The direct implication of PVH-OXT neurons in modulating social memory is of significance as rodent models with mutations in high-risk genes for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have shown changes in the overall number of PVH-OXT neurons and/or reduced OXT levels, thus suggesting that modified OXT activity could underlie some of the social behavioral phenotype reported in these models [59, 62, 63]. This evidence concerns the gene OXT and autism spectrum disorder.