Markers of Prenatal Androgen Exposure Correlate With Online Sexual Compulsivity and Erectile Function in Young Men

Buchholz, Verena N.; Mühle, Christiane; Kornhuber, Johannes; Lenz, Bernd

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.517411

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Similar to animal studies, the effect of high prenatal T concentration on the increased risk for anxiety-like behavior in females, but not in male offspring (21, 73, 74) was observed in humans (103,104). In one recent study, daughters of mothers with PCOS had a 78% risk increase of anxiety disorders compared to daughters of mothers without PCOS, whereas no significant increase in risk was observed in sons (103).…”

Section: Clinical Researchmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…In one recent study, daughters of mothers with PCOS had a 78% risk increase of anxiety disorders compared to daughters of mothers without PCOS, whereas no significant increase in risk was observed in sons (103). In men, a low 2D:4D ratio was significantly associated with higher trait sociability, bigger personal social capital, and a larger personal social network size rather than social anxiety disorders (104). Together, these data support a sex-dependent effect of high prenatal T exposure, which increases the risk for anxiety disorders, particularly in adult women.…”

Section: Clinical Researchmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders

et al. 2022

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Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mood disorders that can lead to impaired quality of life. Current treatment of anxiety disorders has various adverse effects, safety concerns, or restricted efficacy; therefore, novel therapeutic targets need to be studied. Sex steroid hormones (SSHs) play a crucial role in the formation of brain structures, including regions of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex during perinatal development. In the brain, SSHs have activational and organizational effects mediated by either intracellular or transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors. During perinatal developmental periods, the physiological concentrations of SSHs lead to the normal development of the brain; however, the early hormonal dysregulation could result in various anxiety diorders later in life. Sex differences in the prevalence of anxiety disorders suggest that SSHs might be implicated in their development. In this review, we discuss preclinical and clinical studies regarding the role of dysregulated SSHs signaling during early brain development that modifies the risk for anxiety disorders in a sex-specific manner in adulthood. Moreover, our aim is to summarize potential molecular mechanisms by which the SSHs may affect anxiety disorders in preclinical research. Finally, the potential effects of SSHs in the treatment of anxiety disorders are discussed.

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Section: Clinical Researchmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Clinical Researchmentioning

confidence: 94%

Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders

et al. 2022

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“…Reduced volumes of the ACC are also involved in deficits of impulse control and cognition of patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ 70 ]. Furthermore, lower 2D:4D (with the here identified link to frontal brain volumes) has been related to addictions [ 14 , 45 , 71 , 72 ], attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ 13 ], overactive [ 8 ] and externalizing symptoms [ 56 ], aggression [ 4 – 6 ], and suicide [ 17 , 57 , 73 ] in males, but not in females. Altogether, these different pieces of evidence might indicate that in males prenatal androgenization organizes frontal brain control regions with lasting reduced behavioral control capacity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-specific association between prenatal androgenization (second-to-fourth digit length ratio) and frontal brain volumes in adolescents

Lenz

Gerhardt

Boroumand-Jazi

et al. 2022

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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Prenatal androgenization associates sex-dependently with behavior and mental health in adolescence and adulthood, including risk-taking, emotionality, substance use, and depression. However, still little is known on how it affects underlying neural correlates, like frontal brain control regions. Thus, we tested whether prenatal androgen load is sex-dependently related to frontal cortex volumes in a sex-balanced adolescent sample. In a cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined 61 adolescents (28 males, 33 females; aged 14 or 16 years) and analyzed associations of frontal brain region volumes with the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D), an established marker for prenatal androgenization, using voxel-based morphometry in a region-of-interest approach. Lower 2D:4D (indicative of higher prenatal androgen load) correlated significantly with smaller volumes of the right anterior cingulate cortex (r-ACC; β = 0.45) in male adolescents and with larger volumes of the left inferior frontal gyrus orbital part (l-IFGorb; β = – 0.38) in female adolescents. The regression slopes of 2D:4D on the r-ACC also differed significantly between males and females. The study provides novel evidence that prenatal androgenization may influence the development of the frontal brain in a sex- and frontal brain region-specific manner. These effects might contribute to the well-known sex differences in risk-taking, emotionality, substance use, and depression. Future research is needed to elucidate the role of prenatal androgenization within the biopsychosocial model.

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“…This assumption relies among others on evidence linking 2D:4D with medical conditions that affect endocrinological pathways (e.g., congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) [ 28 ], Klinefelter syndrome [ 29 , 30 ] and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) [ 31 ]) or with amniotic testosterone, i.e., actual hormone levels during the prenatal period [ 22 , 24 , 32 ]. A lower 2D:4D associates, for example, with addictive disorders [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], autism spectrum disorders [ 39 , 40 ] and sexual orientation or identity [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Is Not Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease in the Elderly

Siegmann,

Olm,

Lenz

et al. 2023

Brain Sciences

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The development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is influenced by sex hormones—estrogens and androgens in particular. However, the impact of prenatal sex hormone exposure is less clear; very few investigations have examined the relationship between the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D), a putative proxy for the ratio of prenatal estrogens to androgens, and AD, with inconsistent results among the few that have. Therefore, we aimed to investigate this relationship using methodologically robust metrics. In a 2 (sex) × 4 (group) MANOVA incorporating 108 participants (30 AD patients, 19 patients with tauopathy but no amyloidopathy, 31 clinical and 28 healthy age- and education-matched controls), the effects of sex and group on the dependent variables right and left 2D:4D were examined. We also explored the association between 2D:4D and the severity of AD symptoms assessed via neuropsychological examination. We did not find any significant differences in the right- and left-hand 2D:4D between patients with AD and the other groups; no significant associations between 2D:4D and neuropsychological task performances were found in the dementia groups. The 2D:4D of healthy women was significantly lower than that of depressed women without AD, i.e., clinical controls, but not significantly different from depressed female patients with AD. This investigation does not support the role of 2D:4D in the development or severity of AD in general, but suggests a potential role of 2D:4D for depression in women. Future studies are warranted to clarify whether 2D:4D can distinguish between early- and late-onset depression in women.

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Markers of Prenatal Androgen Exposure Correlate With Online Sexual Compulsivity and Erectile Function in Young Men

Cited by 6 publications

References 76 publications

Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders

Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders

Sex-specific association between prenatal androgenization (second-to-fourth digit length ratio) and frontal brain volumes in adolescents

Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Is Not Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease in the Elderly

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