Prenatal sex hormones and finger length: Digit ratio (2D:4D) as a biological marker of early developmental processes in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Abstract

Sex differences (e.g., regarding age at onset and content of symptoms) suggest a potential role of sex hormones in the prenatal etiopathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To investigate whether these hormones are associated with OCD, the study used the 2D:4D digit ratio as phenotypic marker of prenatal sex hormone exposure. The study included 43 patients with OCD, 35 patients with depression, and 36 nonclinical controls. Diagnostic groups did not differ with regard to 2D:4D. In men with OCD, analyses showed a negative association between 2D:4D and OC symptom severity after controlling for depression. Moreover, a positive relationship between 2D:4D and the symptom dimension “washing” and a negative with “checking” was found in men, a positive association with age at onset in women (nonsignificant after correction for multiple testing). Future research should further pursue the hypothesis of a disturbed balance of sex hormones as a factor in the etiopathogenesis of OCD.