Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Correlations of Aggressiveness with the Levels of Sex Hormones in Young Men; Validity of a Proposed Anthropometric Marker

  • Published:
Neurophysiology Aims and scope

In thirty-five 18- to 22-year-old healthy men (14 and 21 subjects of the Indian and Ukrainian populations, respectively), we examined correlations of the levels of sex hormones (testosterone and β-estradiol) in blood serum with the indices of physical and verbal aggressiveness estimated using the Buss–Durkee Hostility Inventory. In both general examined group and separate above-mentioned subgroups, moderate (r from 0.30 to 0.60) correlations were found between the testosterone concentrations and levels of physical aggressiveness, but these correlations did not reach the significance level. Correlations of testosterone with the levels of verbal aggressiveness were less expressed and, in some cases, negative. Correlations of aggressiveness with the estradiol levels were weaker or negligible. There were some specificities of the sex hormone contents in the Indian and Ukrainian subgroups, but these variations remained within physiological limits. The ratio of the lengths of fingers 2 and 4 of the right hand (2D:4D ratio), an anthropometric index proposed as a marker of prenatal exposure to sex hormones and of the aggressiveness level, demonstrated significant correlations with the testosterone contents in the general group and separate subgroups. However, these correlations were relatively weak, and individual values of the examined indices were highly variable. It is concluded that the 2D:4D ratio is affected not only by the levels of sex hormones, but also by a number of other regulatory factors, and this anthropometric index cannot be used as the single-valued retrospective biomarker of the exposure to androgens.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. J. C. Wingfield, S. Lynn, and K. K. Soma, “Avoiding the ‘costs’ of testosterone: ecological bases of hormone-behavior interactions,” Brain Behav. Evol., 57, No. 5, 239-251 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. B. L. Roth, E. Lopez, Sh. Patel, et al., “The multiplicity of serotonin receptors: uselessly diverse molecules or an embarrassment of riches?,” Neuroscientist, 6, No. 4, 252-262 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. N. J. MacLusky, T. Hajszan, J. Prange-Kiel, and C. Leranth, “Androgen modulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity,” Neuroscience, 138, No. 3, 957-965 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. S. L. Brown, R. L. Steinberg, H. M. Van Praag, “The pathogenesis of depression: reconsideration of neurotransmitter data” in: Handbook of Depression and Anxiety, J. A. Den Boer, J. A. Ad Sitsen (Eds.) N4: Marcel Dekker (1994), pp. 317-347.

  5. I. D. Neumann, A. H. Veenema, and D. I. Beiderbeck, “Aggression and anxiety: social context and neurobiological links,” Front. Behav. Neurosci., 4, 1-12 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  6. L. Popova and I. Vasylyeva, Neurohumoral Status and Aggression, Lap Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  7. L. D. Popova and I. M. Vasylyeva, “Roles of central monoaminergic systems in the formation of different types of aggressiveness in rats,” Neurophysiology, 46, No. 3, 263-266 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. N. Barden, “Implication of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the physiopathology of depression,” J. Psychiatry Neurosci., 29, No. 3, 185–193 (2004).

