Attenuation of typical sex differences in 800 adults with autism vs. 3,900 controls

PLoS ONE

Volumn 9, Issue 7, 2014, Pages

  Baron Cohen, Simon ^a,b   Cassidy, Sarah ^a   Auyeung, Bonnie ^a,c   Allison, Carrie ^a   Achoukhi, Maryam ^a   Robertson, Sarah ^a   Pohl, Alexa ^a   Lai, Meng Chuan ^a,b,d  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE   (United Kingdom)

^b CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST   (United Kingdom)

^c UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH   (United Kingdom)

^d NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL   (Taiwan)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGED; ARTICLE; AUTISM; AUTISM SPECTRUM QUOTIENT; BRAIN FUNCTION; CONTROLLED STUDY; EMPATHY QUOTIENT; EXTREME MALE BRAIN THEORY; FEMALE; HUMAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; PERSONALITY; PSYCHOLOGIC TEST; PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT; SELF REPORT; SEX DIFFERENCE; SYSTEMIZING QUOTIENT REVISED; ADOLESCENT; CASE CONTROL STUDY; COGNITION; EMPATHY; MIDDLE AGED; PATHOPHYSIOLOGY; PSYCHOLOGY; SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT; YOUNG ADULT;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AGED; AUTISTIC DISORDER; CASE-CONTROL STUDIES; COGNITION; EMPATHY; FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; SEX CHARACTERISTICS; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 84904299493     PISSN: None     EISSN: 19326203     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102251     Document Type: Article

References (58)

1. Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S (2013) Subgrouping the Autism "Spectrum": Reflections on DSM-5. PLoS Biol 11: e1001544.
2. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Skinner R, Martin J, Clubley E (2001) The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): evidence from Asperger syndrome/highfunctioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. J Autism Dev Disord 31: 5-17.
3. Allison C, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Charman T, Richler J, et al. (2008) The Q-CHAT (Quantitative CHecklist for Autism in Toddlers): a normally distributed quantitative measure of autistic traits at 18-24 months of age: preliminary report. J Autism Dev Disord 38: 1414-1425.
4. Baron-Cohen S, Hoekstra RA, Knickmeyer R, Wheelwright S (2006) The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ)-adolescent version. J Autism Dev Disord 36: 343-350.
5. Auyeung B, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Allison C (2008) The Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children's Version (AQ-Child). J Autism Dev Disord 38: 1230-1240.
6. Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S (2014) Autism. Lancet 383: 896-910.
7. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S (2004) The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord 34: 163-175. (Pubitemid 39023470)
8. Baron-Cohen S, Richler J, Bisarya D, Gurunathan N, Wheelwright S (2003) The systemizing quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 358: 361-374. (Pubitemid 36257608)
9. Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, Auyeung B, Ashwin E, Chakrabarti B, et al. (2011) Why are autism spectrum conditions more prevalent in males? PLOS Biol 9: e1001081.
10. Baron-Cohen S (2002) The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends Cogn Sci 6: 248-254.
11. Kirkovski M, Enticott PG, Fitzgerald PB (2013) A review of the role of female gender in autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 43: 2584-2603.
12. Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Suckling J, Ruigrok AN, Chakrabarti B, et al. (2013) Biological sex affects the neurobiology of autism. Brain 136: 2799-2815.
13. Werling DM, Geschwind DH (2013) Sex differences in autism spectrum disorders. Curr Opin Neurol 26: 146-153.
14. Holtmann M, Bolte S, Poustka F (2007) Autism spectrum disorders: sex differences in autistic behaviour domains and coexisting psychopathology. Dev Med Child Neurol 49: 361-366. (Pubitemid 46730688)
15. Pilowsky T, Yirmiya N, Shulman C, Dover R (1998) The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale: differences between diagnostic systems and comparison between genders. J Autism Dev Disord 28: 143-151. (Pubitemid 28194014)
16. McLennan JD, Lord C, Schopler E (1993) Sex differences in higher functioning people with autism. J Autism Dev Disord 23: 217-227.
17. Carter AS, Black DO, Tewani S, Connolly CE, Kadlec MB, et al. (2007) Sex differences in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 37: 86-97. (Pubitemid 46197897)
18. Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Ruigrok AN, Chakrabarti B, Wheelwright SJ, et al. (2012) Cognition in males and females with autism: similarities and differences. PLOS One 7: e47198.
19. Bolte S, Duketis E, Poustka F, Holtmann M (2011) Sex differences in cognitive domains and their clinical correlates in higher-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Autism 15: 497-511.
20. Mandy W, Chilvers R, Chowdhury U, Salter G, Seigal A, et al. (2012) Sex differences in autism spectrum disorder: evidence from a large sample of children and adolescents. J Autism Dev Disord 42: 1304-1313.
21. Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Pasco G, Ruigrok AN, Wheelwright SJ, et al. (2011) A behavioral comparison of male and female adults with high functioning autism spectrum conditions. PLoS One 6: e20835.
22. Van Wijngaarden-Cremers PJ, van Eeten E, Groen WB, Van Deurzen PA, Oosterling IJ, et al. (2014) Gender and age differences in the core triad of impairments in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and metaanalysis. J Autism Dev Disord 44: 627-635.
23. Szatmari P, Liu XQ, Goldberg J, Zwaigenbaum L, Paterson AD, et al. (2012) Sex differences in repetitive stereotyped behaviors in autism: Implications for genetic liability. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 159B: 5-12.
24. Lemon JM, Gargaro B, Enticott PG, Rinehart NJ (2011) Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: a gender comparison of response inhibition. J Autism Dev Disord 41: 352-356.
25. Frazier TW, Georgiades S, Bishop SL, Hardan AY (2014) Behavioral and cognitive characteristics of females and males with autism in the Simons Simplex Collection. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 53: 329-340.
26. Field A (2013) Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. 952 p.
27. Lemler M (2012) Discrepancy between parent report and clinician observation of symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders. Discussions 8: 2 Available: http://wwwstudentpulsecom/a?id=803. Accessed 2014 Jun 2.
28. Grantham CL, Gower MW, McCalla MK, Harris AN, O'Kelley SE, et al. (2011) Diagnosis of autism utilizing the ADOS and ADI-R: are there factors to account for discrepancies? International Meeting for Autism Research. San Diego, California Available: https://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2011/webprogram/Paper7956. html. Accessed 2014 Jun 2.
29. Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S, Goldenfeld N, Delaney J, Fine D, et al. (2006) Predicting Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) from the Systemizing Quotient-Revised (SQ-R) and Empathy Quotient (EQ). Brain Res 1079: 47-56.
