The development of sex differences in digital formula from infancy in the Fels Longitudinal Study
Relative finger lengths, especially the second-to-fourth finger length ratio, have been proposed as useful markers for prenatal testosterone action. This claim partly depends on an association of relative finger lengths in adults with related sex differences in children and infants. This paper repor...
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Published in | Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Vol. 272; no. 1571; pp. 1473 - 1479 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
The Royal Society
22.07.2005
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Relative finger lengths, especially the second-to-fourth finger length ratio, have been proposed as useful markers for prenatal testosterone action. This claim partly depends on an association of relative finger lengths in adults with related sex differences in children and infants. This paper reports the results of a study using serial radiographs to test for both sex differences in the fingers of infants and children and for a relationship between sex differences in the children and infant finger and adult finger length ratios. This is the first study using long-term serial data to evaluate the validity of finger length ratios as markers. We found not only that sex differences in finger length ratios arise prior to puberty, but that sex differences in the fingers of children are highly correlated with adult finger length ratios. Our results strongly encourage the further use of finger length ratios as markers of perinatal testosterone action. |
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Bibliography: | href:1473.pdf istex:9428DB53F1F24636F4D8FBCFFF5CF196328CA62E ark:/67375/V84-LDQHNXZB-W ArticleID:rspb20053100 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0962-8452 1471-2954 |
DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2005.3100 |