A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents
Gender dysphoria (GD) is characterized by distress due to an incongruence between experienced gender and sex assigned at birth. Sex-differentiated brain regions are hypothesized to reflect the experienced gender in GD and may play a role in sexual orientation development. Magnetic resonance brain im...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/2/345 |
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| author | Malvina N. Skorska Sofia Chavez Gabriel A. Devenyi Raihaan Patel Lindsey T. Thurston Meng-Chuan Lai Kenneth J. Zucker M. Mallar Chakravarty Nancy J. Lobaugh Doug P. VanderLaan |
| author_facet | Malvina N. Skorska Sofia Chavez Gabriel A. Devenyi Raihaan Patel Lindsey T. Thurston Meng-Chuan Lai Kenneth J. Zucker M. Mallar Chakravarty Nancy J. Lobaugh Doug P. VanderLaan |
| author_sort | Malvina N. Skorska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gender dysphoria (GD) is characterized by distress due to an incongruence between experienced gender and sex assigned at birth. Sex-differentiated brain regions are hypothesized to reflect the experienced gender in GD and may play a role in sexual orientation development. Magnetic resonance brain images were acquired from 16 GD adolescents assigned female at birth (AFAB) not receiving hormone therapy, 17 cisgender girls, and 14 cisgender boys (ages 12–17 years) to examine three morphological and microstructural gray matter features in 76 brain regions: surface area (SA), cortical thickness (CT), and T1 relaxation time. Sexual orientation was represented by degree of androphilia-gynephilia and sexual attraction strength. Multivariate analyses found that cisgender boys had larger SA than cisgender girls and GD AFAB. Shorter T1, reflecting denser, macromolecule-rich tissue, correlated with older age and stronger gynephilia in cisgender boys and GD AFAB, and with stronger attractions in cisgender boys. Thus, cortical morphometry (mainly SA) was related to sex assigned at birth, but not experienced gender. Effects of experienced gender were found as similarities in correlation patterns in GD AFAB and cisgender boys in age and sexual orientation (mainly T1), indicating the need to consider developmental trajectories and sexual orientation in brain studies of GD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:25:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6771ecc3f36b49a0979d76a1711fb9cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:25:49Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-6771ecc3f36b49a0979d76a1711fb9cc2023-12-03T13:40:53ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832021-01-0110234510.3390/jcm10020345A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in AdolescentsMalvina N. Skorska0Sofia Chavez1Gabriel A. Devenyi2Raihaan Patel3Lindsey T. Thurston4Meng-Chuan Lai5Kenneth J. Zucker6M. Mallar Chakravarty7Nancy J. Lobaugh8Doug P. VanderLaan9Child and Youth Psychiatry Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, CanadaBrain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, CanadaCerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, CanadaCerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, CanadaChild and Youth Psychiatry Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, CanadaCerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, CanadaBrain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, CanadaChild and Youth Psychiatry Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, CanadaGender dysphoria (GD) is characterized by distress due to an incongruence between experienced gender and sex assigned at birth. Sex-differentiated brain regions are hypothesized to reflect the experienced gender in GD and may play a role in sexual orientation development. Magnetic resonance brain images were acquired from 16 GD adolescents assigned female at birth (AFAB) not receiving hormone therapy, 17 cisgender girls, and 14 cisgender boys (ages 12–17 years) to examine three morphological and microstructural gray matter features in 76 brain regions: surface area (SA), cortical thickness (CT), and T1 relaxation time. Sexual orientation was represented by degree of androphilia-gynephilia and sexual attraction strength. Multivariate analyses found that cisgender boys had larger SA than cisgender girls and GD AFAB. Shorter T1, reflecting denser, macromolecule-rich tissue, correlated with older age and stronger gynephilia in cisgender boys and GD AFAB, and with stronger attractions in cisgender boys. Thus, cortical morphometry (mainly SA) was related to sex assigned at birth, but not experienced gender. Effects of experienced gender were found as similarities in correlation patterns in GD AFAB and cisgender boys in age and sexual orientation (mainly T1), indicating the need to consider developmental trajectories and sexual orientation in brain studies of GD.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/2/345gender dysphoriacortical thicknesscortical surface areaT1 relaxometrysexual orientationadolescence |
| spellingShingle | Malvina N. Skorska Sofia Chavez Gabriel A. Devenyi Raihaan Patel Lindsey T. Thurston Meng-Chuan Lai Kenneth J. Zucker M. Mallar Chakravarty Nancy J. Lobaugh Doug P. VanderLaan A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents Journal of Clinical Medicine gender dysphoria cortical thickness cortical surface area T1 relaxometry sexual orientation adolescence |
| title | A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents |
| title_full | A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents |
| title_short | A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents |
| title_sort | multi modal mri analysis of cortical structure in relation to gender dysphoria sexual orientation and age in adolescents |
| topic | gender dysphoria cortical thickness cortical surface area T1 relaxometry sexual orientation adolescence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/2/345 |
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