The association between autistic traits and serum testosterone, oxytocin, and androstenedione levels in prepubertal male drug naive children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Background Children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might have similar problems as in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and show impairment in social behaviour. Also, there is a relationship between social relationship skills and ToM (theory of mind) skills of children with ADHD. B...
Saved in:
| Published in: | International journal of developmental neuroscience Vol. 83; no. 1; pp. 98 - 107 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
United States
01-02-2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Background
Children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might have similar problems as in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and show impairment in social behaviour. Also, there is a relationship between social relationship skills and ToM (theory of mind) skills of children with ADHD. Besides, ASD is associated with prenatal exposure to high levels of androgens, and oxytocin plays a role in the modulation of emotions, coping with stress, and social behaviour like ASD. In this study, the relationship between autistic traits and serum oxytocin, testosterone, and androstenedione levels in prepubertal male drug naive children with ADHD has been investigated.
Method
Eighty‐three prepubertal children, who were diagnosed with ADHD between the ages of 6–10 years old, are included in the study. For the study, intelligence levels were evaluated by using WISC‐4, and autistic traits were measured by using both social responsiveness scale and theory of mind tests. In addition, serum oxytocin, testosterone, and androstenedione levels were measured by using ELISA.
Results
It has been found that serum testosterone levels of patients with lower autistic traits are significantly lower than those with moderate and severe autistic traits, while the serum oxytocin levels are significantly higher. Also, patients with severe autistic traits have had significantly higher serum androstenedione levels than those with lower and moderate autistic traits.
Conclusion
This study suggests that patients who have higher autistic traits have elevated testosterone and androstenedione levels and lower serum oxytocin levels. Further studies are needed to clarify this relationship.
Children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might have similar problems as in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and show impairment in social behaviour. ASD is associated with prenatal exposure to high levels of androgens, and oxytocin plays a role in the modulation of emotions, coping with stress, and social behaviour like ASD. This study suggests that patients who have higher autistic traits have elevated testosterone and androstenedione levels and lower serum oxytocin levels. Further studies are needed to clarify this relationship. |
|---|---|
| Bibliography: | This research did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not‐for‐profit sectors. Funding Information ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0736-5748 1873-474X |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jdn.10241 |