Apparently there is a new research study on oxytocin being carried out in several cities. Info is here: http://www.med.unc.edu/psych/aspire/soars
Below is a poster from the Society for Neuroscience meeting in November:
Presentation Title: Social behaviors of autistic disorder are improved by long-term oxytocin administration: A case of 16-year-old girl
Authors: *H. KOSAKA1,2,3, T. MUNESUE4, M. ISHITOBI, MD, PhD2, M. ASANO2, D. N. SAITO1,3, T. FUJII1,3, M. OMORI5, A. TOMODA1, H. OKAZAWA1,3, Y. WADA1,2;
1Res. Ctr. for Child Mental Develop., 2Dept. of Neuropsychiatry, 3Biomed. Imaging Res. Ctr., Univ. of Fukui, Fukui, Japan; 4Res. Ctr. for Child Mental Develop., Kanazawa Univ., Kanazawa, Japan; 5Fac. of Nursing and Social Welfare Sci., Fukui Prefectural Univ., Fukui, Japan
Abstract: Background: There are still no radical treatments of social impairments in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). These patients exhibit core autistic symptoms including social impairments from early childhood and mostly show secondary disabilities such as irritability and aggressive behavior based on core symptoms. Recently, oxytocin has been reported to play important roles in multiple social behaviors dependent on social recognition, and has been expected as one of the effective treatments of social impairments of patients with ASDs.
Case Presentation: Here, we present a case of a 16-year-old girl with autistic disorder who treated by long-term administration of oxytocin nasal spray. Her autistic symptoms were successfully treated by two month administration; the girl’s social interactions and social communication began to improve without adverse effects. Her irritability and aggressive behavior also improved dramatically with marked decreases in aberrant behavior checklist (ABC) scores from 69 to 15.
Conclusion: This case is the first to illustrate long-term administration of oxytocin nasal spray in the targeted treatment of social impairments in a female with autistic disorder. This case suggests that long-term nasal oxytocin spray is promising and well-tolerated for treatment of social impairments of patients with ASDs.
Here is a link to a clinical study conducted by Eric Hollander at Albert Einstein on adults (low-dose safety study):
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01337687
And here is a link to a safety trial on kids at UNC in Chapel Hill:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01308749
Our biomed dr. mentioned it as something to try down the line. I know a mom who has seen good results using the oxytocin tablets compounded by a pharmacy in Colorado. http://www.belmarpharmacy.com/oxytocin.htm