Biological/neurological reasons for being asexual?

[Breathing Notes]

Sorry to bring up a "newb" question, but since I only recently found out I was asexual myself I've also wondered about any possible biological and neurological explanation during this "revelation".

Does there have to be one? No 8) , but one still wonder.

I can imagine there's a gazillion reasons people are "asexual" but is there ANY consensus that asexual people share some biological "traits"?

I've been reading a little on this board, and I'm not sure if one can conclude anything, e.g. IIRC asexual people do not necessarily have lower hormonal 'activity' than sexuals.

Edit: don't know if this is the right subforum to post this.

[RazorEddie]

This question gets asked quite often and the consensus is that there is no definitive cause.

From what information I have been able to find the only things I have found are that asexuals are slightly more likely to be introverted and there is some small correlation with autism. More autistics are asexual than the general population and more asexuals show autistic traits than the general population. However this does not in any way mean that all asexuals are autistic or vice-versa.

[Breathing Notes]

RazorEddie,

FWIW that makes sense to me. I'll read up on this possible link between autism and asexuality. Yes I know not all asexuals are autistic, but some might have some of the characteristics, - very interesting.

[Sally]

This question gets asked quite often and the consensus is that there is no definitive cause.

From what information I have been able to find the only things I have found are that asexuals are slightly more likely to be introverted and there is some small correlation with autism. More autistics are asexual than the general population and more asexuals show autistic traits than the general population. However this does not in any way mean that all asexuals are autistic or vice-versa.

There haven't been any studies that show either of those claims about autism/asexuality. Asexuality is not well-known enough to have a large enough population to study regarding correlations with any other personality trait or biological condition. Correlation doesn't indicate causation. Autism has been known and studied for many decades and although there are certain personality traits that are considered autistic, asexuality as an orientation is not correlated with autism.

[Janus the Fox]

Its all speculation, Asexuality has changed a lot from its medical textbook past. There has been no known significant study to suggest connections.

There has been interesting speculation with biological matters that a number of sexual hormones that regulate drive can result in a short term lack of any sexual attraction, libido or whatever and speculation that neurological problems mean sexual information is not processed properly, thus lack of sexual attraction.

But these are "fan theories" but until a researcher, scientist, sociologist or whatever has done the work to show a link however small, it's not really worth fretting over.

[RazorEddie]

Apologies in advance for the wall of links and numbers.

Let's hunt down a few polls here on Aven.
Aspergers Test (AQ) Whats Your Score?
45.31% said they had a score of 31+
Asperger's and Asexuality
34% indicated they were asexual and had at least some autistic characteristics. Due to the wording of this poll it isn't as clear cut as the above poll.
Do you have Asperger syndrome?
Yes - 14.72%, Yes + 'have a few symptoms' 58.89%

Let's find some other AQ polls:
Channel 4 'Autism test'
10.66% scored 32+
Otaku.cm 'AQ test'
17.65% scored 32+. Rather a small sample set so accuracy is dubious
Quarter to Three 'Autism survey poll'
3.8% scored 33+. Unfortunately they didn't show how many scored 32. Again a small sample set.
Social Anxiety Forum 'Do you have Asperger's?'
37.7% scored 31+. Social anxiety is a well known symptom of autism so you would expect the score to be high.
Sciforum 'Are you Autistic?'
21.42% scored 31+. This is a science forum. You expect a higher incidence of ASD.

There are more but I couldn't be bothered to include them. As you can see the only other AQ poll on a non-autism specific forum that came close was the social anxiety one. The scores from all of the polls are considerably higher than the official figure for ASD incidence of about 1.25%. This is not surprising as people with ASD or suspect they have autistic traits are more likely to take the tests.

How about approaching the problem from a different angle. Let's look at probably the biggest autism forum, Wrong planet
What is your sexual orientation?
14% voted Asexual
Sexuality and Autism Correlations
16% voted asexual 3% grey A, 6% demi
Autism and Sexuality: Are They Related?
23% voted asexual

These scores are way above the 'official' 1% figure. In my opinion heterosexuals were under represented in these polls. People who are not interested in gender issues are less likely to vote in gender related polls. Even so the numbers are striking.

I did find a few research papers:
'Sexuality in a community sample of adults with autism spectrum conditions'
L. Gilmour, P. M. Schalomon & V. Smith

364 individuals participatedin this study, 82 with ASC and 282 without ASC...

It was also found that there was no significant difference between ASC participants and non-ASC participants with respect to comprehension of sexual language. However, despite these similarities, a higher rate of asexuality was found among individuals with ASC.

