Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38064910›Full record

ArticlePsychiatry research2024

Sexual dimorphism in anxiety is programmed in-utero by sex-steroids: Proof of concept using a disease-model and stress responses to COVID pandemic.

Monique Ernst, Hugo Cogo-Moreira, Jay Desai, Deborah P Merke

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychiatry research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 51% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Monique ErnstNational Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: ernstm@mail.nih.gov.
Hugo Cogo-MoreiraDepartment of Education, ICT and Learning, Østfold University College, Norway.
Jay DesaiNational Institutes of Health Clinical Center US, USA.
Deborah P MerkeNational Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Institutes of Health Clinical Center US, USA; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development US, USA. Electronic address: dmerke@cc.nih.gov.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · USNational Institute of Mental Health · USNational Institutes of Health Clinical Center · USØstfold University College · NO

Funding

The Psychophysiology Of Fear And AnxietyZIAMH002798 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI GRILLON, CHRISTIAN · 2009 to 2022
$29.0M
Natural History Study of Patients with Excess AndrogenZIACL090091 · CLC · CLINICAL CENTER · PI MERKE, DEBORAH · 2022 to 2025
$0k
Intramural NIH HHS Z99 MH999999Intramural NIH HHS ZIA MH002798
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sex differences in the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have been consistently reported, showing disproportionally high rates of anxiety/distress in women relative to men. The mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism remain unclear. The present study queries the potential protective role of early hyperandrogenism on brain development. A natural model of sex-steroids abnormality, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), was used to test this question. CAH is characterized by adrenal androgen overproduction in utero (prenatal) through the neonatal critical developmental period. An online survey collected information on subjective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matched on demographic variables, 60 adults carrying a diagnosis of classic CAH and 240 adults from the general population (non-CAH) were compared on levels of anxiety/distress in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (May 2020-April 2021). Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the modulation by CAH status of Sex effects on anxiety/distress. Results revealed lower levels of anxiety/distress in the female CAH group compared to the other 3 groups (male CAH, female non-CAH, and male non-CAH). This finding suggests that pre-neonatal hyperandrogenism might impact the development of neural circuits underlying anxiety processes, in a way that enhances resilience to chronic stress.

Indexed as

Adrenal Hyperplasia, CongenitalCOVID-19HyperandrogenismAdultAnxietyFemaleGonadal Steroid HormonesHumansInfant, NewbornMalePandemicsPregnancySex CharacteristicsSteroidsGonadal Steroid HormonesSteroidsAnxietyCongenital adrenal hyperplasiaCovid-19 pandemicHyperandrogenismSexual dimorphismStress

Identifiers

PMID38064910
PMCPMC10872369
OpenAlexW4389060602

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.