Acute Administration of Oxytocin in the Functional Recovery of Neurocognitive and Social Deficits Following Juvenile Frontal Traumatic Brain Injury

Introduction: Juvenile traumatic brain injury (jTBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability in children. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is most susceptible to injury which leads to deficits in executive function, social behaviors, and cognitive flexibility. Prior research has shown a significant role of the oxytocin (OXT) system in the modulation of social behaviors, and that intranasal OXT (IN-OXT) is potentially neuroprotective. Therefore, we believe IN-OXT could improve functional recovery from a PFC injury. Methods: Animals received a single midline cortical contusion bilaterally damaging the medial PFC (mPFC) and immediately given a single dose of IN-OXT, placebo, or no treatment. Animals were assessed using behavioral and histological measures. Results: The results indicated that jTBI significantly impacted the normal development of the OXT system, likely due to deficits in OXT synthesis in the SON. While IN-OXT alleviated these deficits, it had no impact on neuroinflammation. Similarly, behavioral effects of IN-OXT were not consistent. Mild improvements were observed in spatial learning but there were no improvements in spatial memory or social dominance. Discussion: These results show that IN-OXT increases OXT levels in the brain via pathways originating in the SON and improved spatial learning.