Love Hormonal Helping People With Autism

A study in France proves that the hormones 'love' that encourage bonding between mother and baby, it can improve social functioning of persons with autism. In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was written, that people with autism who inhaled the hormone oxytocin is more attention and show facial expressions when viewing pictures and better understand social cues in a simulated game.

Research leader, Angela Sirigu of the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience in Lyon, said the hormone therapy is great potential in adults or children suffering from autism.

"For example, if oxytocin is given early on when the diagnosis is made, maybe we can change the social developmental disorders in people with autism," said Angela Sirigu via e-mail.

Angela says research has focused on because of the hormone oxytocin is known as the hormone that helps bond nursing mothers with their babies. And previous research has shown that some children with autism have low levels of the hormone oxytocin. People with Asperger's syndrome and autism spectrum disorders more often have problems with social interaction. This hormone is proven to help patients with autism who have normal intellectual functions and language skills are pretty good because it can improve eye contact, which is an important marker of social interaction.

"Eye contact can be considered as a first step in a social approach. But the people with autism often avoid eye contact with others," he said.

"Our research suggests that oxytocin can increase the eye contact because the patient looks often make eye contact," he said.

These hormones also increase the ability of persons with autism in understanding the responses of others towards them. In his research, Angela and colleagues recruited two groups of individuals aged 17-39 years. The first group comprised 13 people, of which 10 patients of whom had symptoms of autism spectrum and three others suffered from high-functioning autism (autism with high IQ level). While 13 other people into two groups, control population.

Both groups were then ordered to play video games of football in which the group with autism receive oxytocin inhalers. As a result, inhalation of oxytocin make Asperger's Syndrome or high IQ autism tend to love to play with their partner a more socially responsive game play football.