Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec:103:33-35.
doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2016.07.004. Epub 2016 Jul 27.

Exposure to PBB-153 and Digit Ratio

Affiliations

Exposure to PBB-153 and Digit Ratio

Tamar Wainstock et al. Early Hum Dev. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

The ratio between the second and fourth digits is a sexually dimorphic measure, established in utero and linked to prenatal sex steroid levels. An association was found between prenatal levels of Polybrominated Biphenyls, a synthetic chemical suspected to disrupt the endocrine system function, and the digit ratio in adult women.

Keywords: Digit ratio; Endocrine disruptors; In-utero exposure; Polybrominated Biphenyl.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean Right Hand Digit Ratio by Tertiles of Estimated In-Utero PBB Exposure.

References

    1. Kondo T, Zákány J, Innis JW, Duboule D. Of fingers, toes and penises. Nature. 1997;6:29. - PubMed
    1. Wood S, Vang E, Manning J, Walton J, Troup S, Kingsland C, Lewis-Jones ID. The ratio of second to fourth digit length in azoospermic males undergoing surgical sperm retrieval: predictive value for sperm retrieval and on wubsequent fertilization and pregnancy rates in IVF/ICSI cycles. J Androl. 2003;24:871–877. - PubMed
    1. Manning JT, Barley L, Walton J, Lewis-Jones DI, Trivers RL, Singh D, Thornhill R, Rohde P, Bereczkei T, Henzi P, Soler M, Szwed A. The 2nd:4th digit ratio, sexual dimorphism, population differences, and reproductive success. evidence for sexually antagonistic genes? Evol Hum Behav. 2000 May 1;21(3):163–183. - PubMed
    1. Lutchmaya S, Baron-Cohen S, Raggatt P, Knickmeyer R, Manning JT. 2nd to 4th digit ratios, fetal testosterone and estradiol. Early Hum Dev. 2004;77:23–28. - PubMed
    1. Al-Zaid FS, Alhader AA, Al-Ayadhi LY. The second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) in Saudi boys with autism: A potential screening tool. Early Hum Dev. 2015;91:413–415. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources