Kia Ora,

Interesting....TED video clip...

"Professor Daphna Joel explores the mistaken concept that brains can be either male or female, thus providing an explanation for why men and women are different. She disputes the theory, displays the neurological data and proves that our brains are really a unique mosaic of male and female characteristics, forming an 'intersex brain.'

Prof. Joel's research interests focus on understanding the involvement of basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in normal and abnormal behavior, using mainly animal models of psychopathology. More recently Prof. Joel has expanded her work to research questions related to brain, sex and gender, and in particular the complex interplay between sex and environment in the development of psychopathology"




Metta Zenda

Kia Ora,

I would just like to add, that there was a theory going round a while back that more 'homosexuals' were born during and shortly after the war...This was put down to the mothers being 'stress' out, especially during the bombing of the cities etc...

No doubt some members here have also read about this...

Metta Zenda

Hi Kuan Yin,

Quote from: Kuan Yin on April 12, 2013, 09:08:09 PM
Kia Ora,

I would just like to add, that there was a theory going round a while back that more 'homosexuals' were born during and shortly after the war...This was put down to the mothers being 'stress' out, especially during the bombing of the cities etc...

No doubt some members here have also read about this...

Metta Zenda

Dr. Louann Brizendine, in her book, The Female Brain, eluded to this phenomena of stress during both pregnancy and post partum bonding. In the neuropsychiatric world this is a well accepted theory.

Huggs
Catherine

So, firstborns more likely to be gay or trans, maybe?
I know I'm first of a very (very) long list, and I certainly don't throw off that theory...

So stress can change one's gender? Hunh! I never knew that...*looks at mirror, thinks about that night when the brain was actually felt re-wiring from male to female*

Kia Ora,

I would suggest if you haven't already watched the video[in the link], then do...She explains in a bit  more detail what she means by changing the sex of the brain=The brain according to her is 'intersex'...

Metta Zenda

Quote from: Kuan Yin on April 13, 2013, 03:09:46 PM
Kia Ora,

I would suggest if you haven't already watched the video[in the link], then do...She explains in a bit  more detail what she means by changing the sex of the brain=The brain according to her is 'intersex'...

Metta Zenda

Ooooh, them be fighting words there. The intersex community doesnt like that kind of thinking. Ive always thought there might be some truth to the stress theory. When I was still in the womb my Mum was a barmaid in Germany and quite probably preparing to move to the UK with her hubby, since he was in the Military. And i was eventually Born in Scotland. Having moved to different countries a few times myself, I can tell you it is extremely stressful.

Quote from: Beth Andrea on April 13, 2013, 07:50:26 PM
I know what *I* meant by my post... ...It is what it is, whether or not "science" backs me up.

Quote from: Kuan Yin on April 13, 2013, 03:09:46 PM
Kia Ora,

I would suggest if you haven't already watched the video[in the link], then do...She explains in a bit  more detail what she means by changing the sex of the brain=The brain according to her is 'intersex'...

Metta Zenda

Kia Ora Beth,

I think we have cross 'wires'...My post was not directed at you personally...I just thought that the contents of the video link might be of interest to some who are reading this thread... hence my post "I would suggest if you[as in all that read this thread] haven't already watched the video[in the link], then do!"

How a person personally see things is their choice...Whatever floats ones boat....

Metta Zenda

Actually I did watch the video, and wrote a lengthy response, partly praising it, but mostly digressing (hence the reason I deleted it).

I found it interesting that the area with the dendrites she mentions is the hippocampus...which is the region I identified as being the area which was re-wired in me. Back then, I did not know anything about the brain's structure.

Kia Ora,

Now another interesting thing is : When a person de-transitions [for example a M2F] after being on HRT for quite a number of years[with 'E' hormones boosting the re-wiring process of ones brain]....What must it do to the brain, when one stops and then pumps it full of 'T' again[some de-transitioners start to take 'T' -so I've read]...

Mind blowing 

Metta Zenda

Wow, interesting theory.......

I don't fit tho, and seems from the comments, not many of us do. Another theory goes to dust?

I am one of the few who fit this. My mom was under a LOT of UNDUE stress due to trauma while pregnant with me. I have also had my own traumatic stresses in life. BTW, who is Kia Ora?   

Quote from: lissabuchannon on April 16, 2013, 12:24:54 AM
Wow, interesting theory.......

I don't fit tho, and seems from the comments, not many of us do. Another theory goes to dust?

Sorry to burst your bubble. The theory is very much alive and well respected in the medical fraternity, despite its crash and burn experience because it doesn't "fit" with you.

Below are just some of the adopted references currently in use. There is at least another 35 I can think of, that will further support the theorem.

Belsky, I and R. M Fearon (2002) Attach Hum Dev 4 (3) : 361 387
Bevenbaum, S., A. & J.M. Bailey (2003) J Clin Endocrinal Metab 88 (3): 1102-6
Bethea, C L, E.K Pau et al (2005) Fertil Steril 83 (l) 148-55
Block, M., N Rotenberg et al (2006) Gen Hosp Psychiatry 28 (1) 3-8
Block, M., D.R. Rubinow et al (2005) J Clin Endocrinal Metab 90 (2) 695-99
Bocklandt, S., S. Horvath et al (2006) Hum Genet 118 (6) 691-94

Cheers

Quote from: lissabuchannon on April 16, 2013, 12:24:54 AM
Wow, interesting theory.......

I don't fit tho, and seems from the comments, not many of us do. Another theory goes to dust?

