J Neurosci: Reducing testosterone during adolescence increases the brain's sensitivity to adulthood

February 15, 2021 /--- -- Young people with lower testosterone levels in adolescence become more sensitive to their brains' responses to faces as adults, according to a new study published in Journal of Neuroscience.
hormones such as testosterone have a permanent effect on the brain's organizational structure during prenatal brain development.
but studies have shown that testosterone levels during another developmental period (adolescence) can also have long-term effects on brain function.
(Photo Source: www.pixabay.com) In a recent study, the authors looked at the relationship between testosterone levels in adolescence and the brain's response to the face.
the authors recruited 500 men aged around 19 who took part in a Study of The British Birth Queue, established in 1991-1992.
took blood samples at several points throughout adolescence in this longitudinal study, which the team used to determine testosterone levels.
were asked to watch facial expression videos in fMRI scanners and provide saliva samples on the day of the scan.
for men with the lowest testosterone levels during puberty, high testosterone levels on the day of the fMRI scan were associated with increased brain activity in sensitive areas of the face.
, men with higher testosterone levels did not show increased activity in these brain regions with higher testosterone levels throughout adolescence.
results suggest that individual hormone levels during critical periods of physical development may lead to frequent individual differences in brain responses.
(Bioon.com) Source: Lower testosterone when puberty increases the brain's sensey to it in adulthood Original source: Pubertal Testosterone and Brain Response To Faces in Adult Younghood: An Interplay Between And Activation Effects in Young Men, J Neurosci (2021). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0190-20.2021