Sexuality in a Community Based Sample of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

A total of 82 (55 female and 17 male) adults with autism were contrasted with 282 members of the general population on their responses to an online survey of sexual knowledge and experiences. Findings revealed that individuals with ASD display an interest in sex and engage in sexual behaviours and showed no significant differences in breadth and strength of sexual behaviours and comprehension of sexual language when contrasted with non-ASD participants. However, despite these similarities, a higher rate of asexuality was found among individuals with ASD.

Elevated rates of testosterone-related disorders in women with autism spectrum conditions

Erin Ingudomnukul, Simon Baron-Cohen, Sally Wheelwright, Rebecca Knickmeyer

Also noteworthy is the high percentage (17%) of the ASC group who stated that they were asexual or had a
sexual preference for neither sex.

Just out of curiosity I Googled the NICE (UK medical advisory body) website for 'asexuality'. This returned 7 hits - all autism related. I even found a link to Aven! It looks like they are aware of a higher incidence of asexuality in autistic adults.

To be honest I can't totally agree with their view on the subject though:

4.3.7.10 All staff working with adults with autism should be sensitive to issues of sexuality, including asexuality and the need to develop personal and sexual relationships.

@Sally, I agree with you that correlation doesn't indicate causation. However from my research there does appear to be some correlation.

[Sally]

I'll repeat what I said: "Asexuality is not well-known enough to have a large enough population to study regarding correlations with any other personality trait or biological condition."

Studies which involve autistic people being asked about their sexuality is only one half of the two populations you're talking about. There are god knows how many asexuals out there who still have never heard of the term (as I hadn't until 6 years ago) and may have been asexual all their lives and do NOT have autistic traits. Until that population is studied, no conclusions -- or even theories -- are valid.

And never mind the polls on AVEN -- they consist of answers from people who happened to see those threads and who happened to want to reply. Not exactly a scientific sampling.

[RazorEddie]

Studies which involve autistic people being asked about their sexuality is only one half of the two populations you're talking about.

True to a certain extent but if autistics are significantly more likely to be asexual then the asexual community will have a higher proportion of autistics than the general population. This is basic maths.

There are god knows how many asexuals out there who still have never heard of the term (as I hadn't until 6 years ago) and may have been asexual all their lives and do NOT have autistic traits.

I am not saying that all asexuals are autistic, or even that the majority are. However all the evidence I have found so far indicates a higher incidence of autism in asexuals. If you can find any evidence to the contrary, please let me know.

And never mind the polls on AVEN -- they consist of answers from people who happened to see those threads and who happened to want to reply. Not exactly a scientific sampling.

This is exactly why I included polls from other non-asexual and non-autistic forums. The have the same likelihood of people answering so they should represent reasonable controls. Additionally all studies into human behaviour are based on a random selection of test subjects. That does not affect their validity.

[Crooked Ascension]

Some asexuals are asexual because of childhood trauma. But there is not a proven medical reason why people are asexual.

[Sally]

Some asexuals are asexual because of childhood trauma. But there is not a proven medical reason why people are asexual.

i think more likely they are emotionally sex-repulsed rather than asexual. There are heterosexuals and homosexuals who've had childhood trauma and they are still heterosexual and homosexuals-- their orientation didn't change.

[DexM]

My Asexual traits have, at times, been put down to the type of Personality Disorder I suffer from. Combine that with the tumour on my Pituitary Gland and the significant damage it caused to my hormones, and most Doctors could find an "excuse" to take away my Asexual status. Personally, I see these and many other Medical reasons, to be just as mis-informed as the reasons that were bandied about in the early part of the 20th Century. Whether or not my illness was with me from birth, I still lived with the feelings I do today, a little less educated, and that has been my life from as far back as I can remember.

[shockkkk]

Some asexuals are asexual because of childhood trauma. But there is not a proven medical reason why people are asexual.

i think more likely they are emotionally sex-repulsed rather than asexual. There are heterosexuals and homosexuals who've had childhood trauma and they are still heterosexual and homosexuals-- their orientation didn't change.

Just playing devil's advocate here, but how is it possible to tell the difference between being emotionally sex-repulsed and being asexual?

I think there is overwhelming evidence that there exist correlations (both positive and negative) between asexuality and other characteristics. However, trying to find evidence of a causal relationship seems like a statistical nightmare.

[SorryNotSorry]

I'm of the theory that there will always be a small number of humans born with some kind of neurological deficits or other. To me, not having a libido is not much different frome being dyslexic, pitch-deaf, etc.