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Prenatal Testosterone in Mind: Amniotic Fluid Studies
Simon Baron-Cohen, Svetlana Lutchmaya, Rebecca Knickmeyer

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 foetal 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 foetal level of testosterone (which is present in foetuses of both sexes, although in different quantities) to behaviour at ages 1, 2 and 4 years. They argue that the amniotic fluid provides a window into the child's past - a chemical record of that child's time in the womb - that allows informed prediction about the child's future brain, mind, and behaviour.

2004
Bradford Book
Hardcover: 144 pages
ISBN: 0262025639

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