Prenatal Testosterone in Mind

This work presents the effect of prenatal levels of testosterone on development and behaviour upto age 4. This pioneering study looks at the effects of prenatal testosterone on postnatal development and behaviour. Hormonal effects on behaviour have long been studied in animals; the unique contribution of this book is to suggest a connection between human fetal hormones and later behaviour.

It details for the first time testosterone's effect on social and language development, opening a new avenue of research for cognitive neuroscience. The authors look at samples of amniotic fluid taken during amniocentesis at 16 weeks' gestation, and relate the fetal level of testosterone (which is present in fetuses of both sexes, although in different quantities) to behaviour at ages 1, 2, and 4 years. The study suggests that prenatal levels of testosterone affect a range of later behaviour in children, from the inclination to make eye contact with others to the size of the vocabulary.

It also suggests that prenatal testosterone level may be related to the development of typically "masculine" and "feminine" behaviour. The study's ongoing research explores whether fetal testosterone has any link with the risk of developing autism. Connecting endocrinology and psychology, the authors propose that there is a biological component to behaviour often thought to be produced by the social environment.