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Oxytocin levels tend to be lower in autistic children: A meta-analysis of 31 studies by Simon John; Adrian V Jaeggi is a Neuroscience article available to read on EtoBox.

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The oxytocin system may be different in autistic people, which could explain some of the deficits in social behavior and cognition associated with autism spectrum disorder. However, studies comparing oxytocin levels in autistic and neurotypical individuals have shown conflicting results and a 2016 meta-analysis on seven studies concluded that there was no significant difference. Here, we greatly expanded the sample of studies to 31, warranting a reassessment of this finding. We searched Web of Science with MEDLINE^®^, SciELO Citation Index, and BIOSIS Citation Index for articles that measured oxytocin in plasma/serum ( k = 26 studies), saliva (4), or cerebrospinal fluid (1) in autistic individuals (total n = 1233 participants) compared to neurotypical individuals ( n = 1304). We found that oxytocin levels were significantly lower in autistic people (Cohen’s d = −0.36, 95% confidence interval = [−0.61, −0.10], p = 0.007), with no evidence for publication bias. This overall effect was driven entirely by differences among children ( k = 25, d = −0.44, 95% confidence interval = [−0.72, −0.16], p = 0.002) but not adults ( k = 6, d = 0.03, 95% confidence interval = [−0.55, 0.61], p = 0.9

Who reads Oxytocin levels tend to be lower in autistic children: A meta-analysis of 31 studies?

Author

Simon John; Adrian V Jaeggi

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Published

2021

Language

EN

Field

Neuroscience (Social Sciences)