Figure 4.

Alterations in autism spectrum disorders with possible contribution of vasopressin. The observations were mainly in animals. Both social problems and repetitive behaviors—depicted in the middle—are core features of autism spectrum disorders and VP is obviously implicated in them. Peripheral VP functions (blue) might be only indirectly linked to autism, while other central VP effects (orange) might have a more important, although not yet fully clarified role. Abbreviations: ANS: autonomous nervous system; HPA: hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical axis, VP: vasopressin.