A New Brain Imaging Study Comparing Trans Women and Cross-Sex Controls Show Differences Based on Biological Sex

NEWS

A new study called “Sex Matters: A Multivariate Pattern Analysis of Sex- and Gender-Related Neuroanatomical Differences in Cis- and Transgender Individuals Using Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging” has been published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

There are some relevant quotes about possible biological reasons for trans identity. Trans peoples brains may share some similarities to cross-sex controls:

A better understanding of neurobiological sex differences in terms of prevalence discrepancies, differing disease trajectories and outcomes in diverse psychiatric conditions is indispensable (Cahill 2006). Research dealing with gender issues in neuroscience claims that our brains are individual mosaics of female and male characteristics, thereby rejecting the simplistic idea of a “female” or “male” brain (Maney 2014; Joel et al. 2015). In light of this general rethinking, our findings support previously published evidence demonstrating that the brain structure of transgender people partially converges on an assumed sex continuum, although we cannot conclude from our findings that it resembles the morphology of the respective gender identity (Swaab 2007; Savic et al. 2010).

This study, as well as other brain imaging studies, still shows that there are differences between trans peoples’ brains and cross-sex controls:

Generally, we can conclude from our analysis that sex has a major effect on GM irrespective of the self-perception of being a woman or a man.

GHQ covers most of the research around the biological causes of both transgenderism and homo/bisexuality and possible environmental influences. Our position is that brain imaging studies should also use gender nonconforming homosexual controls, as well as heterosexual cross-sex controls, to better understand the differences between trans and gay/lesbian people, as this is the main contention in the issue of transitioning children. Some children grow out of gender dysphoria and are more likely to be LGB adults.

REFERENCES:

Baldinger-Melich, P., Castro, M., Seiger, R., Ruef, A., Dwyer, D., Kranz, G., Manfred, K., Kambeitz, J., Kaufmann, U., Windischberger, C., Kasper, S., Falkai, P., Lanzenberger, R., Koutsouleris, N. (2019). Sex Matters: A Multivariate Pattern Analysis of Sex- and Gender-Related Neuroanatomical Differences in Cis- and Transgender Individuals Using Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cerebral Cortex, , bhz170. doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhz170