title: Sex hormone testosterone affects language organization in the infant brain.
abstract: Using a phonological discrimination paradigm, we show that the brain responses of 4-week-old infants systematically vary as a function of biological sex and testosterone level. Females who are generally low on testosterone demonstrated a clear phonological discrimination effect with a bilateral distribution. In male infants this effect systematically varied as a function of testosterone level. Males with high testosterone showed no discrimination effect, whereas males with low testosterone displayed a discrimination effect, which was clearly left-lateralized. The present data provide evidence for a strong influence of testosterone on language function and lateralization already present during the first weeks of life.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. angelafr@cbs.mpg.de
authors.forename: Angela D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Friederici
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pannekamp
authors.forename: Carl-Joachim
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Partsch
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ulmen
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oehler
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmutzler
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hesse
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone