Prenatal versus postnatal sex steroid hormone effects on autistic traits in children at 18 to 24 months of age

Abstract

BackgroundStudies of prenatal exposure to sex steroid hormones predict autistic traits in children at 18 to 24 and at 96 months of age. However, it is not known whether postnatal exposure to these hormones has a similar effect. This study compares prenatal and postnatal sex steroid hormone levels in relation to autistic traits in 18 to 24-month-old children.Fetal testosterone (fT) and fetal estradiol (fE) levels were measured in amniotic fluid from pregnant women (n = 35) following routine second-trimester amniocentesis. Saliva samples were collected from these children when they reached three to four months of age and were analyzed for postnatal testosterone (pT) levels. Mothers were asked to complete the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT), a measure of autistic traits in children 18 to 24 months old.FindingfT (but not pT) levels were positively associated with scores on the Q-CHAT. fE and pT levels showed no sex differences and no relationships with fT levels. fT levels were the only variable that predicted Q-CHAT scores.ConclusionsThese preliminary findings are consistent with the hypothesis that prenatal (but not postnatal) androgen exposure, coinciding with the critical period for sexual differentiation of the brain, is associated with the development of autistic traits in 18 to 24 month old toddlers. However, it is recognized that further work with a larger sample population is needed before the effects of postnatal androgen exposure on autistic traits can be ruled out. These results are also in line with the fetal androgen theory of autism, which suggests that prenatal, organizational effects of androgen hormones influence the development of autistic traits in later life.

Sex differences in autism: a resting-state fMRI investigation of functional brain connectivity in males and females

“…Overall, it can be hypothesized that distinct biological/endocrine mechanisms may drive the altered sexual differentiation in ASD. Findings of correlations between sex steroid levels such as fetal testosterone and measures of autistic traits, empathy and the quality of social relationships support this view (Knickmeyer et al, 2005Chapman et al, 2006;Auyeung et al, 2009Auyeung et al, , 2012. Also recent neurophysiological data suggested that fetal testosterone can act as an organizing mechanism for the development of sexual dimorphisms in the brain by showing that increased fetal testosterone levels predisposes the differentiating brain to a hypermasculine profile (Lombardo et al, 2012).…”

Postnatal testosterone may be an important mediator of the association between prematurity and male neurodevelopmental disorders: a hypothesis

“…The extreme male brain theory of autism (15) posits that autism is a manifestation of extreme male characteristics, which has prompted interest in investigating the effects of prenatal and postnatal testosterone on the ASDs (69). It appears that in term males, prenatal but not postnatal testoster one levels were significantly associated with ASD behav iors (70).…”

Do Children With Gender Dysphoria Have Intense/Obsessional Interests?

“…In females, a link between GD and ASD may simply reflect a general pattern of neurodevelopmental masculinization. ASD is more prevalent in males (for review, see Werling & Geschwind, 2013) and elevated prenatal exposure to testosterone is associated with increased traits of ASD, in both sexes, at 18 to 24 months of age (Auyeung et al, 2013) as well as during adolescence and adulthood in females (Knickmeyer et al, 2006).…”