Specifically, little is known about the mechanistic effects of OT on social brain circuits, which are at the core of the observed behavioral changes. Although pioneering clinical studies support this notion ( Hollander et al., 2007 Andari et al., 2010 Guastella et al., 2010), much remains to be learned about the mechanisms by which OT modulates social behavior before it is ready for clinical use. Clinical application of OT in the treatment of this disorder can provide some recourse to afflicted individuals and their families. The beneficial roles of OT on social functioning led us to wonder whether the substance is possibly useful for ASD therapy. Humans exposed to OT make more eye contact, feel increased in-group trust, and are better able to infer emotions from other peoples' facial expressions ( Bartz et al., 2011a Meyer-Lindenberg et al., 2011 Striepens et al., 2011 Van Ijzendoorn and Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2012). In the past decade, research from various fields has revealed that oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in social interactions that goes far beyond the previously documented effects in female reproduction ( Carter, 2007 Donaldson and Young, 2008). Although an intensive search for the biological markers of ASD has provided some major advances in the understanding of genetic, neurobiological, and developmental underpinnings, many aspects of the disease spectrum are still poorly understood. Thus, identifying the cause and treatment is imperative. However, there is no established pharmacological treatment for social dysfunction, the core feature of ASD. Recent worldwide epidemiological studies have shown that at least 1 in every 100 people has some form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ( Brugha et al., 2011 Kim et al., 2011 Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2008 Principal Investigators and CDC, 2012).
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