Prenatal androgen influences on the brain: A review, critique, and illustration of research on congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Individual variability in human gender-related behaviour is influenced by many factors, including androgen exposure prenatally, as well as self-socialization and socialization by others postnatally. Many studies have looked at these types of influences in isolation, but little is known about how they work together. Here, we report that girls exposed to high concentrations of androgens prenatally, because they have the genetic condition congenital adrenal hyperplasia, show changes in processes related to self-socialization of gender-related behaviour. Specifically, they are less responsive than other girls to information that particular objects are for girls and they show reduced imitation of female models choosing particular objects. These findings suggest that prenatal androgen exposure may influence subsequent gender-related behaviours, including object (toy) choices, in part by changing processes involved in the self-socialization of gendered behaviour, rather than only by inducing permanent changes in the brain during early development. In addition, the findings suggest that some of the behavioural effects of prenatal androgen exposure might be subject to alteration by postnatal socialization processes. The findings also suggest a previously unknown influence of early androgen exposure on later processes involved in self-socialization of gender-related behaviour, and thus expand understanding of the developmental systems regulating human gender development.

Download Full-text

No Evidence for a Difference in 2D:4D Ratio between Youth with Elevated Prenatal Androgen Exposure due to Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Controls

10.1101/2020.05.07.082529 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Gideon Nave ◽

Christina M. Koppin ◽

Dylan Manfredi ◽

Gareth Richards ◽

Steven J. Watson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia ◽

Large Body ◽

Adrenal Hyperplasia ◽

Hydroxylase Deficiency ◽

Left Hand ◽

Androgen Exposure ◽

Wide Range ◽

Prenatal Androgen Exposure ◽

21 Hydroxylase Deficiency ◽

Prenatal Androgen

AbstractThe second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) has been associated with sexual dimorphism, with a lower 2D:4D in males. A large body of research has relied on the 2D:4D as a proxy for prenatal androgen exposure, and includes reports of relationships between 2D:4D and a wide range of human traits. Here, we examine the validity of the 2D:4D proxy by studying the association between 2D:4D and classical Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency, a condition characterized by excessive prenatal exposure to androgens during most of the gestational period. To this end, we retrospectively examine 513 serial radiographs of the left hand obtained clinically in 90 youth with classical CAH (45 female) and 70 control youth (31 female). Replicating previous reports, we observe associations of the 2D:4D with sex (lower 2D:4D in males) and age (increase of 2D:4D through development). However, we find no evidence for differences in 2D:4D between CAH and controls (full sample: □ = -0.001 (−0.008, 0.006)]; females: □ = -0.004 [-0.015, 0.007]; males: □ = 0.001, [-0.008, 0.011]). Although our findings do not rule out a small association between the 2D:4D and CAH, they cast doubt on the usefulness of the 2D:4D as a biomarker for prenatal androgen exposure in behavioral research.

Download Full-text