OXT and autism spectrum disorder: Oxytocin (OT), a hypothalamic neuropeptide hormone, has garnered significant interest as a neuromodulator in cognitive processes due to its involvement in social cognition and motivation (Kendrick et al., 2018; Quintana et al., 2021) and recent clinical trials reporting improved social functioning in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (Audunsdottir et al., 2024; Le et al., 2022).