title: Prenatal testosterone of progenitors could be involved in the etiology of both anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorders of their offspring.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High intrauterine testosterone (T) levels seem to play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but their role in anorexia nervosa (AN) is controversial. Parents with masculinized 2D:4D ratios, a marker of the organizational effects of T, may have other relevant biological characteristics, in particular exposing their offspring to high T levels in the prenatal environment. This would increase the likelihood of their offspring developing these disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study examined whether parents of offspring with AN (n=34; mean age= 51) and ASD (n=36; mean age=45) differ from control parents (n=40; mean age=43) in 2D:4D ratio, as well as by salivary T levels and its relationships.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results revealed that AN and ASD parents (fathers and mothers) have masculinized 2D:4D ratios of the right hand compared to control parents. However, the difference compared to controls was larger in the ASD than the AN group. Furthermore, current salivary T levels were negatively related to the 2D:4D ratio in ASD and AN parents only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data partially support the view of high prenatal masculinization as a potential intermediate phenotype to the development of these disorders in their offspring.
authors.affiliation: Psychobiology Department, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romero-Martínez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moya-Albiol
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone