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A Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study in Transgender Persons on Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy
- Source :
- NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Background: To date, research findings are inconsistent about whether the neuroanatomy in transgender persons resembles that of their natal sex or their gender identity. Moreover, few studies have examined the effects of long-term cross-sex hormonal treatment on neuroanatomy in this cohort. The purpose of the present study was to examine neuroanatomical differences in transgender persons after prolonged cross-sex hormone therapy. Methods: Eighteen transgender men (female-to-male), 17 transgender women (male-to-female), 30 nontransgender men (natal men), and 27 nontransgender women (natal women) completed a high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scan at 3 T. Eligibility criteria for transgender persons were gender-affirming surgery and at least 2 years of cross-sex hormone therapy. Exclusion criteria for nontransgender persons were presence of psychiatric or neurological disorders. Results: The mean neuroanatomical volume for the amygdala, putamen, and corpus callosum differed between transgender women and natal women but not between transgender women and natal men. Differences between transgender men and natal men were found in several brain structures, including the medial temporal lobe structures and cerebellum. Differences between transgender men and natal women were found in the medial temporal lobe, nucleus accumbens, and 3rd ventricle. Sexual dimorphism between nontransgender men and women included larger cerebellar volumes and a smaller anterior corpus callosum in natal men than in natal women. The results remained stable after correcting for additional factors including age, total intracranial volume, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Neuroanatomical differences were region specific between transgender persons and their natal sex as well as their gender identity, raising the possibility of a localized influence of sex hormones on neuroanatomy.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Male
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
medicine.medical_treatment
Corpus callosum
MATTER VOLUME
Transsexual
Androgen
0302 clinical medicine
Endocrinology
Sex hormone-binding globulin
Surveys and Questionnaires
Transgender
Medicine and Health Sciences
TRANSSEXUALISM
biology
Brain
Organ Size
HUMAN BRAIN
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Cohort
Anxiety
Female
medicine.symptom
Psychology
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
DATABASE
Transgender Persons
Temporal lobe
03 medical and health sciences
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Internal medicine
THICKNESS
medicine
Humans
Psychiatry
Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Morphometry
Estrogen
CORPUS-CALLOSUM
Hormones
Treatment
030104 developmental biology
DIMORPHISM
biology.protein
Hormone therapy
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Transsexualism
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14230194 and 00283835
- Volume :
- 105
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Neuroendocrinology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1641dff8080448e6a1208002802c200b