Behavioral Endocrinology

""Largely based on pre-theory that ties high testosterone (T) to masculinity, and low T to femininity, high T is mainly studied in relation to aggression, mating, sexuality, and challenge, and low T with parenting. Evidence, however, fails to support this, and the social variability in T is better accounted for by a competition–
nurturance trade-off as per the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds (van Anders et al., 2011). Four key domains are discussed: adult–infant interactions, sexual desire, sexual behavior, and partnering. Empirical engagements with gender/sex are shown to lead to important insights over assumptions about masculinity–femininity. Humans are discussed within a comparative framework that attends to cross species principles informed by human insights alongside human-specific particularities like social constructions, which are critical to evolutionary understandings of the social role of T. This paper thus integrates seemingly orthogonal perspectives to allow for transformative approaches to an empirically supported social phenomenology of T.""

"Despite the implication of the name, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects not merely the
ovaries, but endocrine system function, psychological health, psychosocial and psychosexual development throughout the lifespan. Up to 10% of pre-menopausal women meet the diagnostic criteria for PCOS, making it the most prevalent endocrine disorder for this population. Common features of PCOS include: polycystic ovaries, irregular or absent ovulation, disruption of the menstrual cycle, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and central obesity. A review of extant literature reveals that as many as 50% of women with PCOS also meet the diagnostic criteria for a mood or anxiety disorder, with a strong correlation between PCOS and bipolar disorder. While such correlation does not equate to causality, some studies suggest that disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes might be the common etiology between the physical manifestations of PCOS and the decreased psychological wellbeing experienced by women with PCOS. Hyperandrogenism is a particular source of concern in psychosocial and gender identity development. Some studies show a significantly higher prevalence of PCOS among lesbian women and female-to-male transsexuals compared to the general population, while heterosexual women with PCOS frequently report feeling “different” or “less feminine” due to hyperandrogenism and infertility. Researchers recommend implementing routine screening of women with PCOS for psychological disorders, and conversely, screening of women with mood disorders for reproductive endocrinological dysfunction."

This paper deals with the current law in England and Wales in relation to Pre Menstrual Syndrome, better known for its medical acronym PMS.

The law has been rarely challenged in the jurisdiction, and when applied, has invariably resulted in an unclear guidance.The study begins with the debate surrounding the recognition of PMS as a medical condition. It later deals with the controversy linking PMS to crime, which paves the way for the legal discourse.

The law is presented and analysed by initially looking at the history of case law in the jurisdiction and then a practical contextualization to the available defences is applied. As the current applicable defences do not tend to encompass ‘neatly’ with the current understanding of PMS, a new separate defence is suggested. The proposed defence has the impetus of resolving the known problems and
discrepancies within the law.

Finally, the application of PMS under a plea of mitigation is analysed. The argument concludes that although the use of PMS as mitigation is not optimal, it remains the best course of action.

Surprising new findings indicate that many conclusions about sex differences and similarities in cognitive abilities need to be reexamined. Cognitive sex differences are changing, decreasing for some tasks whereas remaining stable or increasing for other tasks. Some sex differences are detected in infancy, but the data are complex and depend on task characteristics. Diverse disciplines have revolutionized our understanding of why these differences exist. For instance, fraternal-twin studies align with earlier literature to help establish the role of prenatal androgens and large international datasets help ex- plain how cultural factors such as economic prosperity and gender equity affect females and males differently. Understanding how biological and environmental factors interact could help maximize cognitive potential and address pressing societal issues.

Sexual desire is typically higher in men than in women, with testosterone (T) thought to account for this difference as well as within-sex variation in desire in both women and men. However, few studies have incorporated both hormonal and social or psychological factors in studies of sexual desire.The present study addressed how three psychological domains (sexual–relational, stress–mood, body–embodiment) were related to links between T and sexual desire in healthy adults and whether dyadic and solitary desire showed associations with T. Participants (n=196) were recruited as part of the Partnering, Physiology, and Health study, which had 105men and 91women who completed questionnaires and provided saliva for cortisol and T assays. T was positively linked to solitary desire in women, with masturbation frequency influencing this link. In contrast, T was negatively correlated with dyadic desire in women, but only when cortisol and perceived social stress were controlled. Replicating past findings, no significant correlations between T and desire in men were apparent, but these analyses showed that the null association remained even when psychological and confound variables were controlled. Men showed higher desire than women, but masturbation frequency rather than T influenced this difference. Results were discussed in terms of challenges to assumptions of clear links between T and desire, gendered approaches to T, and the unitarity of desire.

