SynthesisAlpha psychiatry2026
The Effect of Intranasal Oxytocin on Social Interaction in Adults and Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Alpha psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by marked heterogeneity in cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning. Although oxytocin has been extensively investigated as a potential therapeutic agent for ASD, evidence regarding its clinical efficacy remains inconsistent and inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of intranasal oxytocin in improving core behavioral and social symptoms in individuals diagnosed with ASD by synthesizing evidence from randomized controlled trials. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies published up to February 16, 2025. Two independent reviewers performed study screening, data extraction, and critical appraisal of methodological quality and strength of evidence. Autism-related behavioral symptom scores were used as outcome measures. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models. Results: Twelve randomized controlled trials encompassing a total of 733 participants met the inclusion criteria. Pooled results from the random-effects model indicated no statistically significant effect of oxytocin on social functioning outcomes (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.20 to 0.10; Conclusions: The current body of evidence does not support a significant therapeutic effect of intranasal oxytocin on core behavioral symptoms in individuals with ASD. However, methodological limitations of the existing literature-including small sample sizes and heterogeneity in study design-limit the strength of conclusions that can be drawn regarding its potential clinical utility. Registration: The study has been registered on https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ (registration number: CRD42024500088; registration link: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024500088).
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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.