Trial reportAutism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research2023
Genetic and epigenetic signatures associated with plasma oxytocin levels in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Trial report in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- A key gene modulating oxytocin efficacy in autism: genome-wide discovery and verification in randomized controlled trials datasets.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- An overview of oxytocin integrative mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder.Discover mental health · 2025Review
- Salivary Oxytocin Levels in Children With and Without Autism: Group Similarities and Subgroup Variability.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Effects of human-animal interaction on salivary and urinary oxytocin in children and dogs.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- DNA Methylation in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Biomarker or Pharmacological Target?Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Intranasal oxytocin in a genetic animal model of autism.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Article
- A targeted long-read sequencing approach questions the association of OXTR methylation with high-functioning autism.Clinical epigenetics · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
38 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT), the brain's most abundant neuropeptide, plays an important role in social salience and motivation. Clinical trials of the efficacy of OT in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported mixed results due in part to ASD's complex etiology. We investigated whether genetic and epigenetic variation contribute to variable endogenous OT levels that modulate sensitivity to OT therapy. To carry out this analysis, we integrated genome-wide profiles of DNA-methylation, transcriptional activity, and genetic variation with plasma OT levels in 290 participants with ASD enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of OT. Our analysis identified genetic variants with novel association with plasma OT, several of which reside in known ASD risk genes. We also show subtle but statistically significant association of plasma OT levels with peripheral transcriptional activity and DNA-methylation profiles across several annotated gene sets. These findings broaden our understanding of the effects of the peripheral oxytocin system and provide novel genetic candidates for future studies to decode the complex etiology of ASD and its interaction with OT signaling and OT-based interventions. LAY SUMMARY: Oxytocin (OT) is an abundant chemical produced by neurons that plays an important role in social interaction and motivation. We investigated whether genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to variable OT levels in the blood. To this, we integrated genetic, gene expression, and non-DNA regulated (epigenetic) signatures with blood OT levels in 290 participants with autism enrolled in an OT clinical trial. We identified genetic association with plasma OT, several of which reside in known autism risk genes. We also show statistically significant association of plasma OT levels with gene expression and epigenetic across several gene pathways. These findings broaden our understanding of the factors that influence OT levels in the blood for future studies to decode the complex presentation of autism and its interaction with OT and OT-based treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.