A team led by Angela Sirigu at the Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive (CNRS) has shown that the inhalation of oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds and social relationships, significantly improved the abilities of autistic patients to interact with other individuals.

To achieve this, the researchers administered oxytocin to 13 autistic patients and then observed their social behavior during ball games and during visual tests designed to identify ability to recognize faces expressing different feelings. Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 15 February 2010, thus reveal the therapeutic potential of oxytocin to treat the social disorders from which autistic patients suffer.

Oxytocin is a hormone that promotes delivery and lactation. It plays a crucial role in enhancing social and emotional behavior. Previous studies that measured the levels of this hormone in the blood of patients showed that it was deficient in those with autism.