Another good, and current, research study. The full article is at the below link. It is easy for me to get lost in the technical aspects of the discussion. For those with time and interest, read the first few paragraphs in the Introduction where the authors provide a good summary of the science to date. In their Introduction, the authors state that the overall findings from functional studies point toward increased similarities between gender dysphoric individuals and their aspired gender.
Also note the authors summary:
By morphing original voices into an ambiguous gender range, we have shown additional sex differences in terms of increased activation in prefrontal areas related to higher cognitive task demands in men compared to MtFs and women, as well as a more female-like response bias in MtFs.
In sum, our data support gender dysphoric individuals' lack of identification with their biological sex. Brain activation patterns of MtFs differed from those of men and, partly, also from those of women. Thus, differences between MtFs, men and women in voice gender processing reflect a qualitative difference in behavioral and neuronal processing that cannot be easily located on a linear continuum between men and women.
Further research is necessary to replicate our results in other tasks and samples of FtMs. Facilitating the removal of the stigma associated with gender dysphoria and providing access to care to individuals experiencing severe distress due to gender nonconformity should be considered the primary goal of research in this area.
Trans individuals are truly unique, and in my biased opinion, we are unique in a special way. One day the rest of the world will realize this as well.
More than Just Two Sexes: The Neural Correlates of Voice Gender Perception in Gender Dysphoriahttp://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0111672#pone-0111672-g003Junger et al.
PLOS One, 2014