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. A. X. Gorka, R. E. Norman, S. R. Radtke, et al., “Anterior cingulate cortex gray matter volume mediates an association between 2D:4D ratio and trait aggression in women but not men,” Psychoneuroendocrinology, 56, 148-156 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. J. T. Manning, D. Scutt, J. Wilson, and D. I. Lewis-Jones, “The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length: a predictor of sperm numbers and concentrations of testosterone, luteinizing hormone and oestrogen,” Hum. Reprod., 13, No. 11, 3000-3004 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. J. T. Manning and S. J. Robinson, “2nd to 4th digit ratio and a universal mean for prenatal testosterone in homosexual men,” Med. Hypotheses, 61, No. 2, 303-306, (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. S. J. Robinson and J. T. Manning, “The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length and male homosexuality,” Evol. Hum. Behav., 21, No. 5, 333-345 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. L. S. Hall and C. T. Love, “Finger-length ratios in female monozygotic twins discordant for sexual orientation,” Arch. Sex. Behav., 32, No. 1, 23-28 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. S. A. Berenbaum, K. K. Bryk , N. Nowak , et al., “Fingers as a marker of prenatal androgen exposure,” Endocrinology, 150, No. 11, 5119-5124 (2009)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Y. Delville, K. M. Mansour, and C. F. Ferris, “Testosterone facilitates aggression by modulating vasopressin receptors in the hypothalamus,” Physiol. Behav., 60, No 1, 25-29 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. J. M. Carré and N. A. Olmstead, “Social neuroendocrinology of human aggression: examining the role of competition-induced testosterone dynamics,” Neuroscience, 286, 171-186 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. J. Stefansson, A. Chatzittofis, P. Nordström, et al., “CSF and plasma testosterone in attempted suicide,” Psychoneuroendocrinology, 74, 1-6 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. D.B. O’Connor , J. Archer, W. M. Hair, and F. C. Wu, “Exogenous testosterone, aggression, and mood in eugonadal and hypogonadal men,” Physiol. Behav., 75, No 4, P. 557-566 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. K. N. Chichinadze, T. R. Dominiadze, T. Matitaischvili, et al., “Is the blood plasma testosterone level linked with aggressive behaviour of prisoner men?,” Bull. Exp. Biol. Med., 149, No. 1, 11-13 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. J. M. Carre and N. A. Olmstead, “Social neuroendocrinology of human aggression: Examining the role of competition-induced testosterone dynamics,” Neuroscience, 286, 171–18. (2015)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. J.-C. Dreher, S. Dunne, A. Pazderska, et al., “Testosterone causes both prosocial and antisocial status-enhancing behaviors in human males,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, No. 41, 11633-11638 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. P. H. Mehta and R. A. Josephs, “Testosterone and cortisol jointly regulate dominance: evidence for a dual-hormone hypothesis,” Horm. Behav., 58, No. 5, 898-906 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. C. Sorenson Jamison, R. J. Meier, and B. C. Campbell, “Dermatoglyphic asymmetry and testosterone levels in normal males,” Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., 90, No. 2, 185-198 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. S. Lutchmaya, S. Baron-Cohen, P. Raggatt, et al., “2nd to 4th digit ratios, fetal testosterone and estradiol,” Early Hum. Dev., 77, Nos. 1-2, 23-28 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. A. Okten, M. Kalyoncu, and N. Yariş, “The ratio of second- and fourth-digit lengths and congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency,” Early Hum. Dev., 70, Nos. 1-2, 47-54 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  26. W. M. Brown, M. Hines, B. A. Fane, and S. M. Breedlove, “Masculinized finger length patterns in human males and females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia,” Horm. Behav., 42, No. 4, 380-386 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. M. Voracek and S. G. Dressler, “Digit ratio (2D:4D) in twins: heritability estimates and evidence for a masculinized trait expression in women from opposite-sex pairs,” Psychol. Rep., 100, No. 1, 115-126 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. A. Talarovičová, L. Kršková, and J. Blazeková, “Testosterone enhancement during pregnancy influences the 2D: 4D ratio and open field motor activity of rat siblings in adulthood,” Horm. Behav., 55, No. 1, 235-239 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. C. Zhang, J. Dang, L. Pei, et al. “Relationship of 2D:4D finger ratio with androgen receptor CAG and GGN repeat polymorphism,” Am. J. Hum. Biol., 25, No. 1, 101-106, (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. J. Hönekopp, “No Evidence that 2D:4D is related to the number of CAG repeats in the androgen receptor gene,” Front .Endocrinol .(Lausanne), 4, 185-189 (2013).

  31. Z. Benderlioglu and R. J. Nelson, “Digit length ratios predict reactive aggression in women, but not in men,” Horm. Behav., 46, No. 5, 558-564 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. J. Hönekopp, L. Bartholdt, L. Beier, and A. Liebert, “Second to fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D) and adult sex hormone levels: new data and a meta-analytic review,” Psychoneuroendocrinology, 32, No. 4, 313-321 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. A. A. Beaton, N. Rudling, C. Kissling, et al., “Digit ratio (2D:4D), salivary testosterone, and handedness,” Laterality, 16, No. 2, 136-155 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. V. Rochira, L Zirilli, A. D. Genazzani, et al., “Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in two men with aromatase deficiency: evidence that circulating estrogens are required at the hypothalamic level for the integrity of gonadotropin negative feedback,” Eur. J. Endocrinol., 155, No. 4, 513-522, (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. D. Santi, B. Madeo, F. Carli, et al., “Serum total estradiol, but not testosterone, is associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in HIV-infected men: a cross-sectional, observational study,” Osteoporos. Int., 27, No. 3, 1103-1114 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Y. Gong, H. Xiao, C. Li, et al., “Elevated T/E2 ratio is associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular disease in elderly men,” PLoS One, 8, No. 4, e61598 (2013), doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061598.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. P. T. Monteagudo, A. A. Falcão, I. T. Verreschi, and M. T. Zanella, “The imbalance of sex-hormones related to depressive symptoms in obese men,” Aging Male, 19, No. 1, 20-26 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

    L. D. Popova, I. M. Vasil’yeva & O. A. Nakonechna

Authors
  1. L. D. Popova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. M. Vasil’yeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. O. A. Nakonechna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. D. Popova.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Popova, L.D., Vasil’yeva, I.M. & Nakonechna, O.A. Correlations of Aggressiveness with the Levels of Sex Hormones in Young Men; Validity of a Proposed Anthropometric Marker. Neurophysiology 50, 173–182 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-018-9734-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-018-9734-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation