T and the brain?

[Edge]

What effects does T have on the brain? I can find information about what it can do to other body parts, but I can't figure out what the mental changes are. How does it affect energy, concentration, mood, etc?
(Sorry if someone has already asked this. If so, please link me.)

[aleon515]

I don't know, but one thing I have noticed is that I used to have a great deal of trouble finding my car in a parking lot (since my 20s, not an older person thing). I would do these little tricks like count the no. of cars and so on. Now I go out and just find my car. It's an odd thing. The first time I did this I was like, well this is just coincidence, but now I know it isn't.

--Jay

[Taka]

testosterone should affect certain abilities of the brain. not like you don't have the ability without t, i don't think that is possible, it's probably more like starting to use those parts of your brain constructively. all hormones affect your brain in some way, i think.

there are also receptors in the brain for sex hormones. the number of receptors is made to match a certain hormone level, and if you have too much or too little of one hormone in your body, that will be bad for your mental health. causes some instability. i think finding the right hormone levels, and balance between, as that matters too, will help the brain function better. at least it doesn't have to stress out over those gonads not functioning right.

there has been made research about the effect on the brain, but only on mice. rising the level makes them display more male pattern behavior, also in females and individuals that have been tweaked into the intersex range by scientists. part of that would be territoriality.

[Kreuzfidel]

I think that most of what we know about the way in which T affects the brain is anecdotal.  Some report increases in aggression, others report a complete mellowing-out (the latter seems to be the most common).  For myself, nearly all of my hyper-sensitivity and touchiness disappeared not long after being on T.  Ask 100 trans* guys on T how it affected their mental functioning or cognition and you may get 100 different answers. 

[Edge]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I start T tomorrow and I'm very excited, but nervous that there will be no change. (Yes, I know that some things won't change. I mean no change at all.) How soon will I notice changes?

[Jessica Merriman]

Being born male after 46 years "T" didn't do much for my brain. *giggle* 

[aleon515]

How long for changes. I think I got some within the first two weeks, but perhaps I was imaging things. I'd say you get some early changes the first 1-3 months. First changes: oily skin/acne, downstairs growth, increased hair on body (not face usually), increased voice resonance (not usually all that deeper).

@Jessica-- well E didn't do much for mine. But I believe that to be par for the course.

--Jay

[Kreuzfidel]

Changes - do not assume that you will get changes in the first two weeks. 

I would bank on the assumption that you will see and possibly hear changes within the first 5 months.  Anything before that is hit and miss.

[Edge]

Ok thanks.

[Taka]

i think the physical changes in the first three months are likely to be so small that they'll disappear if you go off t within that time frame. there's also a likelihood that some downstairs growth is the only sign you were on hrt that will be left if you quit after 6 months, in addition to a lower voice range. you might not be able to sing soprano again...

if you want to look for early changes, do it in your internal sense of well-being. if the t range is good for you, there should be a feeling of rightness, or a feeling of wrongness will disappear. not linked to your body, but other aspects like how you respond to different situations, how easily you cry, how anger is felt and expressed.

there are many reports of mtf people who have gone on hrt, but stopped after only a short while because the dysphoria disappeared. of course dysphoria came back when they stopped. that's how bad an imbalance in hormones can be to someone's mental state. i think i've also seen many ftm people tell about how something just feels right when they finally got on t. it's not necessarily just a placebo effect, it could also be that the brain is happy because those hormone levels suit it better. leaves you with more energy to anxiously wait for physical changes to happen though. (using mtf and ftm because not all of those are necessarily binary people).

i'm doing what i can to find a way to try hrt despite not being binary. it's to see if my dysphoria can be lessened by changing my hormone balance. that the physical changes happen so slowly compared to the mental effects is a good thing to me, because it will give me a chance to see if it is right for my brain before irreversible physical changes become too apparent.

[Edge]

Thanks, Taka. That was reassuring.
Sorry for asking more questions. How much does the voice change? Because I seriously sound like a chipmunk right now and it makes me want to rip out my own vocal chords. (I won't for obvious reasons.)

[spacerace]

if you want to look for early changes, do it in your internal sense of well-being. if the t range is good for you, there should be a feeling of rightness, or a feeling of wrongness will disappear. not linked to your body, but other aspects like how you respond to different situations, how easily you cry, how anger is felt and expressed.

I had no idea how true this is until starting T. I'm approaching two months in, and it feels almost like I have a center to myself that wasn't there before. The way I carry myself when I walk around seems to have changed. My anxiety when interacting with other people is still present, but now I can approach it with internal stability, allowing me to deal with it easier.

At the very first, I felt quick to anger and less patient. That is not true at all now. Instead, there is calmness, and I am so, so sure that starting T was the right choice for me. It truly feels like I am correcting a medical problem now.

