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. 2021 Feb 28;19(1):26–45. doi: 10.9758/cpn.2021.19.1.26

Table 1.

Characteristics of studies evaluating 2D:4D in neurodevelopmental disorders, i.e., attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and intellectual disability (ID)

Diagnosis (tool) First author Year Country Patients Controls Hand 2D:4D measurement tool


Number Mean age (range) Male, n (%) Number Mean age (range) Male, n (%)
ADHD (DSM-IV) Buru 2017 Turkey 104 / (7−17) 77 (74.03) 436 / (7−17) 240 (55.04) L, R Digital compass (direct)
ADHD (DSM-IV-TR) Lemiere 2010 Belgium 64 / (7−12) 47 (73.44) 46 / (7−12) 25 (54.35) / Scanned photocopies (indirect)
ADHD (Clinical) Martel 2009 USA 168 12.71 (8−17) 106 (63.10) 144 14.01 (8−17) 72 (50) R Ruler (direct)
ADHD (DSM-IV-TR) McFadden 2005 USA 46 9.83 (7−15) 34 (73.91) 33 10.6 (7−15) 17 (51.51) L, R Photocopy or digital scanner (indirect)
ASD (DSM-IV) Al-Zaid 2015 Saudi Arabia 31 5.59 (3−8) 31 (100) 29 5.59 (3−8) 29 (100) R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (DSM-IV-TR, ADOS) Baharara 2014 Iran 48 7.38 (7−8) 38 (79.17) 41 7.46 (7−8) 31 (75.61) L, R Ruler (direct)
ASD (Clinical, ADOS) Bejerot 2012 Sweden 50 30 (20−47) 26 (52) 53 30.3 (20−47) 28 (52.83) L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (DSM-IV) De Bruin 2006 The Netherlands 24 9 (6−14) 24 (100) 96 9 (6−13) 96 (100) L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (DSM-IV-TR) Falter 2008 UK 28 12.7 (/) 27 (96.43) 28 12.7 (/) 27 (96.43) L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (ADI-R) Hauth 2014 The Netherlands 216 11.6 (4−21) 178 (82.40) 174 11 (4−21) 79 (45.40) L, R Tape (indirect)
ASD (DSM-IV) Krajmer 2011 Slovak Republic 56 11.2 (/) 56 (100) 32 12.1 (/) 32 (100) R Scanner (indirect)
ASD (DSM-IV-TR, ICD-10) Lai 2013 UK 60 27.5 (18−49) 0 60 27.8 (18−49) 0 L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (DSM-5, DISCO) Masuya 2015 Japan 52 28.5 (/) 35 (67.31) 116 27.74 (/) 59 (42.45) L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (DSM-IV) Milne 2006 UK 23 10.8 (/) 22 (95.65) 23 10.8 (/) 10 (43.48) / Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (ASQ) Manning 2001 UK 72 / (2−15) 62 (86.11) 72 / (2−15) 62 (86.11) Mean L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (DSM-IV) Noipayak 2009 Thailand 46 5.25 (1.5−15) 39 (84.78) 46 5.25 (1.5−15) 39 (84.78) L, R Digital Caliper (direct)
ASD (Clinical) Rohde 2018 Germany 26 42.86 (20−55) 14 (53.84) 26 41.44 (20−55) 14 (53.85) R Ruler (direct)
ASD (ADOS, ADI-R) Schieve 2018 USA 599 / (2−5) 487 (81.30) 811 / (2−5) 431 (53.14) L, R Scanner (indirect)
ASD (DSM-IV) Sugie 2010 Japan 98 12.7 (5−31) 82 (85.71) 89 / / R Digital Camera (indirect)
ASD (DSM-IV-TR) Togo 2019 Japan 20 26.75 (/) 20 (100) 14 26 (/) 14 (100) L, R Digital Photos (indirect)
Intellectual disability (WISC-III) Ypsilanti 2008 Greece 100 17.4 (14−18) 47 (47) 85 19.24 (18−23) 37 (43.53) R Digital Caliper (direct)

2D:4D, Second-to-fourth Digit Ratio ADI-R, Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised; ADOS, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; ASQ, Autism Screening Questionnaire; DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; L, left; R, right; WISC-III, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition; ICD, International Classification of Diseases; DISCO, Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders; /, not available.