Sean Prall: University of Washington School of Medicine

The developmental pattern of adrenal androgen production is unique to humans and chimpanzees, and this pattern is thought to have important implications in human evolutionary biology. Unlike other hormones, the ultimate role of adrenal androgens is not well understood despite the important physiological roles these hormones play. The adrenal androgen DHEA in particular has been implicated in shaping cognitive evolution, acting in an adaptive fashion to buffer the effects of stress, and as an important agent in bolstering immunocompetence. Recent research in the pattern of development in orangutans suggests adrenal androgen production is shared across higher apes, and is not likely related to primate social conditions. In humans, DHEA is found to play potent and diverse roles in different aspects of immune function, suggesting an important role for human ecoimmunology. Additionally, DHEA is related to acute and chronic stress activation, and may play an adaptive role in shaping acute stress responses. These results shed light on an evolutionary and physiologically relevant hormone, and implicates DHEA as an important mediator of human life history strategies.