Hormone shows signs of easing effects of autism

A hormone that helps women give birth and breast-feed has shown promise in relieving some symptoms of autism, scientists reported Thursday at an international conference convened this week in Seattle.

Oxytocin, which naturally stimulates uterine contractions and milk secretion, has helped some autistic adults reduce repetitive behavior, such as rocking, and improved their ability to identify emotions, such as anger and happiness, and relate to people better.

"There are still a lot of questions, such as how to administer it daily," said Evodokia Anagnostou, of Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York. "But this is probably a promising avenue to pursue."

Anagnostou is one of more than 900 researchers, parents and activists who are gathering through Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel downtown for the sixth International Meeting for Autism Research. The meeting is not open to the public.

"People from around the world are here to share information and ideas," said Geraldine Dawson, co-chair of the conference and director of the University of Washington Autism Center. "It will contribute to the research in autism for people with autism."

For example, in the oxytocin study, which was relatively small with 23 subjects, the scientists found that both injections and nasal sprays of the hormone relieved symptoms for several weeks much better than in patients who received placebos.

Using magnetic resonance imaging, Anagnostou and her colleagues also have found that oxytocin improved regions of the brain that are affected by autism. Autism is a permanent brain disorder, usually diagnosed after age 3, that can seriously impair social and communication skills and limit people's interests and activities. It manifests itself in a spectrum of ways, from mild to severe, and experts now estimate 1 in 150 people in the U.S. have the disorder.

Most scientists don't believe there is a single cause of autism. But they have identified abnormalities in several brain regions, and some genetic defects are believed related to the disorder. Conventional drug treatment usually targets problems such as hyperactivity and aggressive behavior.

Recently, much research has focused on early diagnosis and early treatment to help socialization and language skills. Scientists don't believe symptoms can be detected before 6 months of age. But a decade ago, Dawson conducted research showing that autistic children as young as 1 exhibit little eye contact with others, and subsequent research has found other such early clues.

At the conference Thursday, Dawson and Sally Rogers of the University of California, Davis, showed videos of toddlers who steadily improved through daily sessions of parent-child play that stimulated socialization and language. Before the sessions, the children played silently and alone in a room with parents. Afterward, they laughed, looked parents in the eye and used words to identify toys and express wishes.

"Intervention during the onset period may slow or minimize the progression," Rogers said.

In other research, Eric Fombonne, of Montreal Children's Hospital, said in a news conference that samples of blood, hair and toenails taken from 71 newly diagnosed children and their mothers showed levels of mercury no different from children who didn't have autism.

Fombonne conceded the samples gave only a snapshot in time, but he said the findings support studies cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying there is no link between mercury in vaccine preservatives and autism. Many parents and some scientists believe there is a link.

Warren King: 206-464-2247 or wking@seattletimes.com