The intersection and developmental trajectory of morning cortisol and testosterone in autistic and neurotypical youth.
Blythe A Corbett, Trey McGonigle, Rachael A Muscatello and 2 others
PMID 40275368WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic females showed rising morning cortisol in late adolescence, unlike neurotypical females.
Autistic males had blunted testosterone growth compared to peers. Hormone levels did not explain social problems or aggression in either group.
Key findings
01Autistic females had stable cortisol in early adolescence but levels rose in late adolescence, while neurotypical females remained stable.
02Autistic males had significantly stunted testosterone growth compared to neurotypical males during later adolescence.
03Morning cortisol and testosterone levels did not mediate the link between autism diagnosis and social problems or aggressive behavior.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was not representative of minoritized racial or ethnic groups, or those with intellectual disabilities (IQ < 70 excluded). Attrition was 25.31% by Year 2, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only morning saliva samples were used; diurnal patterns were not fully captured. The study is observational and cannot determine if hormone changes cause or result from behavioral or developmental shifts.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the cortisol or testosterone differences as causes of social or aggressive behaviors in autism. The study found that hormone levels did not mediate the relationship between diagnosis and these behavioral outcomes.