Sex chromosomal aneuploidy: prospective and longitudinal studies.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B G Bender.
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Serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and estradiol were determined at intervals before and during puberty in 40 individuals with Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY karyotype), of whom 27 had been detected in neonatal cytogenetic screening programs. Prior to the appearance of secondary sexual changes, basal serum hormone concentrations and acute responses to stimulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin were normal. The timing of the onset of clinical puberty was normal. Early pubertal boys showed initial testicular growth and normal serum testosterone levels, while serum follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol concentrations were significantly elevated. By midpuberty, the Klinefelter subjects were uniformly hypergonadotropic and their testicular growth had ceased. Serum testosterone concentrations after age 15 remained in the low-normal adult range. Serum estradiol levels remained high, irrespective of the presence or absence of gynecomastia. Exaggerated responses to gonadotropin-releasing hormone are seen in pubertal subjects with elevated basal gonadotropin values.
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Four infants identified through neonatal screening programs are an unselected sample of 47,XYY boys. No consistent physical stigmata or medical disorders were identified. Three have increased height. All four demonstrated problems in motor and language development. Although their intelligence is within the average range, all four have language-related learning disorders requiring special education. Mild depression was apparent in all four, perhaps as a secondary result of their learning disorders. Some of the problems seen in the propositi are found in milder forms in other family members, leading to the hypothesis that their karyotype may heighten vulnerability to pre-existing familial conditions. Similarities between these findings and results from seven other study centers with a total of 42 47,XYY boys are noted. Parents of a prenatally diagnosed 47,XYY fetus seen in our center are informed that the extra Y chromosome represents a risk factor for these problems, but that environment remains a primary force in shaping their child's development.
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In 56 structured psychiatric interviews parents were asked to describe their experience as participants in the Denver prospective study of children with sex chromosome anomalies in order to assess its impact on attitudes toward the identified child and on family relationships. It was found that most achieved satisfactory understanding of the diagnosis with minimal disturbance, preferred early disclosure, denied its influence on parent-child and parent-parent relationships, and were reasonably comfortable in sharing diagnostic information with the child. Environmental and cultural factors did not correlate with the responses obtained. Emphasis directed toward obstacles in the adaptive process permitted evaluation of reported parental anxieties arising from faulty or delayed communication of the diagnosis, a child's adjustment to problems of growth and development, and, for parents of children with 45,X and 47,XXY chromosome constitutions, anxiety regarding anticipated difficulty in sexual maturation and fertility. The assessment interviews afforded additional opportunity for clinical discussion and counseling with parents on issues of concern to them.
The increasing frequency with which the diagnosis of the 47,XXY karyotype is made requires more knowledge of the prognosis of this condition. We present four 47,XXY boys identified at birth and followed since then (Group I), and four 47,XXY boys diagnosed because of physical and/or emotional problems (Group II). Physical, psychological, language, and hormone data are presented. The physical and intellectual profiles for the two groups are similar. This is in contrast to the very poor school and emotional adjustment of the Group II individuals. These boys were definitely more difficult and problematic for their parents when compared to their siblings and to Group I who were unselected. This further emphasizes that the expression of this karyotype is variable and individuals with behavioral disorders may represent a maladaptive subgroup rather than the entire population of 47,XXY males. Recommendations are given for intervention with attention to learning and language problems, hormone status, and emotional state.
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The purpose of this study was to determine whether motor activity, previously assumed necessary to induce imagery in young children's associative learning, actually has to be executed. The results of our experiment with kindergartners clearly suggest not: In conditions where subjects simply planned to the potential motor activity (without executing it), learning was enhanced. Further, the temporal proximity of the planning to the potential motor activity did not prove to be important. These results, combined with those from 2 follow-up experiments, give rise to the speculation--among others--that young children can be "tricked" into imagery generation through appropriately worded instructions.
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PURPOSE: This report from the last phase of the 36-year Denver Study provides information about the adult life adaptation of 35 men and women with sex chromosome abnormalities (SCA) followed since their identification at birth. METHODS: Sex chromatin screening of 40,000 consecutive newborns between 1964 and 1974 resulted in the cohort of 35 SCA men and women followed to date since birth. Sixteen chromosomally normal siblings served as controls. Data constituting this report was obtained from formal and informal interviews and psychological testing conducted in the final year of this study. RESULTS: The nonmosaic SCA propositi had lower mean intelligence quotients and psychosocial adjustment scores than did siblings. Consistent with these results, propositi also had lower levels of educational achievement and career success, although most have completed school, married, hold full-time employment, and are financially independent. CONCLUSIONS: While the SCA adults demonstrated lower levels of cognitive and psychosocial competence, their overall adaptation has been positive, particularly given an early literature suggesting a high rate of psychopathology and severe dysfunction.