The way you use your voice affects the health of your thyroid.  This is because the thyroid gland is stimulated by vocal vibrations, being located adjacent to the voice box.  Shouting can over-stimulate the thyroid, just as being too quiet can under-stimulate it.  This link between the voice and thyroid stimulation can explain some cases of hypo- and hyper-thyroidism, and offers a non-medical option for the treatment of these conditions.

Although the theory of evolution was scientifically formulated only in the second part of the 19th century, the tradition of explaining and understanding humans as a (special, different) kind of animals dates back to the beginning of civilization. One of the oldest and most common definitions is the one describing a ‘man as a social animal’. While most notions of humans as animals have been effected by anthropocentrism (e.g. social cognition as specific to humans), some definitions have been, contradictory, emphasizing anthropodenial. Mathematically speaking, the “insert attribute” type of defining humans as animals is in its core- a function. While the nature of the relation changed, horizontally- over time and vertically- in different social settings, the idea of the function remained the same: underlining the differences. In this comparative study, we collected, extracted, analyzed and categorized definitions and depictions of humans through some form of correlation with animals from a variety of fields: natural sciences, social sciences, literature, philosophy, arts and culture. Results of the study include various classifications of definitions of humans as (social) animals, development and evolution in science as reflected in other fields as well as future tendencies. One of the conclusions of the research is the recognition of shifts in the society regarding understanding animals and humans. Some of the shifts were massive and quick, such as the theory of evolution, and as such reflected deeply in the understanding humans, animals and their social dimensions. However, recent advances in behavioral biology and animal cognition continue to show that there is increasingly less space for defining by differences.
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Studies on the role of juvenile hormone (JH) in adult social Hymenoptera have focused on the regulation of two fundamental aspects of colony organization: reproductive division of labor between queens and workers and age-related division of labor among workers. JH acts as a gonadotropin in the primitively eusocial wasp and bumble bee species studied, and may also play this role in the advanced eusocial fire ants. However, there is no evidence that JH acts as a traditional gonadotropin in the advanced eusocial honey bee or in the few other ant species that have recently begun to be studied. The role of JH in agerelated division of labor has been most thoroughly examined in honey bees. Results of these studies demonstrate that JH acts as a “behavioral pacemaker,” influencing how fast a worker grows up and makes the transition from nest activities to foraging. Hypotheses concerning the evolutionary relationship between the two functions of JH in adult eusocial Hymenoptera are discussed.

Prior interpretations of the tattoos of nonhuman animals etched upon the preserved human bodies from the Pazyryk archaeological culture of Inner Asia have focused on solely human-generated meanings. This article utilizes an ethnoarchaeological approach to reassess these tattoos,
by analogizing the nature and possibilities of human-ridden horse intersubjectivities in the present with those of the past. As enlightened by people who live with horses, including the author, the process of learning to ride can be seen as an interspecies apprenticeship process, where both humans and horses pass along social knowledge as thoughtful actors with defined roles. From this perspective, the horse tattoos are presented as polysemic materializations of the
bonds between particular Pazyryk horses and people, of blended identities, and of cosmological values related to time, memory, and belonging. The article concludes that exploring smaller-scale
human-nonhuman animal interactions in the present allows for fresh interpretations of similar interactions in the past and provides a means for archaeology to move beyond the objectification of animals as sets of resources or symbols.

Esports, or competitive video gaming, has rapidly increased in online play and viewing. The popularity of esports such as League of Legends may derive in part because it features skills-based coalitional competition. Whereas a sizable literature focuses on adult human hormones and competition, little research has addressed the hormone responses of men playing video games. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of playing a coalitionary-based esport on young U.S. men's steroid hormone levels in a naturalistic study. We tested salivary steroid changes in response to esports club members (n ¼ 26) playing League of Legends against other people and the computer. We hypothesized that esports competition would increase testosterone, cortisol, DHEA and androstenedione levels, with more pronounced increases in winners than losers. Participants provided saliva samples before and after competitions lasting 15e27 min in duration. Salivary testosterone, cortisol, DHEA and androstenedione levels did not change overall or between play against people vs. the computer or with respect to winning or losing. However, play duration (range 16e27 min) was positively related to changes in DHEA, an-drostenedione and testosterone during play against people. Aldosterone levels decreased overall. We suggest that the informal and familiar environment as well as relatively short play duration help account for generally null findings. These findings help document physiological effects of esport play, in turn contributing to a richer understanding of why so many play and watch esports.

