Behav Neurosci. 2003 Dec;117(6):1125-34.
Sex-steroid
derived compounds induce sex-specific effects on autonomic nervous system function in humans.
Bensafi M,
Brown WM, Tsutsui T, Mainland JD, Johnson BN, Bremner EA, Young N, Mauss I, Ray B, Gross J, Richards J, Stappen I,
Levenson RW, Sobel N.
Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California,
Berkeley 94720, USA.
bensafi@uclink.berkeley.edu
The physiological
and psychological effects of 2 human sex-steroid derived compounds, 4.16-androstadien-3-one (AND) and
l,3,5(10),16-estratetraen-3-ol(EST) were measured in 24 subjects who participated in a within-subjects, double-blind
experiment. A dissociation was evident in the physiological effects of AND,
in that it increased physiological
arousal in women but decreased it in men. EST did not significantly affect physiological arousal in women or
men. AND is an androgen derivative that is the most prevalent androstene in human male sweat, male axillary hair,
and on the male axillary skin surface. The authors argue that AND's opposite effects on physiology in men and women
further implicate this compound in chemical communication between humans. (c) 2003 APA
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Controlled Clinical Trial
