Kingdom and Finland, in whom a single child had been diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Previous research has shown that impaired social perception, characteristic of autism, extends to the first-degree relatives of autistic individuals, implying heritable risk. Assessments of face recognition memory, discrimination of facial emotio

SUBMITTER: Skuse DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3918840 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature