The research Male and female brains May vary Widespreadbut Not entirely conclusiveNow, new research has identified some notable differences between the brains of men and women, as well as individual differences based on an individual’s sex.
A research team from the United States and Singapore fMRI Scan Of 4,757 9- or 10-year-old children, 2,442 were identified as male at birth (AMAB) and 2,315 were identified as female at birth (AFAB), who participated in a study of adolescent cognitive brain development. (ABCD) Research.
This data was then matched with children’s responses about how they felt about their gender and parents’ responses to their children’s behaviour, particularly signs of gender. Gender identity disorder – Feeling that you do not match the gender you were assigned at birth.
“Herein, we use the term ‘sex’ to refer to an individual’s physical anatomy, physiology, genetics, and/or hormonal characteristics present at birth, and we use the term ‘gender’ to refer to an individual’s attitudinal, emotional, and behavioral characteristics.” write The team was led by neuroscientist Elvisha Damara of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York.
“Gender is not binary. However, in the ABCD sample analyzed here, all participants reported their gender as: woman or Man“
With the help of Machine Learning Using algorithms, the researchers identified broad differences in brain connectivity based on sex, as well as more subtle differences in brain connectivity related to sex – and, importantly, distinguished between sex-based and gender-based changes.
It’s important to be clear that this doesn’t mean that male and female brains are wired differently from birth, it just means that these scans show specific brain activity in networks. Link to movementCognitive functions such as vision and emotion are good predictors of whether the brain is male or female.
Although gender predictors are unreliable and ill-defined, they are correlated with gender-related predictors and, unlike gender-based predictors, are widespread across the brain.
“Sex and gender have traditionally been conflated in research, even though they should be studied separately.” To tell Damara.
These differences result from biological factors, such as genes and hormones, and how the environment, such as social experiences, influence the brain. Our brains are highly malleableOur internal experiences and how others treat us influence our gender.
There are some big implications here, such as the following conditions: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Parkinson’s disease diagnosed more frequently in AMAB Individualmeanwhile anxiety and Increased chance of Alzheimer’s disease Diagnosed AFAB people.
Gender, as well as sex, may play a role in this bias. And in a deeper sense More than I imagined.
“Women, AFAB people, and sex/gender minorities have historically been excluded from biomedical research. As a result, this group of people is more likely to be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed for common brain disorders.” write The researchers:
“Taken together, these results suggest that both sex and gender are associated with individuals’ functional connectivity, and that these associations may underlie sex and gender differences in brain-related diseases.”
The study authors acknowledged some important limitations of their study: The people who participated in the study had not yet reached puberty; Gender identity And the sentiment around it. In older age groups, the results may be different.
Given how strongly culture influences gender, more research is needed with a broader range of people from different countries and ethnicities. Brain research needs a makeover.
“This study reveals the complex and nuanced influences of biological and environmental factors on brain tissue,” Damala said. explain“And it shows that to fully understand health and disease across the human lifespan, we need to take a person’s sex and gender into account.”
This study Scientific advances.
