Abstract
Mothers of offspring with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) could present mild forms of their children’s cognitive characteristics, resulting from prenatal brain exposure and sensitivity to testosterone (T). Indeed, their cognition is frequently characterized by hyper-systemizing, outperforming in tests that assess cognitive domains such as selective attention, and fine motor and visuospatial skills. In the general population, all these start to decline around the mid-forties. This study aimed to characterize whether middle-aged women who are biological mothers of individuals with ASD had better performance in the aforementioned cognitive skills than mothers of normative children (in both groups n = 22; mean age = 45), using the standardized Stroop and mirror-drawing tests. We also examined the role of T in their performance in the aforementioned tests. ASD mothers outperformed controls in both tests, giving more correct answers and making fewer mistakes. In addition, they presented higher T levels, which have been associated with better cognitive performance. Cognitive decline in specific skills with aging could be delayed in these middle-aged women, corresponding to a cognitive endophenotype, T playing an important role in this process.
Highlights
The existence of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) endophenotype and the high heritability of this disorder could explain why ASD parents present mild forms of cognitive characteristics that are fully developed in their offspring
ASD mothers were recruited from an association of parents of people with autism located in Valencia, Spain (Asociación Valenciana de Padres de Autistas)
Though baseline T levels were not significantly different, T levels increased in ASD mothers but fell in controls
Summary
The existence of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) endophenotype and the high heritability of this disorder could explain why ASD parents present mild forms of cognitive characteristics that are fully developed in their offspring Like their offspring, ASD parents tend to present communication and cognitive flexibility deficits. ASD parents tend to present communication and cognitive flexibility deficits Due to their highly systemizing minds they outperform or at least have similar scores to parents of non-affected children in certain cognitive abilities, such as selective attention and visuospatial processing [1,2,3,4]. The administration of exogenous T and consequent increase in T levels in young and elderly women improves processing speed, selective attention, and fine motor and visuospatial skills [10,11,12]
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