Autism may finally have a treatment for a patient's social behavior.

According to BBC News, new research has found that oxytocin, also known as "the love hormone," might help people with autism be more social. The tests are still in development, but brain scans are showing early promise.

Oxytocin is naturally created in humans' brains and is most often associated with love. For example, it is highly present in the bonding between and mother and her baby, as well as in monogamous couples.

The treatment was administered as a nasal spray to 17 children, aged eight to 16, with autism. Each was given a spray of oxytocin and one of no drugs at all, their brain activity being recorded after each. The brain scanners recorded the participants' reactions to social pictures of people's faces and non-social images of cars.

The parts of the brain most associated with social behavior were more active after the oxytocin spray than they were after the placebo spray.

"We are very excited by the findings, all 17 showed a response, although the response was variable," Kevin Pelphrey, a project researcher, told BBC News. "There's still lots of questions about oxytocin, but this suggests it enhances social brain functions and decreases non-social functions - helping kids to focus on socially relevant information."

Further research will be done to find out what side effects, or potential benefits, administering oxytocin to children with autism might be. Also to be determined is how to administer the treatment. Since it is not seen as a cure, it could be a daily medication or an aid to current behavioral therapy.

"The most exciting finding is not oxytocin, but that you can show changes in the brain by a compound," said Pelphrey. "It changes how we think of autism and how treatable it might be."

The National Autistic Society (NAS) emphasized that the research was still in its infancy and observers should not draw any conclusions from the research just yet.

"Autism is a very complex disability and can present a variety of challenges that extend beyond social difficulties," said Carol Povey, director of the NAS center for autism. "It's crucial that those living with the condition have all their needs assessed so that they can access the appropriate support."