Hormonal Influences on Neural/Behavioral Development

描述(申请人提供)：雄激素对人类神经行为发育的影响将通过研究先天性肾上腺增生症(CAH：一种常染色体隐性遗传病，导致产前开始肾上腺雄激素分泌增加)的个体的心理结果，以及通过与产前正常变异性相关来评估。 荷尔蒙环境对出生后行为的影响。128名患有CAH(4-10岁)的儿童将在性别认同、性别恒定性、获得性别角色行为所涉及的社会/认知过程以及性别典型玩具、活动和玩伴偏好方面与128名相同年龄段的未受影响的亲属和128名人口统计匹配的对照组进行比较。对于来自普通人群的另外171名参与者(没有CAH)， 羊水中的睾酮与4 1/2岁、5 1/2岁和6 1/2岁的出生后行为有关。对这些儿童的评估将使用与 研究患有CAH的个体。数据将通过观察、访谈和问卷调查的方式收集，并将采用横断面和纵向方法。有待检验的假设包括：1.患有CAH的女孩女性性别认同感降低或患性别认同障碍的风险增加；2.高水平的雄激素促进男性典型的行为发育 性别角色行为的个体差异通过性别认同的改变或与性别认同相关的社会/认知过程的改变来调节；4.CAH女孩的性别认同的改变随着年龄的增长而减少。这项研究将增加关于雄激素在人类行为发展中的作用的基础知识，并将澄清动物模型与人类的相关性，在动物模型中，性腺激素已被发现影响神经发育和生存的基本过程。此外，这项研究还 将提供患有CAH的个体的性心理结果的信息，这些信息也应该被证明与其他双性条件相关，以及与胎儿的其他情况相关 暴露于改变荷尔蒙的物质(例如，“生育”或避孕药、酒精、可卡因、压力、环境毒素)。最后，本研究将进一步对激素和社会/认知过程在儿童获得性别角色行为中的作用进行基础性的科学理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Influences of androgen on human neural-behavioral development will be evaluated by studying psychological outcomes in individuals with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH: an autosomal recessive disorder causing increased adrenal androgen production beginning prenatally), as well as by relating normal variability in the prenatal hormone environment to postnatal behavior. 128 children with CAH (4-10 years) will be compared to 128 of their unaffected relatives in the same age range and to 128 demographically matched controls in regard to gender identity, gender constancy, social/cognitive processes involved in the acqusition of gender role behavior, and sex-typical toy, activity and playmate preferences. For 171 additional participants from the general population (who do not have CAH), testosterone in amniotic fluid will be related to postnatal behavior at the ages of 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 6 1/2 years. Assessments of these children will be conducted using the same measures used to study individuals with CAH. Data will be collected by observation, interview and questionnaire, and cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches will be used. Hypotheses to be tested include: 1. Girls with CAH experience reduced feminine gender identity or are at increased risk for gender identity disorder; 2. High levels of androgen promote male-typical behavioral development in normal as well as abnormal situations; 3. Individual differences in gender role behavior are mediated by alterations in gender identity or in social/cognitive processes related to gender identity; 4. Alterations in gender identity in girls with CAH diminsh with age. The research will add to basic knowledge about the role of androgens in the development of human behavior, and will clarify the relevance to humans of animal models, where gonadal hormones have been found to influence basic processes of neural development and survival. In addition, the research will provide information on psychosexual outcomes in individuals with CAH, information which should prove relevant to other intersex conditions as well, and to other situations where fetuses are exposed to hormone-altering substances (e.g., "fertility" or contraceptive drugs, alcohol, cocaine, stress, environmental toxins). Finally, the research will further basic scientific understanding of the roles of hormones and social/cognitive processes in childrens acquisition of gender role behavior.