On the elusive nature of sex differences in cognition: hormonal influences contributing to within-sex variation

Archives of Sexual Behavior
Geoff SandersMarianne de Chastelaine

Abstract

We argue that within-sex variation resulting from the prenatal organizational and adult activational effects of gonadal steroid hormones has the potential to obscure between sex differences in cognitive performance and functional cerebral asymmetry. Two putative markers for prenatal testosterone, finger ridge count (FRC) asymmetry and the 2D:4D finger length ratio, have been linked to within-sex variation in cognitive performance. In particular, FRC allows the identification of men and women who show a reversal of the typical sex-related pattern of task performance. Three paradigms for the study of activational effects--seasonal, menstrual, and diurnal hormonal cycles--have evaluated changes in task performance and functional cerebral asymmetry. The performance of sex-dimorphic, but not sex-neutral, tasks changes with estrogen across the menstrual cycle and with testosterone across its seasonal and diurnal cycles. Functional cerebral asymmetry also changes systematically across both the menstrual cycle and the diurnal testosterone cycle in such a way that suggests left hemisphere performance increases as testosterone levels decline whereas right hemisphere performance increases as estrogen levels decline. In studies of sex diff...Continue Reading

Citations

Apr 18, 2003·Endocrine Reviews·Barbara B Sherwin
Dec 14, 2007·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Elizabeth HampsonChristine M Tenk
Mar 11, 2015·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Matteo M Galizzi, Jeroen Nieboer
Dec 3, 2010·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Geoff Sanders, Kamila Sinclair
Jul 2, 2008·Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics·Miranda A FarageAllan B MacLean
Apr 7, 2011·Perceptual and Motor Skills·Geoff Sanders
Nov 24, 2012·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Klara MareckováUNKNOWN IMAGEN Consortium
Mar 5, 2016·Laterality·Marietta Papadatou-PastouChristine Mohr
Apr 27, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Flávia L OsórioRocio Martín-Santos
Mar 24, 2004·Perception·William A PhillipsP Daniel Berry
Apr 18, 2013·PloS One·Pablo Brañas-GarzaLevent Neyse
Aug 28, 2009·Psychological Reports·Martin Voracek, Lisa Mariella Loibl
Dec 15, 2005·Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior·Geoff SandersJohn Manning
Mar 17, 2010·Hormones and Behavior·David A PutsS Marc Breedlove
Feb 22, 2012·Medical Hypotheses·Elizabeth E Van VoorheesScott H Kollins

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