Epigenetic modification of the oxytocin receptor gene: implications for autism symptom severity and brain functional connectivity.

ABSTRACT: The role of oxytocin in social cognition has attracted tremendous interest in social neuroscience and psychiatry. Some studies have reported improvement in social symptoms following oxytocin treatment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), while others point to endogenous factors influencing its efficiency and to mixed results in terms of long-term clinical benefits. Epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in ASD could be an informative biomarker of treatment efficacy. Yet, little is known about the relationship between OXTR methylation, clinical severity, and brain function in ASD. Here, we investigated the relationship between OXTR methylation, ASD diagnosis (in N = 35 ASD and N = 64 neurotypical group), measures of social responsiveness, and resting-state functional co

SUBMITTER: Andari E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7235273 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature