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Nguyen TV, Jutras B, Monnier P, Muckle G, Velez M, Arbuckle TE, Saint-Amour D. Prenatal masculinization of the auditory system in infants: The MIREC-ID study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 104:33-41. [PMID: 30784903 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in inner-ear function are detectable in infants, notably through the measurement of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). Prevailing theories posit that prenatal exposure to high levels of androgens in boys may weaken OAEs, and that this phenomenon may predominantly affect the right ear/left hemisphere (Geschwind-Galaburda (GG) hypothesis). Yet, actual tests of these models have been difficult to implement in humans. Here we examined the relationship between markers of fetal androgen exposure collected at birth (anogenital distances (AGD); penile length/width, areolar/scrotal/vulvar pigmentation) and at 6 months of age (2nd to 4th digit ratio (2D:4D)) with two types of OAEs, click-evoked OAEs (CEOAEs) and distortion-product OAEs (DPOAEs) (n = 49; 25 boys; 24 girls). We found that, in boys, scrotal pigmentation was inversely associated with the amplitude and reproducibility of CEOAEs in the right ear at 4 kHz, with trends also present in the same ear for mean CEOAE amplitude and CEOAE amplitude at 2 kHz. Penile length was inversely associated with the mean amplitude of DPOAEs in both the right and left ears, as well as with DPOAE amplitude in the right ear at 2 kHz and the reproducibility of CEOAEs in the left ear at 2.8 kHz. Finally, AGD-scrotum in boys was positively associated in boys with the amplitude of DPOAEs in the left ear at 2.8 kHz. Unexpectedly, there were no sex differences in the amplitude or reproducibility of OAEs, nor, in girls, any associations between androgenic markers and auditory function. Nonetheless, these findings, reported for the first time in a sample of human infants, support both the prenatal-androgen-exposure and GG models as explanations for the masculinization of auditory function in male infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuong-Vi Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology McGill University, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre [RI-MUHC), Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Benoît Jutras
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; School of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Patricia Monnier
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology McGill University, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre [RI-MUHC), Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada
| | - Gina Muckle
- School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec CHU Research Centre, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Maria Velez
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tye E Arbuckle
- Population Studies Division, Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa Canada
| | - Dave Saint-Amour
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
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Androgenic and estrogenic indices in human newborns and infants: the MIREC-ID study. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2019; 10:578-586. [PMID: 30898182 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174419000059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal sex steroid exposure plays an important role in determining child development. Yet, measurement of prenatal hormonal exposure has been limited by the paucity of newborn/infant data and the invasiveness of fetal hormonal sampling. Here we provide descriptive data from the MIREC-ID study (n=173 girls; 162 boys) on a range of minimally invasive physical indices thought to reflect prenatal exposure to androgens [anogenital distances (AGDs); penile length/width, scrotal/vulvar pigmentation], to estrogens [vaginal maturation index (VMI) - the degree of maturation of vaginal wall cells] or to both androgens/estrogens [2nd-to-4th digit ratio (2D:4D); areolar pigmentation, triceps/sub-scapular skinfold thickness, arm circumference]. VMI was found to be associated with triceps skinfold thickness (β=0.265, P=0.005), suggesting that this marker may be sensitive to estrogen levels produced by adipose tissue in girls. Both estrogenic and androgenic markers (VMI: β=0.338, P=0.031; 2D:4D - right: β=-0.207, P=0.040; left: β=-0.276, P=0.006; AGD-fourchette - β=0.253, P=0.036) were associated with areolar pigmentation in girls, supporting a role for the latter as an index of both androgen and estrogen exposure. We also found AGD-penis (distance from the anus to the penis) to be associated with scrotal pigmentation (β=0.290, P=0.048), as well as right arm circumference (β=0.462, P<0.0001), supporting the notion that these indices may be used together as markers of androgen exposure in boys. In sum, these findings support the use of several physical indices at birth to convey a more comprehensive picture of prenatal exposure to sex hormones.
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Ali A, Berens P, Siddiqui G, Ali V. Nipple and Areolar Hyperpigmentation Secondary to the Use of Estradiol Spray on the Ipsilateral Forearm Skin: A Report of Two Cases. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2012; 21:363-5. [DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2011.2959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Asra Ali
- University of Texas Medical School-Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Pamela Berens
- University of Texas Medical School-Houston, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Vaseem Ali
- University of Texas Medical School-Houston, Houston, Texas
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