High levels of male hormones in the mother’s body may promote the onset of autism in the child, reports the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which includes but is not limited to infantile autism and Asperger’s syndrome, is a broad term that refers to different types of people with autistic traits (usually male). All individuals on the autistic spectrum have severe impairments in social interaction and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive, stereotypical behaviour. The causes of autism are not precisely known, although it is accepted that genetic and environmental factors may contribute to it.
In their search for causes of autism, Dr Michael Lombardo and Prof Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge analysed samples of amniotic fluid (which surrounds the baby in the womb) from over 300 pregnancies (male babies).
As it turned out, in the 128 boys who were diagnosed with autism at a later age, the levels of testosterone and three other steroid hormones in the amniotic fluid were mostly very high. In a control group of 217 boys without autism, the levels of these hormones were much lower.
The study authors point out that their results will not soon lead to the development of tests to determine autism risk. It is also unclear whether blocking the action of the hormones could prevent autism. Both testosterone and the other steroid hormones tested are important in foetal development, so manipulating their levels could do more harm than good. Steroid hormones affect the way instructions in DNA are translated into the language of proteins on which organismal function depends. (PAP)
Source
- https://www.medonet.pl/zdrowie/wiadomosci,autyzm-ma-zwiazek-z-meskimi-hormonami,artykul,1701085.html
