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Can a Hormonal Nasal Spray Help People With Autism?
A lesser-known cousin of oxytocin is showing promise in early studies
Two groups of scientists revealed last week that by altering the brain’s absorption of vasopressin — a hormone closely related to oxytocin — they produced promising improvements in the social skills of young people and adults with autism.
The independent studies were published in Science Translational Medicine and mark the first time that the hormone has been studied as an autism treatment in people. Still, experts say the results are preliminary, and parents should manage their expectations carefully until more research is done.
According to Karen Parker, Stanford University’s autism specialist and co-author of one of the papers, there are still currently no “objective laboratory-based tests to diagnose autism, and there are no drugs approved by the FDA to treat the core social features of autism.”
Parker is looking to fill that gap by examining the role vasopressin plays in the social abilities of people with autism. The disorder is often characterized by trouble interacting with others, like difficulty making eye contact and interpreting social cues.
In Parker’s study, researchers ran a placebo-controlled, double-blind experiment with 30 children, including 25 boys and five girls. Autism is more common among boys and men, and the hormone itself is believed to play a larger role in male social ability.
“We published a couple of papers last year showing that this one hormone vasopressin, which has been implicated in social functioning in mammals — in particular in male mammals — was lower in the spinal fluid of children with autism,” says Parker. “In a separate cohort, we replicated that finding and also found that the lower your vasopressin levels, the greater your symptoms’ severity.”
The Stanford researchers delivered the vasopressin during the study via a nasal spray. Administering the drug through the nose allows it to more efficiently target the brain. Parents and staff observed noticeable improvements in social behavior among the children who took the hormone compared to those who received a placebo. This study marks the first time interactions between the hormone…