Research links explicit sexuality (e.g., physical attraction and pleasure) to high testosterone (T) and nurturance (loving contact) to low T. Engaging in sexual fantasy, which can include explicit sexual and nurturant elements, increases T in women but not in men. We examined whether individual differences in the explicit sexual and nurturant content of fantasy were linked with T or with estradiol (E2). In addition, we explored whether fantasy content differed or overlapped by gender/sex. Participants (26 women, 23 men) provided saliva samples for hormones before and after imagining a self-defined positive sexual encounter and responding to open-ended questions about the situation they imagined. We systematically content-coded responses for explicit sexual and nurturant content. In men, lower inclusion of nurturant content predicted larger T responses to fantasy. Fantasy content was not linked with T in women or with E2 in women or men. Women and men did not differ significantly in explicit sexual and nurturant content. Our findings suggest that individual experiences of fantasy as more or less nurturant affect T in men, provide support for the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds, and highlight the value of integrating hormones and content analysis to investigate research questions relevant to sexuality and gender/sex.

RESUMEN. Se analiza la forma en que México aplica la normativa y otras estrategias de manejo, para la protección de los humedales costeros y aves de humedal de la Península de Yucatán según el Plan Estratégico Ramsar 2009-2015, específicamente en dos de sus estrategias. Se analiza los criterios de regulación de los Programas de Manejo de Áreas Naturales Protegidas y Ordenamientos Ecológicos Territoriales identificando los aspectos científicos robustos en los que se fundamentan, así como en sus deficiencias bajo el concepto de integridad ecológica. En los resultados se observa: a) la necesidad de homogenizar el uso del término integridad en los instrumentos legales, b) crear una estructura jerárquica espacial de estrategias de manejo que favorezca la conectividad, c) reforzar en la delimitación de áreas de amortiguamiento de humedales y hábitats críticos de aves, d) incorporar reglas que protejan la heterogeneidad biológica espacio-temporal, los procesos ecológicos y las redes tróficas, y e) diseñar un reglamento para la restauración de humedales. Se concluye que el escenario normativo aplicable a la conservación de estos ecosistemas en México es aún muy ineficiente y que es necesario incorporar una visión sistémica para proteger estos ecosistemas. Se incluyen además, nueve recomendaciones para su mejoramiento. Palabras clave: normatividad, humedales costeros, aves de humedal, Ramsar, Península de Yucatán. Implementation of the Ramsar strategic plan in coastal wetlands of the Península de Yucatán: regulations and normativity ABSTRACT. The way how Mexico applies the normative and other management strategies, regarding coastal wetland and wetlands birds conservation of the Península de Yucatán following the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2009-2015 is analyzed. Regulatory criteria within Management Programs of Natural Protected Areas and Ecologic Ordinance Instruments were analyzed identifying strengths and weaknesses under an ecological integrity concept. Results show the need to homogenize the concept of integrity within regulation, to develop a hierarchical spatial structure for management strategies. It will: a) promotes connectivity, b) strength the perception of buffer zones and critical habitats, c) emphasize in the protection of biologic heterogeneity in space and time, ecological processes and trophic networks and, develop regulation about wetland restoration. We conclude that current normative framework is still very inefficient and a systemic vision is required to protect these ecosystems. Nine suggestions to improve the current scenario are included.

