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Differences in finger length ratio between males with autism, pervasive developmental disorder‐ not otherwise specified, ADHD, and anxiety disorders
Author(s) -
De Esther I,
Verheij Fop,
MA; T Wiegman,
Ferdinand Robert F
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2006.tb01266.x
Subject(s) - autism , asperger syndrome , digit ratio , anxiety , etiology , psychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , population , psychiatry , pervasive developmental disorder , clinical psychology , autism spectrum disorder , testosterone (patch) , medicine , pediatrics , environmental health
Children with autism have a relatively shorter index finger (2D) compared with their ring finger (4D). It is often presumed that the 2D:4D ratio is associated with fetal testosterone levels and that high fetal testosterone levels could play a role in the aetiology of autism. It is unknown whether this effect is specific to autism. In this study, 2D:4D ratios of 144 males aged 6 to 14 years (mean age 9y 1mo [SD 1y 11mo]) with psychiatric disorders were compared with those of 96 males aged 6 to 13 years from the general population (mean age 9y 1mo [SD 1y 10mo]). Psychiatric disorders were divided into autism/Asperger syndrome ( n =24), pervasive developmental disorder‐not otherwise specified (PDD‐NOS; n =26), attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)/oppositional defiant disorder (ODD; n =68), and anxiety disorders ( n =26). Males with autism/Asperger syndrome ( p <0.05) and ADHD/ODD ( p <0.05) had significantly lower (though not significantly; p =0.52) ratios than males with an anxiety disorder, and males with autism/Asperger syndrome had lower ratios than those in the comparison group. These results indicated that higher fetal testosterone levels may play a role, not only in the origin of autism, but also in the aetiology of PDD‐NOS and of ADHD/ODD. Males with anxiety disorders might have been exposed to lower prenatal testosterone levels.