Electronic Letters to:

PAPERS:
T. M. M. BUTTON, A. THAPAR, and P. McGUFFIN
Relationship between antisocial behaviour, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and maternal prenatal smoking
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2005; 187: 155-160 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
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[Read eLetter] This may be due to increased maternal testosterone...
James M. Howard   (19 August 2005)

This may be due to increased maternal testosterone... 19 August 2005
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James M. Howard,
biologist
independent

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Re: This may be due to increased maternal testosterone...

jmhoward{at}anthropogeny.com James M. Howard

Increased serum testosterone is associated with cigarette smoking in women of childbearing age (Fertil Steril. 2005 Feb;83(2):302-8). Testosterone reduces conversion of DHEAS to DHEA, therefore, the background source of DHEA, DHEAS, is usually high when testosterone is high in many studies of women. DHEAS is not converted freely to DHEA when testosterone is high.

I suggest that low maternal DHEA in utero adversely affects fetal brain development. This exposure of high maternal testosterone and high DHEAS may set a pattern of poor neonatal brain development. High DHEAS levels have been connected with "oppositional defiant disorder" (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000 Nov;39(11):1446-51.) "DHEAS levels were significantly positively correlated with the intensity of aggression and delinquency as rated by both parents and teachers." (Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Jan 15;43(2):156-8).

Smoking increases testosterone levels in postmenopausal women but does not increase DHEAS levels (Eur J Epidemiol. 2005;20(4):331-7). DHEAS levels in postmenopausal women have already begun to naturally decline, perhaps below a level affected by increased testosterone as a result of reduced conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Smoking in fertile women probably increases testosterone which adversely affects conversion of naturally high levels of DHEAS to DHEA of youth and adversely affects fetal brain development.