I don't know. I got the idea from the video that everyone , even non-trans people fit... Brainwise, anyway. The whole idea is that there's no such thing as a male or female brain, and that anyone can go any way depending on a multitude of internal/external factors (not just stress). Definitely something to think about.

Quote from: Dawn Heart on April 23, 2013, 02:40:40 AM
I am one of the few who fit this. My mom was under a LOT of UNDUE stress due to trauma while pregnant with me. I have also had my own traumatic stresses in life. BTW, who is Kia Ora?

Kia Ora, the soft drink sensation that's sweeping the nation!

Really cool talk, both from a neuroscience and gender perspective. I think an important point to raise is that when people say, "male brain" or "female brain", they really are talking about a set of features that on average and in particular circumstances correlate with being male or female. But the way it's discussed, it's an absolute, binary, black-and-white thing. I guess that's generally how gender is treated in our society!

Regarding what this means for trans people, I would think she'd say it applies to us too. She doesn't make any claims about where the differences come from, just that it's a combination of biology and environment. There's genetics, hormones you've been exposed to, hormones you currently have in your system, how you were socialized, your general environment, etc.-- a whole lot of things can affect the things she discusses.

Just to clarify the whole "women's brains are smaller than men's brains" thing... In every other species, when comparing brain sizes, people studying intelligence balance against with the weight of the animal (as an approximation of size) to get its relative brain size. That gives us a much more useful number to compare against. But, surprise surprise, the sex difference finding is just about the raw weight of the brain. If you control for body weight, the difference in brain volume oh so mysteriously disappears and they're equal. (The stuff she said about average differences grey matter and ventricle size is still true.)

I totally wrote a post earlier explaining what she means about psychological gender differences overlapping much more than they differ, if anybody's interested.

Quote from: Dawn Heart on April 23, 2013, 02:40:40 AM
BTW, who what is Kia Ora?

Kia Ora Dawn Heart,

Tis just a Maori greeting, which Kiwis use... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_language

Or you can drink it in other countries...

Metta Zenda

Quote from: brainiac on April 23, 2013, 08:25:38 PM
Really cool talk, both from a neuroscience and gender perspective. I think an important point to raise is that when people say, "male brain" or "female brain", they really are talking about a set of features that on average and in particular circumstances correlate with being male or female. But the way it's discussed, it's an absolute, binary, black-and-white thing. I guess that's generally how gender is treated in our society!

Regarding what this means for trans people, I would think she'd say it applies to us too. She doesn't make any claims about where the differences come from, just that it's a combination of biology and environment. There's genetics, hormones you've been exposed to, hormones you currently have in your system, how you were socialized, your general environment, etc.-- a whole lot of things can affect the things she discusses.

Just to clarify the whole "women's brains are smaller than men's brains" thing... In every other species, when comparing brain sizes, people studying intelligence balance against with the weight of the animal (as an approximation of size) to get its relative brain size. That gives us a much more useful number to compare against. But, surprise surprise, the sex difference finding is just about the raw weight of the brain. If you control for body weight, the difference in brain volume oh so mysteriously disappears and they're equal. (The stuff she said about average differences grey matter and ventricle size is still true.)

I totally wrote a post ealier explaining what she means about psychological gender differences overlapping much more than they differ, if anybody's interested.

Kia Ora Brainac,

Thanks for the explanation...Breaking down what she said into layman/woman's term...

Metta Zenda

Quote from: Kuan Yin on April 24, 2013, 03:43:24 AM

Quote from: Dawn Heart on April 23, 2013, 02:40:40 AM
BTW, who what is Kia Ora?

Kia Ora Dawn Heart,

Tis just a Maori greeting, which Kiwis use... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_language

Or you can drink it in other countries...

Metta Zenda

Shalom, Kuan Yin!

It is a lovely greeting!

Shana


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

This article is about the greeting in Māori. For the soft drink, see Kia-Ora. For the locality in North Otago, see Kia Ora, New Zealand.

Kia ora is a Māori language greeting which has entered New Zealand English. It means literally "be well/healthy" and is translated as an informal "hi" at the Māori Language Commission website Kōrero Māori.[1] The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage website NZ History lists it as one of 100 Māori words every New Zealander should know, with a definition "Hi!, G'day! (general informal greeting)".[2]

It also signifies agreement with a speaker at a meeting, as part of a culture which prizes oratory as infotainment. Other Māori greetings, "Tēnā koe" (one person), "Tēnā kōrua" (two people) and "Tēnā koutou" (three or more people), are also widely used.[3]

Likewise, "kia ora" can follow a similar pattern to address different specific numbers of people. By itself, it can be used to address any number of people, but by adding "koe" (i.e. "kia ora koe") one can specify a greeting to a single person; "kōrua" (two people); "koutou" (three or more people); and by following with "tātou" one addresses all the people present, including the speaker themself.[citation needed]

The word is similar to the word "kia orana" found in some Pacific Island languages and with a similar meaning.[4]

Quote from: Shana A on April 24, 2013, 08:11:01 AM
Kia Ora Dawn Heart,

Tis just a Maori greeting, which Kiwis use... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_language

Or you can drink it in other countries...

Metta Zenda


Shalom, Kuan Yin!

It is a lovely greeting!

Shana

Kia Ora Shana, [Thanks]

Maori language, 'Greetings'  pronunciations ...



At work one of my Maori clients has been teaching the staff Maori proverbs...It's such a beautiful language...

He has gifted us one to use for the work logo

He ao Te Rangi ka uhia, ma te huruhuru te manu ka rere ai.

(As clouds bedeck the heavens, so do feathers to enable birds to fly.)

We provide our clients [the birds] the means [feathers] so they to can fly...


Metta Zenda