Variation in the facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) maps onto a number of behavioral and psychological traits among men (e.g., aggression, unethical behavior, negotiation performance). Importantly, observer judgments of many of these traits also correlate strongly with the fWHR, suggesting that it may represent an honest cue to dominance and status. It has been speculated that the relationship between fWHR and these behavioral traits is due to pubertal testosterone concurrently shaping facial structure and traits linked to social dominance. Others, however, have provided some initial, although inconsistent, evidence that circulating testosterone levels in adult-hood may underlie associations between the fWHR and behavioral displays. Here, we provide a more powerful test of the second model by examining the relationship between fWHR, baseline testosterone, and competition-induced testosterone reactivity, across seven diverse samples of men (total N = 780). We also report a further analysis including data published previously, for a total sample of 1041 men. Analysis of our individual samples, in addition to an internal meta-analysis, demonstrated no significant positive relationship between fWHR and baseline testosterone, or fWHR and three measures of competition-induced testosterone reactivity. We discuss potential reasons for previous discrepancies, and suggest avenues for future research.

Testosterone (T) is generally theorized within a trade-off framework that contrasts parenting and low T with competitive challenges and high T. Paradoxically, baby cues increase T, prompting questions of whether T or its behavioral expression has been mischaracterized. We tested 55 men using a novel interactive infant doll paradigm, and results supported our hypotheses: We showed for the first time that baby cries do decrease T in men, but only when coupled with nurturant responses. In contrast, baby cries uncoupled from nurturant responses increased T. These findings highlight the need to partition infant cues and interactions into nurturant versus
competitive-related contexts to more accurately conceptualize T, as per the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds. This experiment also supports the utility of this paradigmfor studying effects of infant interactions on hormonal responses, which may provide critical insights into ameliorating the darker sides of caregiving (e.g. anger, frustration, violence) and enhancing the positive sides (e.g. intimacy, nurturance, reward).

Kundalini (adaptation of Kuṇḍalinī, devanagari) is a Sanskrit term originally used in some texts of the Tantric traditions to indicate that aspect of Śakti (śakti, devanāgarī, "energy", "power", in Hinduism, the power of a God to give place to the phenomenal world and to the conscious plane of creation, its immanent creative capacity), the divine energy personified, present in the human body, present in quiescent form in every individual. The snake is the most used symbol to represent the kuṇḍalini, an association suggested by the same Indian texts belonging to the tradition: "The kuṇḍalinī, when it rests it is like a snake gathered on itself, ready to spring to bite and thus inject its venom; but when it is awakened it is like the snake standing upright on the tip of its tail, stiff as a stick, harmless "(Silburn 1997). In the tantric traditions the liberation from the cycle of rebirths is seen as the "awakening" of Kundalini followed by the relative ascent (śat chakra bedhana) in the subtle body until the last chakra, where it must permanently remain in union with Śiva. At this stage the adept has definitively abandoned his individual ego (ahmakara) to identify himself with the universal Subject (aham). In Yoga Hatha (devanāgarī, also adapted into ioga, ascetic and meditative practice), the management of Kundalini is not possible if the energy channel system of the subtle body, the nāḍī (from Sanskrit, It means tubes, canals or veins) the ways through which the prana (from the Sanskrit, literally "life" and in the second instance breath and spirit) passes, understood as vital energy or breath, identified with the breath, to feed all parts of the body. The adept must first engage in operations aimed to this purpose (nāḍīśodhana), which include specific āsana positions (devanagari, are positions or postures used in some forms of yoga, in particular in Hatha Yoga) accompanied by controlled breathing techniques and recitations of mantras (devanāgarī, thought, or to think a sacred expression") corresponding to verses of the Veda (devanāgarī, a very ancient collection in Sanskrit of sacred texts of the Aryan peoples of the 20th century BC), to a sacred formula

"Sexual stimuli increase testosterone (T) or cortisol (C) in males of a variety of species, including humans, and just thinking about sex increases T in women. We investigated whether sexual thoughts change T or C in men and whether hormone measures (baseline, post-activity, and changes) correlate
with psychological sexual arousal. We used the Imagined Social Situation Exercise to assess how hormones respond to and correlate with sexual thoughts and arousal relative to three control conditions: neutral, stressful, and positive. A total of 99 men provided a baseline saliva sample, imagined and wrote about a sexual or control situation, and provided a second saliva
sample15 min later.Results indicated that, for participants in the sexual condition, higher baseline and post-activity C corresponded to larger increases in self- reported sexual and autonomic arousal. Although sexual thoughts increased sexual arousal, they did not change T or C compared to control conditions. Our results suggest that sexual thoughts are not sufficient to change T or C in men,but C may facilitate sexual arousal by directing energy towards a sexual situation."