30. Auyeung B, Wheelwright S, Allison C, Atkinson M, Samarawickrema N, et al. (2009) The children's Empathy Quotient and Systemizing Quotient: sex differences in typical development and in Autism Spectrum Conditions. J Autism Dev Disord 39: 1509-1521.
31. Wheelwright S, Auyeung B, Allison C, Baron-Cohen S (2010) Defining the broader, medium and narrow autism phenotype among parents using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Mol Autism 1: 10.
32. Goldenfeld N, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S (2005) Empathizing and systemizing in males, females and autism. Clinical Neuropsychiatry 2: 8.
33. Beacher FD, Minati L, Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, Lai MC, et al. (2012) Autism attenuates sex differences in brain structure: a combined voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 33: 83-89.
34. Beacher FD, Radulescu E, Minati L, Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, et al. (2012) Sex differences and autism: Brain function during verbal fluency and mental rotation. PLOS ONE 7: e38355.
35. Auyeung B, Baron-Cohen S, Ashwin E, Knickmeyer R, Taylor K, et al. (2009) Fetal testosterone and autistic traits. Br J Psychol 100: 1-22.
36. Baron-Cohen S, Knickmeyer RC, Belmonte MK (2005) Sex differences in the brain: implications for explaining autism. Science 310: 819-823. (Pubitemid 41567334)
37. Constantino JN, Charman T (2012) Gender bias, female resilience, and the sex ratio in autism. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 51: 756-758.
38. Gould J, Ashton-Smith J (2011) Missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis? Girls and women on the autism spectrum. Good Autism Practice 12: 34-41.
39. Kreiser N, White S (2014) ASD in females: are we overstating the gender difference in diagnosis? Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 17: 67-84.
40. Dworzynski K, Ronald A, Bolton P, Happe F (2012) How different are girls and boys above and below the diagnostic threshold for autism spectrum disorders? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 51: 788-797.
41. Begeer S, Mandell D, Wijnker-Holmes B, Venderbosch S, Rem D, et al. (2013) Sex differences in the timing of identification among children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 43: 1151-1156.
42. Daniels AM, Rosenberg RE, Law JK, Lord C, Kaufmann WE, et al. (2011) Stability of initial autism spectrum disorder diagnoses in community settings. J Autism Dev Disord: 110-121.
43. Wing L (1981) Sex ratios in early childhood autism and related conditions. Psychiatry Res 5: 129-137.
44. Idring S, Rai D, Dal H, Dalman C, Sturm H, et al. (2012) Autism spectrum disorders in the stockholm youth cohort: design, prevalence and validity. PLOS ONE 7: e41280.
45. Mattila ML, Kielinen M, Linna SL, Jussila K, Ebeling H, et al. (2011) Autism spectrum disorders according to DSM-IV-TR and comparison with DSM-5 draft criteria: An epidemiological study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 50: 583-592 e511.
46. Hinkka-Yli-Salomaki S, Banerjee PN, Gissler M, Lampi KM, Vanhala R, et al. (2013) The incidence of diagnosed autism spectrum disorders in Finland. Nord J Psychiatry. doi: 10.3109/08039488.2013.861017.
47. Jensen CM, Steinhausen HC, Lauritsen MB (2014) Time trends over 16 years in incidence-rates of autism spectrum disorders across the lifespan based on nationwide Danish register data. J Autism Dev Disord. doi:10.1007/s10803-014- 2053-6.
48. Saemundsen E, Magnusson P, Georgsdottir I, Egilsson E, Rafnsson V (2013) Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in an Icelandic birth cohort. BMJ Open 3.
49. Ingudomnukul E, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Knickmeyer R (2007) Elevated rates of testosterone-related disorders in women with autism spectrum conditions. Horm Behav 51: 597-604. (Pubitemid 46770756)
50. Knickmeyer RC, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen SB (2008) Sex-typical play: masculinization/defeminization in girls with an autism spectrum condition. J Autism Dev Disord 38: 1028-1035.
51. Bejerot S, Eriksson JM (2014) Sexuality and gender role in autism spectrum disorder: a case control study. PLoS One 9: e87961.
52. Pohl A, Cassidy S, Auyeung B, Baron-Cohen S (2014) Uncovering steroidopathy in women with autism: a latent class analysis. Mol Autism 5: 27.
53. Schwarz E, Guest PC, Rahmoune H, Wang L, Levin Y, et al. (2011) Sex-specific serum biomarker patterns in adults with Asperger's syndrome. Mol Psychiatry 16: 1213-1220.
54. Bejerot S, Eriksson JM, Bonde S, Carlstrom K, Humble MB, et al. (2012) The extreme male brain revisited: gender coherence in adults with autism spectrum disorder. Br J Psychiatry 201: 116-123.
55. Ruta L, Ingudomnukul E, Taylor K, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S (2011) Increased serum androstenedione in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Psychoneuroendocrino 36: 1154-1163.
56. Baron Cohen S, Auyeung B, Norgaard-Pedersen B, Hougaard DM, Abdallah MW, et al. (2014) Elevated fetal steroidogenic activity in autism. Mol Psychiatry. doi: 10.1038/mp.2014.48.
57. Sarachana T, Hu VW (2013) Genome-wide identification of transcriptional targets of RORA reveals direct regulation of multiple genes associated with autism spectrum disorder. Mol Autism 4: 14.
58. Schaafsma SM, Pfaff DW (2014) Etiologies underlying sex differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Neuroendocrinol. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.03. 006.