The excess testosterone theory

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I understand there's a theory that excess testosterone causes autism. Though I'm no research biologist, as a 47,XXY 'male', I find that this journal article, Two Boys with 47, XXY and Autism seems to conflict with that theory, as those of us with 47,XXY produce very little testosterone of our own.

i think the theory relates specifically to foetal testosterone levels?

But fetal testosterone comes from the mother(who is female and can have female children, so that doesn't have that much potential), and the fetus. I just read up on this, and there IS little testosterone as an xxy adult. I don't know about as a baby, but I doubt it would be that high. From what I understand, a newborn boy has testicles that have been pushed pretty hard. Primarily because thee mother produces a hormone that triggers it.

The article DID say XXY males have more gonadotrophin. I would think that is because the gonadotrophin never acheives its goal, and so it continues. If that is the case, the excess probably starts around 8yo.

millie is correct

but please do not get this wrong: 'extreme male brain'
is about the worst possible choice of label for the theory
- and another one to guarantee misinterpretation

basically it states HIGH T during development as a fetus;
(autism is an 'immaturement' of the brain)

(the under-development would be perfectly 'translatable'
in terms of an insufficiency in the SYSTEM of mirror-neurons,
specifically in the underdevelopment of 'super-mirror-neurons')

after birth - i seem to find ambiguously formulated statements;
and i believe the tendency would be LOW T post birth
-
which at least fits with my experience as an

extremelyNON-EXTREME MALEwithEXTREMEMALEBRAIN/[email protected]

I have a gut feeling that this theory is at least partially right.

I have an extremely "male" (or systhemising) brain, I'm not very feminine built, I have the digit ratio typical to ASD people. I'm not androgynous or anything, don't grow mustache (thank god! lol) etc but I always got along much better with guys and most NT females are like aliens to me.

Hmmmm.....I wonder how I appear to others...

I don't know if testosterone has too much to do with the way a female brain works?

Then again maybe but I've always had trouble distinquishing between biology and social and cultural construct. Maybe that explains why I have a hard time relating to females?

I have trouble believing all scientific studies when they are only based on theories. But this only due to the fact that many females go undiagnosed. I wasn't diagnosed until I was an adult only being that my psychologist knew about aspergers by luck. From there on, my whole family believed I had it and I was finally diagnosed.

She is right to the degree of what she SAID! The implication she made, as I indicated, may be wrong! The baby's genitalia DO play a part EVEN in the uterus. From what I have heard, the baby develops the basic glands/organs, the mothers body sends out some hormone that basically like shuts things on(almost like puberty, but for a briefer time), and the BABY takes it from there. EVEN when the male baby is past that first stage, it looks FEMALE! And SOME males are conceived with a resistance to testosterone. They grow up having testicles, but look fully FEMALE! I don't know if females even have such a phase, as that IS the default, but males definitely do. Iff XXY affected the development of the testis even in the womb, it would limit testosterone even prior to birth.

you sound like some kind of freaky younger "twin" of mine.

If we had immature brains, wouldn't we be particularly good at language-learning?

I always thought the excess testosterone theory must be BS based on fraternal twins only having a 20% chance of both having autism (whereas with identical twins, it's 90%). Gee... that sounds like it must be based on the genetic implications.

As far as finger length goes, my mother has the digit length associated with autism. She's the most NT creature I've ever met in my life. I also have that digit length. Makes me wonder if THAT is also genetic. Hmmmmm....

Incidentally, the statistics I used are statistics I got from the book, The Essential Difference. Neat, huh?

What is the association between finger length and autism? I had never heard of such a thing.

Supposedly, if your ring finger is longer than your index finger it means you're on the spectrum.

I've also heard that one used to suggest that a woman with a ring finger longer than her index finger is a lesbian.

The thing about me is that it's only true on my right hand. On my left hand, they're the same length.

I'd heard that ring finger longer than index meant the person was homosexual.

My index fingers are longer than my ring fingers.

Sounds like a theory some radical feminist would come up with.

Hmm. Well, I found something about prenatal exposure to testosterone promoting the development of the right-hemisphere and increase the incidence of sinistrality. From a wikipedia article on digit ratio. (My ring fingers are markedly longer than my index fingers) I'm left handed too, and a visual thinker. So I guess I just didn't pay enough attention in biology class.