Faces and voices are prominent cues for person-identity recognition. Face recognition behavior and associated brain responses can be enhanced by intranasal administration of oxytocin. It is unknown whether oxytocin can also augment voice-identity recognition mechanisms. To find it out is particularly relevant for individuals who have difficulties recognizing voice identity such as individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We conducted a combined behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to investigate voice-identity recognition following intranasal administration of oxytocin or placebo in a group of adults diagnosed with ASD (full-scale intelligence quotient > 85) and pairwise-matched typically developing (TD) controls. A single dose of 24 IU oxytocin was administered in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and cross-over design. In the control group, but not in the ASD group, administration of oxytocin compared to placebo increased responses to recognition of voice identity in contrast to speech in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus/gyrus (pSTS/G) — a region implicated in the perceptual analysis of voice-identity information. In the ASD group, the right pSTS/G responses were positively correlated with voice-identity recognition accuracy in the oxytocin condition, but not in the placebo condition. Oxytocin did not improve voice-identity recognition performance at the group level. The ASD compared to the control group had lower right pSTS/G responses to voice-identity recognition. Since ASD is known to have atypical pSTS/G, the results indicate that the potential of intranasal oxytocin to enhance mechanisms for voice-identity recognition might be variable and dependent on the functional integrity of this brain region.

面孔和声音是个人身份识别的重要线索。鼻内施用催产素可以增强面部识别行为和相关的大脑反应。目前尚不清楚催产素是否也可以增强语音身份识别机制。找出这一点对于识别声音身份有困难的人尤其重要，例如被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的人。我们进行了一项行为和功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 相结合的研究，旨在调查一组被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍 (全面智商 > 85) 且成对匹配的典型发育障碍的成人在鼻内施用催产素或安慰剂后的语音身份识别（TD）控制。采用随机、双盲、安慰剂对照和交叉设计，给予单剂量 24 IU 催产素。在对照组中，但在自闭症谱系障碍组中，与安慰剂相比，使用催产素增加了右后颞上沟/回（pSTS/G）对语音身份识别的反应，而右后颞上沟/回（pSTS/G）是与知觉有关的区域。语音识别信息分析。在 ASD 组中，在催产素条件下，正确的 pSTS/G 反应与语音身份识别准确性呈正相关，但在安慰剂条件下则不然。催产素并没有改善群体层面的语音身份识别性能。与对照组相比，ASD 组对语音身份识别的右 pSTS/G 反应较低。由于自闭症谱系障碍已知具有非典型 pSTS/G，因此结果表明鼻内催产素增强语音身份识别机制的潜力可能是可变的，并且取决于该大脑区域的功能完整性。