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Brief Report: Pitocin Induction in Autistic and Nonautistic Individuals

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Abstract

Oxytocin plays an important role in social-affiliative behaviors. It has been proposed that exposure to high levels of exogenous oxytocin at birth, via pitocin induction of delivery, might increase susceptibility to autism by causing a downregulation of oxytocin receptors in the developing brain. This study examined the rates of labor induction using pitocin in children with autism and matched controls with either typical development or mental retardation. Birth histories of 41 boys meeting the criteria for autistic disorder were compared to 25 age- and IQ-matched boys without autism (15 typically developing and 10 with mental retardation). There were no differences in pitocin induction rates as a function of either diagnostic group (autism vs. control) or IQ level (average vs. subaverage range), failing to support an association between exogenous exposure to oxytocin and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

    Susan Gale

  2. UC Davis Health System, M.I.N.D. Institute, 4860 Y Street, Suite 3020, Sacramento, California, 95817

    Sally Ozonoff

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah

    Janet Lainhart

Authors
  1. Susan Gale
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  2. Sally Ozonoff
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  3. Janet Lainhart
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Correspondence to Sally Ozonoff.

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Gale, S., Ozonoff, S. & Lainhart, J. Brief Report: Pitocin Induction in Autistic and Nonautistic Individuals. J Autism Dev Disord 33, 205–208 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022951829477

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