La investigación que presenta el libro tuvo como objetivo analizar las diferencias entre las decisiones económicas bajo riesgo y en contexto social durante las fases ovulatoria y lútea del ciclo menstrual. El enfoque utilizado fue el empírico analítico, con alcance comparativo, diseño no experimental y de tipo transversal. El muestreo fue probabilístico, con una muestra de 100 mujeres de la Universidad de Antioquia entre los 18 y 24 años, con ciclos menstruales regulares y sin uso de métodos anticonceptivos hormonales. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: encuesta sociodemográfica, cuestionario sobre el ciclo menstrual, Juego de loterías de Holt y Laury y el Juego del ultimátum. Entre los resultados se encontró que las mujeres presentaban aversión al riesgo sin importancia de la fase del ciclo menstrual, y en las decisiones económicas sociales, no hubo diferencias significativas entre los grupos. La investigación permitió concluir que no hubo diferencias en la toma de decisiones entre los grupos de la fase ovulatoria y la fase lútea. La discusión de los resultados se desarrolla a la luz de la teoría evolutiva y la teoría económica.

Chronotype describes preferences for functioning at different times of the day. At the onset of puberty, a sharp shift towards eveningness starts, reaching its peak at the end of adolescence, followed by a steady shift towards morningness as the ageing process occurs. Puberty is also the time when sex differences appear, with men being more inclined to eveningness than women, which diminishes around menopause; the described pattern of changes in chronotype leads to the hypothesis that reproductive hormones may be the driving factor behind this conversion. In the present study, we aimed to verify this hypothesis by analysing participants' testosterone, progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels in the three months prior to the study, as indicated by assays in 3-cm hair strands from the scalp. Participants (n = 239) of both sexes also completed the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. The results showed that in men higher testosterone levels were related to eveningness and less sleep loss, whereas greater sleep loss was associated with lower levels of DHEA. In women, no associations between chronotype and levels of the analysed hormones were found. The results support the hypothesis that testosterone levels play a role in shaping eveningness. We further hypothesised that a possible cause of the higher secretion level of testosterone in men with the evening chronotype is a mechanism to offset the negative consequences of sleep loss.

A large body of research links testosterone and cortisol to male-male competition. Yet, little work has explored acute steroid hormone responses to coalitional, physical competition during middle childhood. Here, we investigate testosterone, dehy-droepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione, and cortisol release among ethnically Chinese boys in Hong Kong (N = 102), aged 8–11 years, during a soccer match (n = 84) and an intrasquad soccer scrimmage (n = 81), with 63 participants competing in both treatments. The soccer match and intrasquad soccer scrimmage represented out-group and in-group treatments, respectively. Results revealed that testosterone showed no measurable change. DHEA increased during both treatments in the majority of participants and the degree of change had no relation to independent variables (e.g., performance , age, treatment, outcome) or covariate measures (Body Mass Index, Pubertal Development Scale). Most boys experienced androstenedione increases during match play, but no significant differences during the intrasquad soccer scrimmage competitions. The magnitude of change differed significantly between treatments and was positively associated with age. These latter findings suggest boys' androstenedione responses may be sensitive to competitor type (i.e., unknown competitors vs. peers). For most subjects, cortisol significantly increased during match play, decreased during the intrasquad soccer

Objectives Little psychoneuroendocrine research has focused on steroid hormone responses to non-physical competition in middle childhood. This study sought to observe testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione, and cortisol responses in children during a mixed-sex, team, academic competition. Methods Salivary steroid hormones were collected, along with measures of performance , Body Mass Index, and pubertal development in ethnically Chinese boys (n = 18) and girls (n = 27), aged 9–10 years, during a math competition (N = 45). Results Testosterone and estradiol levels were generally low and unmeasurable. Nearly every competitor experienced decreases in cortisol and cortisol/DHEA molar ratio. Pre and post-match DHEA and androstenedione did not significantly change. Exploratory analyses revealed a positive correlation between DHEA change and team performance among non-active participants (i.e. did not attempt to answer a question). ANCOVAs revealed differences in percentage change in androstenedione between active (n = 20) and non active participants (n = 25) and among winners (n = 7) and losers (n = 38), and positive associations with age. Percentage change in cortisol was significantly lower among losers compared to winners. Performance measures were positively correlated with DHEA change and percentage change in androstenedione.

