Los sexoesteroides y la diferenciación sexual cerebral: ¿la contaminación de xenoestrógenos modificaría la estructura social humana?

Xenoestrogens (XE), also called “endocrine-disrupting chemicals”, are industrial products that bind to sex-steroid (SE) receptors as weak estrogen agonists and/or androgen antagonists. It is well known that SE not only regulate reproductive function, but they also exert crucial influence on brain function and behavior. In this paper, we first revise the current knowledge on the SE influence on brain structure and function; then, we examine the scientific evidence on the behavioral effects of XE in mammals, and finally we analyze the possible impact of this industrial pollution on the structure of our society.