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Open Access 01-04-2017 | Review

Genes Related to Oxytocin and Arginine-Vasopressin Pathways: Associations with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Authors: Rong Zhang, Hong-Feng Zhang, Ji-Sheng Han, Song-Ping Han

Published in: Neuroscience Bulletin | Issue 2/2017

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interactions, communication deficits, and repetitive behavior. Although the mechanisms underlying its etiology and manifestations are poorly understood, several lines of evidence from rodent and human studies suggest involvement of the evolutionarily highly-conserved oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP), as these neuropeptides modulate various aspects of mammalian social behavior. As far as we know, there is no comprehensive review of the roles of the OXT and AVP systems in the development of ASD from the genetic aspect. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding associations between ASD and single-nucleotide variants of the human OXT-AVP pathway genes OXT, AVP, AVP receptor 1a (AVPR1a), OXT receptor (OXTR), the oxytocinase/vasopressinase (LNPEP), and ADP-ribosyl cyclase (CD38).

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Title: Genes Related to Oxytocin and Arginine-Vasopressin Pathways: Associations with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Rong Zhang
Hong-Feng Zhang
Ji-Sheng Han
Song-Ping Han
Publication date: 01-04-2017
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Published in: Neuroscience Bulletin / Issue 2/2017
Print ISSN: 1673-7067
Electronic ISSN: 1995-8218
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-017-0120-7

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Genes Related to Oxytocin and Arginine-Vasopressin Pathways: Associations with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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