Fetal testosterone and sex differences.
Experiments in animals leave no doubt that androgens, including testosterone, produced by the testes in fetal and/or neonatal life act on the brain to induce sex differences in neural structure and function. In this article, we argue that prenatal and neonatal testosterone exposure are strong candidates for having a causal role in sexual dimorphism in human behaviour, including social development.
Christine Knickmeyer
Rebecca
R
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, CB #7160, 7023 Neurosciences Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160, USA. rebecca_knickmeyer@med.unc.edu
Baron-Cohen
Simon
S
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*
D013739:Testosterone