Digit ratio (2D:4D) and behavioral symptoms in primary-school aged boys

作者：Eichler Anna^*; Heinrich Hartmut; Moll Gunther H; Beckmann Matthias W; Goecke Tamme W; Fasching Peter A; Muschler Marcel Rene; Bouna Pyrrou Polyxeni; Lenz Bernd; Kornhuber Johannes

来源：Early Human Development, 2018, 119: 1-7.

DOI：10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2018.02.012

• 2D:4D
• Digit length ratio
• Prenatal hormone exposure
• Androgen effects
• Conduct disorder
• Behavioral symptoms

The second-to-forth digit length ratio (2D:4D) is considered to be a biomarker for intrauterine androgen levels. It is associated with adult and child mental health problems, primarily with behavioral symptoms and predominantly In males. Using a cross-sectional design, we examined whether 2D:4D was associated with conduct disorder (CD) symptoms in 138 primary-school aged children (54% boys, M-age = 7.70 years) and considered child sex as a moderating factor. Children's digit lengths were measured from hand scans and mothers rated the behavioral/emotional symptoms of their child. The regression analyses revealed that 2D:4D ratios were associated with behavioral symptoms in boys (beta = - 0.260, p = 0.026), but not in girls (beta = - 0.040, p = 0.762). Child emotional symptoms, analyzed as a control, were not significantly correlated with 2D:4D. In conclusion, prenatal brain hyperandrogenization - operationalized by the 2D:4D biomarker - could result in behavioral symptoms in boys at early school age, reflecting one predictor for early onset CD. Our data support the use of 2D:4D as a marker of prenatal androgen exposure.

• 出版日期2018-4