Hyperandrogenemia in male autistic children and adolescents: relation to disease severity

El-Baz, Farida; Hamza, Rasha T.; Ayad, Mohamed S.E.; Mahmoud, Nermine H.

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2012-0116

Cited by 27 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Interestingly, higher levels of androgens are found in children and adolescents with ASD. This correlates with the severity of autistic traits and might account for the precocious puberty also reported in this condition (El-Baz et al, 2014). These findings emphasize the role of elevated pre- and postnatal testosterone levels in the liability for ASD (see Hauth et al, 2014).…”

Section: Domestic Traits In the Asd Phenotypementioning

confidence: 56%

Language Impairments in ASD Resulting from a Failed Domestication of the Human Brain

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders entailing social and cognitive deficits, including marked problems with language. Numerous genes have been associated with ASD, but it is unclear how language deficits arise from gene mutation or dysregulation. It is also unclear why ASD shows such high prevalence within human populations. Interestingly, the emergence of a modern faculty of language has been hypothesized to be linked to changes in the human brain/skull, but also to the process of self-domestication of the human species. It is our intention to show that people with ASD exhibit less marked domesticated traits at the morphological, physiological, and behavioral levels. We also discuss many ASD candidates represented among the genes known to be involved in the “domestication syndrome” (the constellation of traits exhibited by domesticated mammals, which seemingly results from the hypofunction of the neural crest) and among the set of genes involved in language function closely connected to them. Moreover, many of these genes show altered expression profiles in the brain of autists. In addition, some candidates for domestication and language-readiness show the same expression profile in people with ASD and chimps in different brain areas involved in language processing. Similarities regarding the brain oscillatory behavior of these areas can be expected too. We conclude that ASD may represent an abnormal ontogenetic itinerary for the human faculty of language resulting in part from changes in genes important for the “domestication syndrome” and, ultimately, from the normal functioning of the neural crest.

show abstract

Section: Domestic Traits In the Asd Phenotypementioning

confidence: 56%

Language Impairments in ASD Resulting from a Failed Domestication of the Human Brain

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Ruta et al [8] reported increased androstenedione levels in adults with ASD. El-Baz et al [33] also demonstrated the correlation between the increased androgens and the severity of the disease in children with ASD. In our study, whose results are consistent with the previous study findings, we examined the adrenal and gonadal androgens in children with ASD and ADHD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Hormone disorder and vitamin deficiency in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)

Bala

Doğan

Kaba

et al. 2016

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Some findings indicate that adult persons with autism, perhaps especially women, have excessive androgen levels (e.g., Geier and Geier, 2007; Ruta et al, 2011; Schwarz et al, 2011; El-Baz et al, 2014). Yet there are more studies to back the assumption that high prenatal (i.e., intrauterine) androgen levels increase the probability of autism (e.g., Baron-Cohen et al, 2015).…”

Section: Testosterone As a Common Causementioning

confidence: 99%

Power and Autistic Traits

Overskeid

2016

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autistic traits can help people gain and sustain power, and has probably done so throughout history, says the present paper. A number of testable claims follow from this assumption. First, the powerful should have more autistic traits than others – which they do appear to have. Among other things, powerful people, and those with many autistic traits, tend to prefer solitary activities and are often aloof. Moreover, they are often rigid and socially insensitive, low on empathy and with low scores on the trait of agreeableness – and as a rule they do not have many friends. Both groups are also more self-centered than others, more honest, less submissive, more sensitive to slights, and with a stronger tendency to engage in abstract thinking. They tend to behave in bossy or dominant ways, and their moral judgment is more based on rules than on feelings. In addition to experimental evidence, I cite biographies showing that a surprising number of presidents, prime ministers and other powerful people seem to have had traits like those in question – and interestingly, in animals, leaders are often rigid and insensitive to group members’ needs and feelings, mostly acting the way they are themselves inclined to, not responding much to others. Problem solving is important in leadership, and people with many autistic traits appear often to be better thinkers than typical subjects with similar IQs. However, these and other congruities could be coincidences. Hence the question of whether traits the two groups have in common also have a common cause constitutes a strong test of the paper’s thesis – and a common cause does appear to exist, in the form of testosterone’s effects on the central nervous system. Finally, there is evidence that, other things equal, powerful men have more reproductive success than others. If men wielding power do indeed have more autistic traits than those less powerful, this will lead to, other things equal, such traits becoming more common – which can help explain the prevalence of autistic traits.

show abstract

Hyperandrogenemia in male autistic children and adolescents: relation to disease severity

Abstract: Hyperandrogenemia is prevalent in autistic patients and increases with autistic severity. Thus, androgen levels should be assessed in autistic patients with signs of early puberty. Further studies are warranted regarding trials of anti-androgen therapy in such patients.

Cited by 27 publications

References 12 publications

Language Impairments in ASD Resulting from a Failed Domestication of the Human Brain

Language Impairments in ASD Resulting from a Failed Domestication of the Human Brain

Hormone disorder and vitamin deficiency in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)

Power and Autistic Traits

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About