Sex and gender matter in all aspects of life. Humans exhibit sexual dimorphism in anatomy, physiology, but also pathology. Many of the differences are due to sex chromosomes and, thus, genetics, other due to endocrine factors such as sex hormones, some are of social origin. Over the past decades, huge number of scientific studies have revealed striking sex differences of the human brain with remarkable behavioral and cognitive consequences. Prenatal and postnatal testosterone influence brain structures and functions, respectively. Cognitive sex differences include especially certain spatial and language tasks, but they also affect many other aspects of the neurotypical brain. Sex differences of the brain are also relevant for the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, which are much more prevalent in the male population. Structural dimorphism in the human brain was well-described, but recent controversies now question its importance. On the other hand, solid evidence exists regarding gender differences in several brain functions. This review tries to summarize the current understanding of the complexity of the effects of testosterone on brain with special focus on their role in the known sex differences in healthy individuals and people in the autism spectrum.
- MeSH
- autistická porucha metabolismus patologie MeSH
- kognice fyziologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mozek účinky léků patologie MeSH
- pohlavní dimorfismus MeSH
- sexuální faktory MeSH
- testosteron metabolismus MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impairments in communication, social interaction, restricted interests and repetitive behavior. The etiology of autism is poorly understood, the evidence indicates that inflammation may play a key role. In autism a high prevalence of gastrointestinal disturbances is reported, that are linked to a low-grade chronic inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is an intranuclear protein that can be passively released from necrotic cells or actively secreted under inflammatory conditions as alarmin or late proinflammatory cytokine. The objective of this study was to measure plasma levels of HMGB1 in individuals with autism and to analyze their association with gastrointestinal symptoms. The study involved 31 subjects with low-functioning autistic disorder aged 2-22 years and 16 healthy controls. Plasma HMGB1 levels were significantly higher in individuals with autism than in controls (13.8+/-11.7 ng/ml vs. 7.90+/-4.0 ng/ml, p<0.02). In subjects with plasma HMGB1 levels higher than 11 ng/ml severe forms of GI disorders were more prevalent (83.3 %) than in subjects with lower levels (38.9 %, p<0.04). Results of the study support the involvement of the systemic low-grade inflammation in the pathomechanisms of autism and its possible association with GI symptoms.
- MeSH
- autistická porucha krev komplikace MeSH
- biologické markery krev MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- gastrointestinální nemoci krev etiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- protein HMGB1 krev MeSH
- studie případů a kontrol MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Publikační typ
- abstrakt z konference MeSH
- Publikační typ
- abstrakt z konference MeSH
- MeSH
- financování organizované MeSH
- Publikační typ
- abstrakty MeSH
Autizmus je pervazívna vývinová porucha s prejavom už v útlom veku, ktorú charakterizuje sociálny deficit, poruchy komunikácie a stereotypné správanie. Ochorenie má veľkú variabilitu príznakov a nejasnú heterogénnu etiológiu. Všeobecne sa však vyskytuje štyrikrát častejšie u osôb mužského pohlavia, čo dáva priestor pre teórie naznačujúce súvislosť autizmu s účinkom testosterónu. Teória hypermužského mozgu u autistov predpokladá poruchu vývinu neurónov s následnou zmenou morfológie mozgových štruktúr a atypický rozvoj mozgových hemisfér s dopadom na autistický fenotyp.
Autism is a complex pervasive developmental disorder with early childhood onset characterized by social deficits, impaired communication and stereotyped behaviour. The disorder has increasing prevalence, enormous variability of symptoms and unknown etiology. Generally the disorder is diagnosed four times more often in boys than in girls and this provokes theories relating autism to testosterone effect. The theory of hypermale brain considers disturbed neurodevelopment with consequent structural brain anomalies and atypical development of brain hemispheres leading to autistic phenotype.