This is book 3 of a set of 4 that derives and details the process of transmuting a social system from organizational dysfunction to an Enchanted Collective. There are three barriers to be crossed to get to the prize that have eluded mankind since the Stone Age.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by chronical anovulation and hyperandrogenism which may be present in a different degree of severity. Insulin-resistance and hyperinsulinemia are the main physiopathological basis of this syndrome and the failure of inositol-mediated signaling may concur to them. Myo (MI) and D-chiro-inositol (DCI), the most studied inositol isoforms, are classified as insulin sensitizers. In form of glycans, DCI-phosphoglycan and MI-phosphoglycan control key enzymes were involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. In form of phosphoinositides, they play an important role as second messengers in several cellular biological functions. Considering the key role played by insulin-resistance and androgen excess in PCOS patients, the insulin-sensitizing effects of both MI and DCI were tested in order to ameliorate symptoms and signs of this syndrome, including the possibility to restore patients' fertility. Accumulating evidence suggests that both isoforms of inositol are effective in improving ovarian function and metabolism in patients with PCOS, although MI showed the most marked effect on the metabolic profile, whereas DCI reduced hyperandrogenism better. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on inositol signaling and correlate data on biological functions of these multifaceted molecules, in view of a rational use for the therapy in women with PCOS.

This  paper  presents  some  preliminary  findings  from Wave  7  of  the  Innovation  Panel  (IP7)  of Understanding  Society:  The  UK  Household  Longitudinal  Study.  Understanding  Society  is  a major panel survey in the UK. In June 2014, the seventh wave of the Innovation Panel went into the field. IP7 includes a new refreshment sample and used a mixed-mode design, using on-line interviews and face-to-face interviews. This paper describes the design of IP7, the experiments carried and the preliminary findings from early analysis of the data.

Starke Vorbehalte gegenüber biologischen Erklärungsansätzen in der Soziologie und Kriminologie haben lange eine integrierte Auseinandersetzung mit den Phänomenen Aggression und Gewalt (A/G) verhindert. Es gibt eine Vielzahl biologischer und sozialwissenschaftlicher Erklärungsansätze, die aus diesem Grund bisher eher nebeneinander existieren statt miteinander integriert zu sein. Diese Ansätze werden im folgenden Beitrag kurz vorgestellt. Auf der Seite biologischer Erklärungen geht es
dabei um proximate Ursachen für A/G, d.h. die zugrundeliegenden hormonellen, neurophysiologischen, genetischen und epigenetischen Prozesse. Und es geht um die ultimate Kausalität, d.h. die Frage nach der möglichen evolutionären Funktionalität von A/G. Auf der sozialwissenschaftlichen Seite geht es zum einen um große gesellschaftliche Fragen wie die Existenz sozialer Ordnung und die historische und gesellschaftsübergreifende Variation in der Prävalenz von A/G. Und es geht, ähnlich wie bei den biologischen Ansätzen, um die individuelle Variation von A/G,
hier allerdings begründet im sozialen Kontext, in den das Individuum eingebettet ist. Insgesamt gibt es zahlreiche Anzeichen dafür, dass biologische, soziale und kulturelle Mechanismen A/G kodeterminieren, jedoch fehlt es bislang an einer systematischen theoretischen Integration dieser
Mechanismen. Wir plädieren daher abschließend für eine stärkere Kommunikation beider Lager, um deren theoretische Vielfalt im Detail auf Kompatibilität hin zu überprüfen und neue integrierte Hypothesen für die empirische Arbeit abzuleiten.

La presente ricerca di dottorato è stata condotta in co-tutela tra l’Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II e l’Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, Argentina, attraverso la conduzione di un’indagine empirica qualitativa dedicata all’analisi dell’esperienza vissuta in prima persona da parte di persone che presentano una condizione di Iperplasia Surrenale Congenita (ISC) con particolare riferimento agli interventi chirurgici, alle terapie sostitutive e allo stigma psicosociale.

