Early oxytocin treatment in infants with Prader-Willi syndrome is safe and is associated with better endocrine, metabolic and behavioral outcomes.

Background: Oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in modulating behavior, social interactions and feeding. Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder, is a model of hypothalamic disorder including OT dysfunction. We previously showed that infants with PWS who had received an early short course (7 days) of intranasal OT treatment improved their oral and social skills.