Comments on: Study: The “Love Hormone” Oxytocin Can Improve Autistic People’s Social Skills

By: aspiechildinaspen

aspiechildinaspen — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:11:44 +0000

See “nursing nightmares” on you tube for a reality check on dangerous, deceptive nurses that work with autistic persons. Clearly, doesn’t help “good feelings” in autistic population for a family to be under constant seige with gettin good care for their son. Damn it, it’s all so odd.

By: natalie

natalie — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:28:28 +0000

Interestingly, an increased level of glutamate and serotonin stimulate the release of oxytocin. Another way to stimulate the release of OT is through touch, such as massage. The correct pressure and amount of massage time is obviously important too. (The Oxytocin Factor, Kerstin Uvnas Moberg). I am currently researching the effectiveness of autistic children and massage ‘therapy’.

By: Angela Katarzyna

Angela Katarzyna — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:17:21 +0000

Doesn´t that explain how come people WITHIN relationships are capable of having at least one relationship while lonely people tend to remain alone? Looks like those lonely people lack that “cuddle hormone”.

By: Hunchback

Hunchback — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:28:23 +0000

What form of oxytocin are they using? Pitocin, the synthetic formulation used to stimulate labor? Pitocin does not cross the blood-brain barrier and does not cause the positive emotional bonding of mother and baby. Oxytocin, produced by the pituitary, does cross the blood-brain barrier and is released through stimulation of lactation. Are there other ways for the body to be stimulated to release oxytocin? I’ve read that sex and cuddling do it. If one is unable to find a partner, what about things like massage? I’m thinking of the physical isolation that occurs when one is unable to find a lover (physical disabilitiy or deformity) and this lack of oxytocin exacerbates anxiety, depression, loneliness. There must be other ways to get the good feelings when there are no other people in your life to love you.

By: Katharine

Katharine — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:24:59 +0000

I’m not sure precisely how oxytocin helps the brain of an autistic person be more receptive to social cues, but this may help explain the system as a whole. Autistic brains show defects in several neurotransmitter systems, including glutamate and serotonin.

I suspect this would work mostly on people with high-functioning autism; an oxytocin analogue in a simple nasal spray form, used a certain amount of times per day, might serve as a sort of ‘treatment’ in an empirical way.

People with more severe forms of autism, I think, probably wouldn’t experience as much of an impact.