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Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone". It strengthens social bonding and promotes trust and empathy. These behavioral traits are caused by the binding of the hormone to the oxytocin receptor in the brain. Researchers at the University of Regensburg and Forschungszentrum Jlich have now demonstrated, with the help of cell culture experiments and computer simulations, how genetic variations of the receptor affect the hormone signaling inside brain cells. Their findings provide a better understanding why nasal sprays with oxytocin are not always helpful to treat autistic patients and they point to alternative strategies that could lead to new therapies in the long term.
Changes in the finely tuned mechanism of oxytocin interacting with its receptor might trigger psychosocial disorders. Researchers have been assuming this for a long time. In fact, genetic variants of the oxytocin receptor have already been associated with autism spectrum disorder....