Participatory Art Activities Increase Salivary Oxytocin Secretion of ASD Children

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs in 1 in 160 children worldwide. Individuals with ASD tend to be unique in the way that they comprehend themselves and others, as well as in the way that they interact and socialize, which can lead to challenges with social adaptation. There is currently no medication to improve the social deficit of children with ASD, and consequently, behavioral and complementary/alternative intervention plays an important role. In the present pilot study, we focused on the neuroendocrinological response to participatory art activities, which are known to have a positive effect on emotion, self-expression, sociability, and physical wellbeing. We collected saliva from 12 children with ASD and eight typically developed (TD) children before and after a visual art-based participatory art workshop to measure the levels of oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in a wide range of social behaviors. We demonstrated that the rate of increase in salivary oxytocin following art activities in ASD children was significantly higher than that in TD children. In contrast, the change rate of salivary cortisol after participatory art activities was similar between the two groups. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of participatory art activities may be partially mediated by oxytocin release, and may have therapeutic potential for disorders involving social dysfunction.

Endogenous Oxytocin Levels in Autism—A Meta-Analysis

“…To further explore what underlying mechanisms might be driving the general results, more detailed subgroup analyses were performed by age, by sex and by tissue sample type. Pertaining to age, 13 studies involved comparisons of groups of children aged between 2 to 12 years [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Two studied adolescent groups aged between 11 to 16 years [ 8 , 36 ].…”

“…Two studied adolescent groups aged between 11 to 16 years [ 8 , 36 ]. Three investigated groups of adults [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Pertaining to sex, eight studies reported on exclusively male populations [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 32 , 35 , 37 , 38 ] and one study adopted an exclusively female sample [ 32 ].…”

“…With regard to tissue sample type, twelve studies investigated blood plasma [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Six studies took saliva samples for OT level measurement [ 6 , 8 , 31 , 33 , 38 , 39 ].…”

“…Similarly, in the group of 6 to 9-year-olds, four out of five studies reported significantly lower OT levels in children with ASD [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 10 , 35 ]. Yet, in the group of children >9 years old, none of the three studies reported significantly lower OT in the ASD group [ 30 , 31 , 32 ], indicating either a normalization (increase) of OT levels in ASD or a reduction in OT levels in NT controls, after early childhood. Conversely, Lakatosova et al divided their child sample into two groups according to age (younger versus older than 10 years) and found the decrease in plasma OT to be especially prominent in the older children [ 35 ].…”

Oxytocin-Trust Link in Oxytocin-Sensitive Participants and Those Without Autistic Traits

“…Aliquots of 100 μL were stored in 1.5-mL microtubes at −80°C until oxytocin measurement. The oxytocin concentrations of these samples were measured in 96-well plates with oxytocin antibodies (Enzyme immunoassay kit, Enzo Life Sciences, Inc., Farmingdale, NY, United States), as described previously ( Yuhi et al, 2018 ; Tanaka et al, 2020 ). The saliva samples were not treated with solid-phase extraction columns.…”