r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Feb 08 '25

Neuroscience Specific neurons that secrete oxytocin in the brain are disrupted in a mouse model of autism, neuroscientists have found. Stimulating these neurons restored social behaviors in these mice. These findings could help to develop new ways to treat autism.

https://www.riken.jp/en/news_pubs/research_news/rr/20250207_1/index.html
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u/WickedClutz2 Feb 08 '25

This might explain why the most recent times I've felt emotionally "normal" were when I took psilocybin and the first couple of weeks after my daughter were born. Both times felt like something was chemically making me feel more and I started looking into it. Found out that psilo and hexadecanal (newborn baby pheromone) both induce oxytocin. Typically, I don't have strong emotional reactions even in intense situations. Those are literally the only two times I've ever happy cried in my entire life. I never understood that reaction before. My wedding day was great but I never felt the urge. I think for me, it's a chemical thing.

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u/VampireFrown Feb 09 '25

It's a common misconception that autism somehow means you feel less.

It's certainly possible, and is present in some autistic people, but it's certainly not characteristic of it.

I'm autistic (diagnosed), and I feel very intense emotions of all flavour. If anything, sometimes too intense. And, from rather extensive research and an unusually large autistic social network in real life, that actually looks to be the norm.

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u/onlywanperogy Feb 09 '25

Double empathy is a thing in the ND.