Sorry for asking more questions. How much does the voice change? Because I seriously sound like a chipmunk right now and it makes me want to rip out my own vocal chords. (I won't for obvious reasons.)

What I did was watch a bunch of youtube videos of guys pre-T and then the same guy 1 month on T, two months, etc. It lets you see how it progresses. Be careful not to get your hopes up, everyone is different, etc etc

And congrats on starting T, Edge.

[Lexi Belle]

Thanks, Taka. That was reassuring.
Sorry for asking more questions. How much does the voice change? Because I seriously sound like a chipmunk right now and it makes me want to rip out my own vocal chords. (I won't for obvious reasons.)

Your voice will change a heck of a lot, don't worry.
Anyhoo,  Testosterone actually has A LOT of effects on the female brain, you will quite literally 'start' to resemble that of a natal male brain in many ways. (Obviously, there is no straight line in how male brains are)  Generally, I think both aggression and mellowing out should be expected on T.  The aggression might not be noticeable as aggression doesn't have to mean you want to punch a wall.  The mellowing out should be fairly likely to occur because your mind will be at peace with how your body is changing. (Reversing the dysphoria)

In any case your brain will change and most likely react just as any boy's would through puberty.

[aleon515]

Your voice will change a heck of a lot, don't worry.
Anyhoo,  Testosterone actually has A LOT of effects on the female brain, you will quite literally 'start' to resemble that of a natal male brain in many ways. (Obviously, there is no straight line in how male brains are)  Generally, I think both aggression and mellowing out should be expected on T.  The aggression might not be noticeable as aggression doesn't have to mean you want to punch a wall.  The mellowing out should be fairly likely to occur because your mind will be at peace with how your body is changing. (Reversing the dysphoria)

In any case your brain will change and most likely react just as any boy's would through puberty.

I don't know if I agree re: aggression. I think *anger* is closer to the surface, for me anyway, but everyone does not experience this. I also let it go faster. I'm easier to anger but easier to go "well that's over". But it may be how @Nidalexi is defining aggression.

Voice changes start earliest of major changes and continue a long time. I've heard of people 3 years on T saying their voice continues to change. Though it's not like I can usually really hear that.


--Jay

[Lexi Belle]

I don't know if I agree re: aggression. I think *anger* is closer to the surface, for me anyway, but everyone does not experience this. I also let it go faster. I'm easier to anger but easier to go "well that's over". But it may be how @Nidalexi is defining aggression.

Voice changes start earliest of major changes and continue a long time. I've heard of people 3 years on T saying their voice continues to change. Though it's not like I can usually really hear that.


--Jay

Yeah, that's probably a more accurate word for the characteristic.

[Edge]

Edge, did you end up starting T today?

Yes.

And congrats on starting T, Edge.

Thanks, spacerace.
Thanks, Jay and Nidalexi, although I disagree about the female brain thing. Until my brain is examined and there is solid evidence to the contrary, and I am inclined to believe my brain is male. As for aggression and anger, I already have that in spades, so we'll see how that turns out.

[Lexi Belle]

Yes.Thanks, spacerace.
Thanks, Jay and Nidalexi, although I disagree about the female brain thing. Until my brain is examined and there is solid evidence to the contrary, and I am inclined to believe my brain is male. As for aggression and anger, I already have that in spades, so we'll see how that turns out.

It's actually unheard of to the degree I am talking about.  The mere fact that you need T for your body relays that fact.
You probably have specific segments of your brain that have male proportion amount of neurons and possibly some male wiring, but in terms of overall brain mass// constructive brain usage you're probably more in line with your natal gender, as is true for almost every single TS in this world regardless of their gender.

Hormones have a very heavy influence on our brains.

[Edge]

Congrats, Edge. Keep us updated on your progress. I started T on Saturday, it's nice to find someone else whose starting around the same time :-)

Congrats to you too.

[androidnick]

What I did was watch a bunch of youtube videos of guys pre-T and then the same guy 1 month on T, two months, etc. It lets you see how it progresses. Be careful not to get your hopes up, everyone is different, etc etc

And congrats on starting T, Edge.

doing this is the worst thing you can do when starting off in my opinion. Just because you're so hyper-aware of everything. It made things worse for me at least. You need to remember that things will happen when they happen. That's what the guys on here reminded me and what I need to remind myself.

[Edge]

That's a good point, androidnick. Personally, I find it reassuring knowing (or hoping, rather) that it will change eventually.
I have a couple other questions if that's ok. Where can the T be injected? Do you inject it yourself or do you need to have help every time? My doctor helped me yesterday, but I don't want to go see her every time and I don't have anyone else to help me.