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Szabó J, Mlynár M, Feješ A, Renczés E, Borbélyová V, Ostatníková D, Celec P. Intranasal oxytocin in a genetic animal model of autism. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:342-347. [PMID: 38102481 PMCID: PMC11116098 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02330-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders mainly characterized by deficient sociability and repetitive behaviors. Effective treatment for the core symptoms of ASD is still lacking. Behavioral interventions show limited effectiveness, while pharmacotherapy focuses on the amelioration of secondary symptomatology. Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide known for its prosocial impact, making it a candidate drug for ASD treatment. Its alleviating effect has been and still is widely researched, but outcomes reported by clinical studies are ambiguous. We examined the effect of daily intranasal OXT (0.8 IU/kg) administration for 4 weeks on the ASD-like phenotype in Shank3-/- adult mice. Animals treated with OXT spent twice as much time interacting with the social partner as early as after 2 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, OXT-treated mice exhibited reduced explorative behavior by 50%, after 4 weeks of treatment, and a 30% reduction in repetitive behavior, 4 weeks after treatment termination. One-fold higher sociability and 30% reduced exploration due to OXT lasted up to 4 weeks following the treatment termination. However, social disinterest was elevated by roughly 10% as well, indicating a form of social ambivalence. Obtained results support the therapeutic potential of intranasally administered OXT in alleviating social shortfalls in a genetic model of ASD. Subsequent research is necessary to elucidate the benefits and risks of the long-term OXT administration, as well as its applicability in other ASD models and the potential treatment effect on social communication, which was not measured in the present study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Szabó
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Matúš Mlynár
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Andrej Feješ
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Emese Renczés
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Borbélyová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Daniela Ostatníková
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Celec
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Wieting J, Jahn K, Bleich S, Frieling H, Deest M. A targeted long-read sequencing approach questions the association of OXTR methylation with high-functioning autism. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:195. [PMID: 38124130 PMCID: PMC10734107 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01616-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA sequence variation and altered epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) have been implicated in autism and autistic-like behaviors. While previous studies have examined subsegments of OXTR, nanopore Cas9-targeted sequencing (nCATS) allows deep characterization of entire genes with simultaneous assessment of epigenetic 5-methylcytosine (5mC) modification and without the need for prior DNA amplification or bisulfite conversion. This pilot study uses an nCATS approach to sequence the entire OXTR gene and its regulatory construct and screen for 5mC modification to compare results between individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and neurotypical controls (NC). METHODS Using DNA extracted from peripheral blood, OXTR (Hg38, chr3: 8750381-8770434, 20,054 base pairs) was analyzed by nCATS. 5mC modification probabilities were calculated and visualized across the gene and differential methylation analysis was performed. RESULTS Twenty adults with HFA (10 males, 10 females) and 20 age- and sex-matched NC (± 5 years) were included. There were no apparent group differences in the entire OXTR gene sequence, except for the intron variant rs918316, which was clustered in the HFA group. However, differential methylation analysis did not reveal a single significant group-dependent differentially methylated site among the 412 CpG sites captured. LIMITATIONS Limitations of this study include the small number of samples due to the pilot nature of the study, which particularly limits the relevance of the sequence variants found. It should also be noted that the use of peripheral blood material limits the ability to draw conclusions about central processes. CONCLUSIONS Previous findings of autism-associated OXTR epigenetic alterations were not reproducible with our method. In our opinion, this may lead to a reconsideration of the relevance of altered methylation at individual OXTR CpG positions in autism research. However, given the pilot nature of the study, these results need to be replicated in independent cohorts and with larger sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelte Wieting
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Kirsten Jahn
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefan Bleich
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Helge Frieling
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Maximilian Deest
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
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Alaerts K, Daniels N, Moerkerke M, Evenepoel M, Tang T, Van der Donck S, Chubar V, Claes S, Steyaert J, Boets B, Prinsen J. At the Head and Heart of Oxytocin's Stress-Regulatory Neural and Cardiac Effects: A Chronic Administration RCT in Children with Autism. PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOSOMATICS 2023; 92:315-328. [PMID: 37820592 DOI: 10.1159/000534114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Intranasal administration of oxytocin presents a promising new approach to reduce disability associated with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Previous investigations have emphasized the amygdala as the neural foundation for oxytocin's acute effects. However, to fully understand oxytocin's therapeutic potential, it is crucial to gain insight into the neuroplastic changes in amygdala circuitry induced from chronic oxytocin administrations, particularly in pediatric populations. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the impact of a 4-week course of intranasal oxytocin on amygdala functional connectivity in children with autism, compared to placebo. Additionally, we investigated whether oxytocin improves cardiac autonomic arousal, as indexed by high-frequency heart rate variability. METHODS Fifty-seven children with autism aged 8-12 years (45 boys, 12 girls) participated in a double-blind, randomized pharmaco-neuroimaging trial involving twice-daily administrations of intranasal oxytocin or placebo. Resting-state fMRI scans and simultaneous, in-scanner heart rate recordings were obtained before, immediately after, and 4 weeks after the nasal spray administration period. RESULTS Significant reductions in intrinsic amygdala-orbitofrontal connectivity were observed, particularly at the 4-week follow-up session. These reductions were correlated with improved social symptoms and lower cardiac autonomic arousal. Further, oxytocin's neural and cardiac autonomic effects were modulated by epigenetic modifications of the oxytocin receptor gene. The effects were more pronounced in children with reduced epigenetic methylation, signifying heightened expression of the oxytocin receptor. CONCLUSION These findings underscore that a 4-week oxytocin administration course decreases amygdala connectivity and improves cardiac autonomic balance. Epigenetic modulators may explain inter-individual variation in responses to oxytocin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Alaerts
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicky Daniels
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthijs Moerkerke
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Margaux Evenepoel
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tiffany Tang
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stephanie Van der Donck
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Stephan Claes
- KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, University Psychiatric Center, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jellina Prinsen
- KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Research Group for Neurorehabilitation, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes) Consortium, Leuven, Belgium
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Pavăl D. The dopamine hypothesis of autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive analysis of the evidence. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 173:1-42. [PMID: 37993174 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite intensive research into the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), limited progress has been achieved so far. Among the plethora of models seeking to clarify how ASD arises, a coherent dopaminergic model was lacking until recently. In 2017, we provided a theoretical framework that we designated "the dopamine hypothesis of ASD". In the meantime, numerous studies yielded empirical evidence for this model. 4 years later, we provided a second version encompassing a refined and reconceptualized framework that accounted for these novel findings. In this chapter, we will review the evidence backing the previous versions of our model and add the most recent developments to the picture. Along these lines, we intend to lay out a comprehensive analysis of the supporting evidence for the dopamine hypothesis of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Pavăl
- The Romanian Association for Autoimmune Encephalitis, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Department of Psychiatry, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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