Effects of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) on hemispheric laterality and spatial ability in human males.
Ten males exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a nonsteroidal synthetic estrogen, during gestation were compared to their matched, unexposed brothers on measures of brain hemispheric specialization for processing nonlinguistic spatial information and cognitive abilities. DES exposure was associated with reduced hemispheric laterality and lowered spatial ability. These data provide direct evidence of a relationship between brain laterality, spatial cognitive ability, and prenatal exposure to hormones in human males. Further, the implications of these findings for understanding sexual differentiation of the human brain are discussed.
Reinisch
J M
JM
Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
Sanders
S A
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001076:Aptitude / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D002648:Child; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D013236:Stereognosis / Q000187:drug effects
D004054:Diethylstilbestrol