The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic somatic trait and has been proposed as a biomarker for the organizational, i.e., permanent, effects of prenatal testosterone on the human brain. Accordingly, recent research has related 2D:4D to a variety of sex-dependent, hormonally influenced traits and phenotypes. The geographical variation in typical 2D:4D is marked and presen...

INTRODUCTION The second to fourth-digit-ratio (2D:4D), a putative marker of prenatal androgen action and a sexually dimorphic trait, has been suggested to be related with fitness and sports performance, although results are not univocal. Most studies however focus on a single aspect of physical fitness or one sports discipline. METHODS In this study the 2D:4D ratio of 178 adolescent girls (ag...

It has been proposed that high prenatal androgens, low prenatal estrogens, or both may be associated with a low (i.e., masculine) second to fourth digit (2D:4D) ratio. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between 2D:4D ratio and gender-role orientation. Participants were 423 male and 312 female university students ranging in age from 18 to 36 years. After filling in the B...

Previous research demonstrates that prenatal testosterone exposure increases aggression, possibly through its effects on the structure and function of neural circuits supporting threat detection and emotion regulation. Here we examined associations between regional gray matter volume, trait aggression, and the ratio of the second and fourth digit of the hand (2D:4D ratio) as a putative index of...

OBJECTIVE The data are conflicting for the association between the index-to-ring finger length ratio (2D:4D) and the risk of OA. The aim of this cohort study was to examine the relationship between 2D:4D and the risk of severe knee and hip OA requiring total joint replacement. METHODS A total of 14 511 participants in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study had 2D:4D assessed from hand photo...

In humans, the ratio of the second digit to the fourth digit — the 2D:4D ratio — is a sexually dimorphic trait (men, on average, exhibit lower 2D:4D ratios than do women) that is influenced by prenatal testosterone exposure, but not by circulating testosterone levels in adulthood. Consequently, 2D:4D ratios are commonly used as indirect measures of prenatal testosterone exposure. Many studies h...

The article by Coates et al. (1) adds interesting evidence that a low 2D:4D ratio in men predicts success, not only in sports (2, 3) or music (4), but also in job performance. According to the authors, low-2D:4D traders perform better (i.e., they earn more) because of basic characteristics: rapid visuomotor scanning and physical reflexes. However, they overlook another frugal explanation for th...

Background Intracranial aneurysms are life threatening conditions and occur in 3-6% of the population. The annual rupture rate is approximately 2% associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Hemodynamic information obtained by 4D flow MRI may contribute to the assessment of rupture risk of intracranial aneurysms. However, the small sizes of intracranial aneurysms require high spatial r...

This aims of this research are to determine if the 2D:4D digit ratio is related to subjective pain experience during tattooing and to examine gender differences therein. The study involved 43 male and 28 female Polish adults recruited from two tattoo salons in Wroclaw and Leszno in Western Poland. These subjects were asked if they felt pain during their tattooing and answers were recorded as ‘Y...

Prenatal androgen exposure affects the brain development of the fetus which may facilitate certain behaviors and decision patterns in the later life. The ratio between the lengths of second and the fourth fingers (2D:4D) is a negative biomarker of the ratio between prenatal androgen and estrogen exposure and men typically have lower ratios than women. In line with the typical findings suggestin...