Abstract
Autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) are a category of neurodevelopmental disorders with symptoms of communication and social impairment, and the exhibition of restrictive and repetitive behaviours. Their occurrence is greater in males than females and this sex difference has played an important part in hypothesizing their etiology. The Extreme Male Brain (EMB) theory is a cognitive model proposed by Simon Baron-Cohen to explain the aforementioned sex differences and potential cause of ASCs. It is based upon his Empathizing Systemizing theory, which classifies individuals into one of five cognitive profiles (Type S, Type E, Type B, Extreme Type S and Extreme Type E). These cognitive profiles determine an individual’s ability to systemize and empathize. Systemizing is the ability to understand and derive the rules of a system, and requires deductive and analytical skills. Empathizing relates to understanding human emotion and behaviour, thus requires social and communication skills. Males tend to systemize better than empathize while females have an opposite profile. Based upon the EMB theory, autistic individuals would possess an Extreme Type S profile as their impairments in social communication can be explained by a deficit in empathizing, while their preoccupation with patterns and detail-oriented behaviour can be related to their high systemizing. Together, these cognitive models have resulted in the Foetal Testosterone (fT) Theory, which implicates high prenatal testosterone as a risk factor for the associated hypermasculinized cognitive profile of individuals with ASCs. This review paper assesses the validity of the EMB and fT theories by reviewing the literature relating fT with autistic traits in the general population. The seven studies confirmed a correlation between higher fT levels and an increase in autistic traits, but limitations need to be considered when generalizing this information to an ASC sample.
Highlights
Troubles du spectre autistique, théorie du cerveau mâle extrême, théorie d’em- pathisationsystématisation, théorie de la testostérone fœtale
Autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) or autism spectrum portant environmental factors cannot be excluded from disorders (ASDs) are a category of neurodevelopmental consideration
There appears to be a genetic component to conditions characterized by impairments in the domains of these disorders as exemplified by the higher recurrence communication, social interaction, and repetitive behav- rate in siblings (2-8%) and twins (10-90%)
Summary
Mots-clés : Les troubles du spectre autistique (TSA) sont une catégorie de troubles de la neurologie du développement présentant des symptômes de dégradation sociale et des communications, ainsi que des comportements restrictifs et répétitifs. La théorie du cerveau mâle extrême (CME) est un modèle cognitif proposé par Simon Baron-Cohen pour expliquer les différences entre les sexes et les causes potentielles des TSA susmentionnés. Selon la théorie du CME, les autistes auraient un profil de Type S extrême, car on peut expliquer leurs troubles de communication sociale par leur déficit d’empathie, alors qu’on peut relier à leur fort niveau de systématisation leur préoccupation au sujet des patrons et leur comportement axé sur les détails. Ces modèles cognitifs ont conduit à la théorie de la testostérone fœtale (Tf), qui stipule qu’un niveau élevé de testostérone prénatale est un facteur de risque pour le pro- fil cognitif hypermasculinisé des sujets atteints de TSA. Théorie du cerveau mâle extrême, théorie d’em- pathisationsystématisation, théorie de la testostérone fœtale
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