Found an old picture of me at 17, it explains a lot.

[Colleen_definitely]

From what I heard,  a simple brainscan doesn't show the differences. It's a close up inspection of the brain post mortem that does it.

With a really good MRI you could probably do the same, but the differences aren't quite as cut and dry as some might think.  There's a lot of overlap that makes diagnosing anything based upon these differences pretty tricky. 

[Allie24]

With a really good MRI you could probably do the same, but the differences aren't quite as cut and dry as some might think.  There's a lot of overlap that makes diagnosing anything based upon these differences pretty tricky.

I think the issue comes in with someone who wants to pursue transition but does not pass the brain scan test. Does this mean they are refused treatment? We veer then into an ideological debate, rather than a scientific one. To what extent do we allow an individual to determine what they are, and is it ethical to offer a treatment for a patient who does not require it?

[Julia1996]

I think the issue comes in with someone who wants to pursue transition but does not pass the brain scan test. Does this mean they are refused treatment? We veer then into an ideological debate, rather than a scientific one. To what extent do we allow an individual to determine what they are, and is it ethical to offer a treatment for a patient who does not require it?

That's kind of a issue right now. Treatment isn't refused but there is a big ongoing debate about some people being more trans than others.

[Colleen_definitely]

I think the issue comes in with someone who wants to pursue transition but does not pass the brain scan test. Does this mean they are refused treatment? We veer then into an ideological debate, rather than a scientific one. To what extent do we allow an individual to determine what they are, and is it ethical to offer a treatment for a patient who does not require it?

At this point I believe that running on the assumption that cis people generally don't pursue this treatment is the safest course of action.  Imaging the brain is neat, and might be useful for those on the fence about what they are (also families) but I would in no way advocate it as a primary diagnosis tool.