@article{01HTYZC6XKMSBT0JMG57PA9J1W,
  abstract     = {{Background: Shifts in peak frequencies of oscillatory neural rhythms are put forward as a principal mechanism by which cross-frequency coupling/decoupling is implemented in the brain. During active neural processing, functional integration is facilitated through transitory formations of "harmonic" cross-frequency couplings, whereas "nonharmonic" decoupling among neural oscillatory rhythms is postulated to characterize the resting, default state of the brain, minimizing the occurrence of spurious, noisy, background couplings. Methods: Within this exploratory, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assessed whether the transient occurrence of nonharmonic and harmonic relationships between peak-frequencies in the alpha (8-14 Hz) and theta (4-8 Hz) bands is impacted by intranasal administration of oxytocin, a neuromodulator implicated in improving homeostasis and reducing stress/anxiety. To do so, resting-state electroencephalography was acquired before and after 4 weeks of oxytocin administration (12 IU twice-daily) in children with autism spectrum disorder (8-12 years, n = 33 oxytocin; n = 34 placebo). At the baseline, neural assessments of children with autism were compared with those of a matched cohort of children without autism (n = 40). Results: Compared to nonautistic peers, autistic children displayed a lower incidence of nonharmonic alpha-theta cross-frequency decoupling, indicating a higher incidence of spurious "noisy" coupling in their resting brain (p = .001). Dimensionally, increased neural coupling was associated with more social difficulties (p = .002) and lower activity of the parasympathetic "rest & digest" branch of the autonomic nervous system (p = .018), indexed with high-frequency heart-rate-variability. Notably, after oxytocin administration, the transient formation of nonharmonic cross-frequency configurations was increased in the cohort of autistic children (p < .001), indicating a beneficial effect of oxytocin on reducing spurious cross-frequency-interactions. Furthermore, parallel epigenetics changes of the oxytocin receptor gene indicated that the neural effects were likely mediated by changes in endogenous oxytocinergic signaling (p = .006). Conclusions: Chronic oxytocin induced important homeostatic changes in the resting-state intrinsic neural frequency architecture, reflective of reduced noisy oscillatory couplings and improved signal-to-noise properties.}},
  author       = {{Alaerts, K and Moerkerke, Matthijs and Daniels, N and Zhang, Q and Grazia, R and Steyaert, J and Prinsen, J and Boets, B}},
  issn         = {{0021-9630}},
  journal      = {{JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY}},
  keywords     = {{Oxytocin,autism spectrum disorder,electroencephalography,heart rate variability,neural rhythms,alpha,theta,signal to noise,HEART-RATE-VARIABILITY,INTRANASAL OXYTOCIN,SPECTRUM DISORDERS,OSCILLATIONS,RECEPTOR,TRANSMISSION,METAANALYSIS,DYNAMICS,HUMANS}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{1311--1326}},
  title        = {{Chronic oxytocin improves neural decoupling at rest in children with autism : an exploratory RCT}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13966}},
  volume       = {{65}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}

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