Consistent with the hypothesis that some of the psychological, behavioral, and physiological characteristics of morning-and evening-types may represent adaptations to slow and fast life histories, respectively, this study investigated variation in time perspective (i.e., being present-vs. future-oriented), impulsivity, cooperation and competition, self-perceived social status, and cortisol and testosterone concentrations in baseline conditions and in response to psychosocial stress in relation to morningness– eveningness. Study participants were 60 male and 60 female young adults, mostly college students. Questionnaires were used to collect demographic information and to assess morningness– eveningness, impulsivity, time perspective, and self-perceived social status. Cooperative and competitive tendencies were assessed with an Ultimatum Game, an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma Game, and a Prosocial Risk-Taking Task. Half of the study participants underwent a standardized procedure that elicits psychosocial stress (the Trier Social Stress Test) and half served as controls. Three saliva samples were obtained before and after the TSST or the control condition and later assayed for testosterone and cortisol concentrations. Consistent with our hypotheses, morning-types were more future-oriented, more cooperative in the Prisoner's dilemma (men, not women), and perceived themselves to be of lower social status than evening-types. Furthermore, morning-types had a significantly greater cortisol response to stress than evening-types. Some of our findings support the functional interpretation of morning-ness– eveningness from a life history perspective. In particular, higher physiological reactivity to psychosocial stress among morning-types may be associated with their reported lower extraversion and be one of the factors contributing to some aspects of their slow life history strategy, including their avoidance of short-term mating strategies , lower sexual competitiveness, and lower social status.

Variation in parental care can lead to important fitness consequences. The endocrine system is known to regulate physiological and behavioral reproductive traits that are important contributors to lifetime reproductive success. However, the hormonal basis of variation in avian parental care is still not well understood. Plasma prolactin (PRL) concentrations are generally high during post-hatch parental care in birds, and may be a candidate mechanism that regulates variation in parental care and other reproductive success outcomes. Here we analyze the relationship between PRL, parental behavior (chick brooding and feeding) and reproductive success outcomes (clutch size, number of chicks hatched, and chick survival) for the first time in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Birds were given cabergoline, a dopamine agonist traditionally used to lower prolactin in mammals, or vehicle in their food. Cabergoline had no effect on prolactin concentrations, but across both groups we found that PRL is positively correlated with parental behavior, number of chicks hatched, and chick survival, but not clutch size. Results from this study will inform hypotheses and predictions for future manipulation studies which test for a causal role for PRL in parental traits.

This study examines day-to-day patterns of salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) under baseline conditions and in response to mild stress among 59 children residing in a rural Caribbean village. Cortisol secretion showed the typical circadian variation with high levels in the morning. Children showed
significant increases of cortisol before and during a videotaped interview when compared to routine days. DHEA levels were positively associated with cortisol levels; however, within-day secretion of salivary DHEA was more stable than cortisol and
DHEA levels did not change significantly during the day. Average DHEA concentrations were positively associated with age but did not show the sharp increase that is usually observed at the onset of adrenarche. These results highlight both similarities
and differences in the secretion of cortisol and DHEA during childhood among rural and industrialized human populations.

Prescription testosterone sales in the United States have skyrocketed in the last two decades due to an aging population, direct-to-consumer advertising, and prescriber views of the benefits and risks to testosterone, among other factors. However, few studies have attempted to directly examine patient experiences on prescription testosterone therapy. The present exploratory study involved an online self-report survey of U.S. testosterone patients who were at least 21 years of age. The primary focus was on patient perspectives concerning motivations leading to the initiation of testosterone therapy and the perceived effects of treatment. Responses to open-ended questions drew upon a coding scheme incorporating both inductive and deductive approaches, influenced by the clinical, male life history theory, and behavioral endocrinology literature. Results indicated that the most frequent reasons men gave for taking prescription testosterone were low testosterone (37.1%), well-being (35.2%), energy (28.7%), libido (21.9%), and social energy (19.4%); older men claimed libido as a motivation for testosterone initiation more frequently than younger men (p < 0.001). Men most frequently claimed testosterone improved their energy (52.3%), libido (41.9%), and muscle (28.5%). Results are interpreted in the context of medical, life history theoretical and behavioral endocrinology approaches, including an emphasis on sex and energy.