The closely related centrally and peripherally acting nonapeptides, oxytocin and arginine vasopressin (AVP), have been suggested to be involved in the neurobiology of autism (Green et al.,
2001; Insel,
1997; Insel, O'Brien, & Leckman,
1999; Modahl, Fein, Waterhouse, & Newton,
1992; Panksepp,
1993). Hypotheses in this realm have been prompted by the role of the neuropeptides in mating, affiliation, attachment, maternal and approach behaviors in animals (Bielsky, Hu, Szegda, Westphal, & Young,
2004; Carter,
1998; Leckman & Herman,
2002; Lim, Bielsky, & Young,
2005; Winslow & Insel,
2002; Young, Pitkow, & Ferguson,
2002). A recent study reporting positive effects of oxytocin administration on levels of trust behavior in humans has further increased interest in the possible role of oxytocin and related compounds in human affiliation and social relatedness (Damasio,
2005; Kosfeld, Heinrichs, Zak, Fischbacher, & Fehr,
2005). Although definitve and replicated neurbiological and genetic data supporting a role for either peptide in autism are lacking, additional research in this general area is clearly justified. …
