Study on brain differences?

[darkblade]

Hey,

I remember reading one place or another about a study (or more than one study?) where they said that that the brains of trans people more closely resemble those of their preferred gender than their assigned gender. Does anyone know how I can find that study?

I might've mentioned this to my dad and now he thinks I should get an MRI, haha.

At some point I wanna read through all the relevant literature but right now I have a hard enough time just doing work for class, so yeah.

[Cindy]

Most of the work has been from the Dutch team at the University Medical Centre in Amsterdam. The team leader is Baudwewijntje P.C. Kreukels, Sabine Hannema has done a lot of the MRI work and Sarah Burke is researching pheromone responses in TG vs non-TG people.

[Eva Marie]

Here is a page that has lots of links to the information you are looking for. Some of the links don't work anymore unfortunately.

https://lizdaybyday.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/one-stop-trans-brain-research-list/

This is an interesting video about our brain differences.

[Cindy]

I've also got a talk by Vince Harvey, a geneticist at Monash Uni, that he gave at the ANZPATH Conference on genetic mutations of androgen receptors linked to gender identification.

From memory there are currently over 50 genes associated with gender identification and if you have mutations in less than 5% of them then Hey Presto welcome to Susan's!

[stephaniec]

well, I personally know something is going on because I went from 60 years of depression without  E to a very comfortable brain with E.

[Cindy]

well, I personally know something is going on because I went from 60 years of depression without  E to a very comfortable brain with E.

You and me both Sis.

A life of chronic crippling depression to not enough minutes in the day to enjoy my life.

[darkblade]

Thank you Cindy and Eva Marie. It seems to me (based on people's posts on here) that it's generally harder on MtFs than FtMs and I wonder whether it's because testosterone is a stronger hormone. Haven't read up on much of the science yet but all this stuff is pretty fascinating I'm actually considering dropping everything and going into biology.. Lol

Here is a page that has lots of links to the information you are looking for. Some of the links don't work anymore unfortunately.

https://lizdaybyday.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/one-stop-trans-brain-research-list/

That's a pretty long list of papers! Will hopefully work my way through them 

[rachel89]

A possible experiment would be to give an androgen blocker and low doses of estrogen to both XY cisgender males and XY transgender females and compare MRI's of their brains. I don't think XY cisgender males will be very happy on androgen blockers and estrogen though, and the experiment could be unethical.

[Cindy]

It is a dichotomy, for FtM, T masculinises quickly and the changes are profound and stunning, however surgery is more difficult, and sadly less successful for bottom surgery. For MtF HRT can give less feminine facial and vocal changes but our bottom surgery is generally more satisfactory.

One day this will change and we will all be able to live the lives we deserve.

And as a Professor of Immunology, I have to say - study Biology

[Cindy]

A possible experiment would be to give an androgen blocker and low doses of estrogen to both XY cisgender males and XY transgender females and compare MRI's of their brains. I don't think XY cisgender males will be very happy on androgen blockers and estrogen though, and the experiment could be unethical.

Ahh completely unethical

The pheromone studies were fascinating. Using androstadienone, a male produced pheromone in sweat and semen, participants had three tubes on their chest with no idea what was in each, and neither did the researcher (double blind study) at set times the subject sniffed pheromone, placebo or a second placebo that was perfumed. At the same time their head was in the MRI for the brain scan. Cisfemales react to the pheromone, cismales don't, Gay males react but variable and a different part of the brain. Trans females responded the same as cisfemales, Gay males (assigned by themselves on sex preference) reacted but in a different part of the brain.

At the talk, Sabine passed around a container of androstadienone so we could sniff it. I was sitting next to a straight male colleague/friend who sniffed and shrugged and passed it to me, I felt woozy and turned to him and said, I feel like jumping your bones  . He gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me to take a cold shower