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SUMMARY:The foetal androgen theory of neural sex differences and autism - 
 Prof Simon Baron-Cohen
DTSTART:20080418T093000Z
DTEND:20080418T100000Z
UID:TALK11695@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Hannah Critchlow
DESCRIPTION:Autism (a condition leading to social and communication diffic
 ulties) affects males much more often than females. The explanation for th
 is must either lie in diagnostic practice\, hormones\, or genetics\, or a 
 mix of all three. In this paper I summarize work from our lab investigatin
 g the role of foetal testosterone (FT) in post-natal typical behavioural s
 ex differences (e.g.\, in social and communication development)\, and in t
 he development of autistic traits. The study uses amniocentesis\, the timi
 ng of which coincides with the surge in FT production\, and is a longitudi
 nal follow-up. Whilst this methodology does not rule out the role of genes
 \, it suggests FT is a key factor underlying some key sex differences in t
 he mind and brain\, and may be related to the number of autistic traits an
  individual has. Converging evidence for the link between testosterone and
  autistic traits comes from two other sources: rare medical conditions whe
 re FT is elevated (such as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia) and the timing 
 of puberty in autism (which is under the influence of androgens). The disc
 ussion ties these different lines of evidence together\, and considers how
  FT has its effects in the developing brain. 
LOCATION:Physiology Lecture Theatre
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