Publication date: Jun 24, 2025
These hormones dont just support pregnancythey directly influence fetal brain development. During pregnancy, the placenta has evolved into a specialized steroidogenic hub, creating a unique hormonal environment for the fetus. But the advantage of human placentas over those of other primates has been less clear. Fetal brain development is regulated by the placenta. (Credit: frank60/Shutterstock)The Placental Hormone FactoryHuman placentas are highly specialized among primates in their ability to produce massive quantities of sex steroid hormones during pregnancy. The paper notes that human pregnancies produce substantially higher gestational estrogen peaks compared to other apes, with placental hormone production reaching unprecedented concentrations. The human brain is remarkable and unique, but it does not develop in a vacuum.
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Autism | Brain |
| Chimpanzees | Brains |
| Intelligence | Cognitive |
| Pool | Compared |
| Pregnancythey | Evolution |
| Hormone | |
| Hormones | |
| Influence | |
| Placenta | |
| Placentas | |
| Pregnancy | |
| Reproductive | |
| Sex | |
| Social | |
| Steroid |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Autism |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Huperzine B |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Testosterone |
| disease | MESH | infertility |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Spinosad |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Oxytocin |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |