Experiments in male rodents demonstrate that sensitivity to the organizational effects of steroid hormones decreases across the pubertal window, with earlier androgen exposure leading to greater masculinization of the brain and behavior. Similarly, some research suggests the timing of peripubertal exposure to sex steroids influences aspects of human psychology, including visuospatial cognition. However, prior studies have been limited by small samples and/or imprecise measures of pubertal timing. We conducted 4 studies to clarify whether the timing of peripubertal hormone exposure predicts performance on male-typed tests of spatial cognition in adulthood. In Studies 1 (n = 1095) and 2 (n = 173), we investigated associations between recalled pubertal age and spatial cognition in typically developing men, controlling for current testosterone levels in Study 2. In Study 3 (n = 51), we examined the relationship between spatial performance and the age at which peripubertal hormone replacement therapy was initiated in a sample of men with Isolated GnRH Deficiency. Across Studies 1-3, effect size estimates for the relationship between spatial performance and pubertal timing ranged from. -0.04 and -0.27, and spatial performance was unrelated to salivary testosterone in Study 2. In Study 4, we conducted two meta-analyses of Studies 1-3 and four previously published studies. The first meta-analysis was conducted on correlations between spatial performance and measures of the absolute age of pubertal timing, and the second replaced those correlations with correlations between spatial performance and measures of relative pubertal timing where available. Point estimates for correlations between pubertal timing and spatial cognition were -0.15 and -0.12 (both p < 0.001) in the first and second meta-analyses, respectively. These associations were robust to the exclusion of any individual study. Our results suggest that, for some aspects of neural development, sensitivity to gonadal hormones declines across puberty, with earlier pubertal hormone exposure predicting greater sex-typicality in psychological phenotypes in adulthood. These results shed light on the processes of behavioral and brain organization and have implications for the treatment of IGD and other conditions wherein pubertal timing is pharmacologically manipulated.

中文翻译：

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围青春期类固醇暴露的时间预测男性的视觉空间认知：来自三个样本的证据。

雄性啮齿动物的实验表明，对类固醇激素的组织效应的敏感性在整个青春期窗口都会降低，更早的雄激素暴露会导致大脑和行为更加男性化。同样，一些研究表明，青春期前暴露于性类固醇的时间会影响人类心理的各个方面，包括视觉空间认知。然而，先前的研究受到小样本和/或青春期时间测量不精确的限制。我们进行了 4 项研究，以阐明青春期激素暴露的时间是否可以预测成年男性空间认知测试的表现。在研究 1 (n = 1095) 和 2 (n = 173) 中，我们调查了回忆的青春期年龄与典型发育男性的空间认知之间的关联，在研究 2 中控制当前的睾酮水平。在研究 3 (n = 51) 中，我们检查了在孤立性 GnRH 缺乏的男性样本中空间表现与开始青春期激素替代治疗的年龄之间的关系。在研究 1-3 中，对空间表现和青春期时间之间关系的影响大小估计范围为 -0.04 和 -0.27，空间表现与研究 2 中的唾液睾酮无关。在研究 4 中，我们对研究 1-3 和四项先前发表的研究进行了两项荟萃分析。第一个荟萃分析是对空间表现与青春期绝对年龄测量之间的相关性进行的，第二个荟萃分析用空间表现和相对青春期时间测量之间的相关性替换了这些相关性。在第一次和第二次荟萃分析中，青春期时间和空间认知之间相关性的点估计值分别为 -0.15 和 -0.12（均 p < 0.001）。排除任何单独的研究后，这些关联都是稳健的。我们的研究结果表明，对于神经发育的某些方面，对性腺激素的敏感性在整个青春期都会下降，更早的青春期激素暴露预示着成年期心理表型的性别典型性更高。这些结果揭示了行为和大脑组织的过程，并对 IGD 和其他青春期时间受药理学操纵的疾病的治疗产生了影响。排除任何单独的研究后，这些关联都是稳健的。我们的研究结果表明，对于神经发育的某些方面，对性腺激素的敏感性在整个青春期都会下降，更早的青春期激素暴露预示着成年期心理表型的性别典型性更高。这些结果揭示了行为和大脑组织的过程，并对 IGD 和其他青春期时间受药理学操纵的疾病的治疗产生了影响。排除任何单独的研究后，这些关联都是稳健的。我们的研究结果表明，对于神经发育的某些方面，对性腺激素的敏感性在整个青春期都会下降，更早的青春期激素暴露预示着成年期心理表型的性别典型性更高。这些结果揭示了行为和大脑组织的过程，并对 IGD 和其他青春期时间受药理学操纵的疾病的治疗产生了影响。