The differentiation of the @entity1 brain is triggered by sexual @entity134 hormones in the fetus. The development of both the urogenital system and the appendicular skeleton are under common control by the HOX genes. Generally @entity1 have longer ring fingers than index fingers, whereas in @entity1 these fingers are close to equal. The inborn digit pattern may reflect fetal @entity172 / @entity342 influences on hemispheric brain specialization. Reduced hemispheric asymmetry has been found in @entity161 . Gender differences in @entity161 also suggest a possible endocrine component in the complex pathogenesis of the illness. To test this hypothesis the authors have measured the relative digit lengths of @entity1 with @entity161 and healthy comparison subjects. The distance of the tip of the index and ring finger was measured from the tip of the third digit in 80 male and 80 female, right-handed @entity1 with DSM-IV diagnosis of @entity161 and in 80 right-handed healthy comparison @entity1 and @entity1 . Schizophrenic @entity1 and @entity1 showed a more "feminine" phenotype of the index and ring fingers in both hands than same-sex controls. This finding implies that low fetal @entity342 / @entity172 ratio may have a predisposing role in the development of @entity161 and points toward involvement of endocrine factors in the disturbed hemispheric lateralization attributed to the illness.

Digit length pattern in XXXX suggests disturbed prenatal hemispheric lateralization.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'human', 'patients', 'men'] @entity172 :: ('MESH:D004967', 'Chemical') :: ['estrogen'] @entity134 :: ('CHEBI:35341', 'Chemical') :: ['steroid'] @entity161 :: ('MESH:D012559', 'Disease') :: ['schizophrenia'] @entity342 :: ('CHEBI:50113', 'Chemical') :: ['androgen']
@entity161 :: (MESH:D012559,Disease) :: ['schizophrenia']
