A surprising finding, however, is that oxytocin nasal spray did not change performance in social recognition tasks. And, it is also not yet clear if oxytocin only has benefits for people with autism or has any unwanted side effects. Finally, oxytocin effects only last about 45 minutes, so there may be practical considerations as to whether this could be used as a treatment. “From a scientific perspective, this study has a lot of evidence from animal and human work to justify serious attention, but more research is needed. Doctors should be cautious about the potential of this hormone until we know much more about its benefits and risks, in much larger studies,” said Simon Baron-Cohen.
What is currently known about the benefits and side effects of oxytocin?
There is evidence that it has potential benefits, but little is known about its side effects Oxytocin has negative side effects while little is known about its potential benefits Oxytocin has about 45 known side effects, most of which are minor Not much; both have been debated for decades