The role of sex hormones on the control of behavior during human puberty

Background How hormone fluxes during sexual maturation relate to various adolescent behaviors is poorly understood. Correlational data are of limited value regarding causal conclusions; a hormone deplete/hormone replete model is required for such purposes. Methods. Exogenous sex steroids were administered intermittently to 56 hormone deficient adolescents in a manner duplicating the changes of normal puberty. A 21-month study protocol was employed and involved exposure to testosterone (in boys) or estrogen (in girls) alternating with placebo, each treatment period lasting 3 months. Three dose levels of hormones were used and allowed analysis of a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial. Behavior testing was done within the domains of aggression, sexual behavior, mood, spatial cognition, and social competency. Results. Estrogen to girls and testosterone to boys caused significant increases in self reported aggression scores. Few willful sexual behaviors were influenced by sex hormones, though nocturnal emissions were related to testosterone administration. Mood, behavior problems, and spatial cognition were not affected by sex steroids. Significant effects were found for four of nine competency subscales. Conclusions. The overall activational effects of testosterone and estrogen during puberty are small or possibly permissive; attention should be directed to social forces as the primary influences on adolescent behaviors.