外源性催产素（OXT）通过与脑内催产素受体（OXTR）特异性结合能够改善孤独症患者受损的社会认知功能，但其神经机制尚不清楚，尤其是OXTR基因多态性对该调控机制的影响尚待明确。本项目在前期工作中发现OXTR rs53576基因多态性能够调节前额叶-杏仁核、下丘脑-前额叶的功能连接，将进一步运用多模态MRI技术和先进的图像分析方法研究OXTR rs53576和rs2254298两个位点的基因多态性及其单倍体型对孤独症患者脑结构和功能的影响；拟采用随机双盲、安慰剂对照的患者内部交叉的实验设计方案，基于静息态及面孔识别的任务态fMRI技术，重点阐述鼻喷OXT改善孤独症患者受损的社会认知的神经机制及OXTR基因多态性对该机制的调控作用。该研究将有助于提高对OXT系统（OXT和OXTR）改善孤独症患者核心症状的神经机制的认识，为针对催产素系统的药物研发奠定基础。

Intranasal oxytocin (OXT) improves emotion recognition in patient with autism through combining with its specific receptor (OXTR) in the brain, however, the underlying neural mechanisms need to be systematically studied, especially the influence of OXTR gene polymorphisms on the modulation mechanisms need to be elucidated.Based on our previous finding of the influence of OXTR rs53576 gene polymorphism on the functional coupling in prefrontal-amygdala and prefrontal-hypothalamus circuits, we further investigate the influences of OXTR rs53576 and rs2254298 on brain structure and functions and their haplotypes using multi-modality MRI and advanced imaging analysis methods.Importantly, we intend to elucidate the neural mechanisms of the improvement of social recognition after nasal OXT administration in autism and the influences of OXTR gene polymorphisms on these mechanisms using a random double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover design and resting-state and task-dependent fMRIs (facial expression recognition).This study may improve our understanding of the neural mechanisms of the promoting social cognition with OXT in autism and provide the preliminary support for facilitating the development of drugs of the OXT system.