The role of sex hormones in human language development

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on the influence of sex hormones on early language processing and production in humans. It summarizes arguments and findings that demonstrate the importance of considering the involvement of hormone-mediated sex differences in any analysis of early vocal and language development from a neurophysiological perspective. Insights into the sex dimorphism of language lateralization, which is already evident in infants, support this approach. The concept of reviewing potential effects of the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone on early vocal and language development is based on recent findings of prepubertal hormone surges during infancy, which are comparable with pubertal effects in terms of their impact on brain development. A comprehensive survey of the research literature related to this newly developing clinical field is accompanied by a focus on existing assumptions on sex hormone-mediated effects on language-relevant neural circuits.