Katarina Babinska
Slovakia
Research Article
Association with Autism of Two Polymorphisms in Gene Encoding Oxytocin Receptors in Slovakia
Author(s): Silvia Lakatosova, Lenka Dudova, Anna Pivovarciova, Veronika Husarova, Katarina Babinska and Daniela OstatnikovaSilvia Lakatosova, Lenka Dudova, Anna Pivovarciova, Veronika Husarova, Katarina Babinska and Daniela Ostatnikova
Study background: Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder involving genetic components in its etiology. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide affecting social behavior acting in the CNS via binding its only type of receptor (OXTR). A number of studies have shown an association of polymorphisms in the OXTR gene and the diagnosis of autism in different ethnic populations. The aim of this study is to find an association of polymorphisms in the OXTR gene and the diagnosis of autism in Slovakia.
Methods: After acquiring informed consent, 108 autism patients were recruited into the study (83 males, 25 females), in addition to 131 healthy children as a control group (106 males, 25 females). DNA was extracted from whole blood and four single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs223785, rs2270465, rs2268498, rs53576) were assessed using the PCR-RFLP method.
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