Atypical Gender Development

Question 1

what is gender dysphoria?

Answer 1

Chronic distress due to perception of sex & gender mismatch (excludes intersex conditions).

Question 2

what is the biological explanations behind gender dysphoria?

Answer 2

Androgen receptor gene was significantly longer in transexuals - This difference reduces ability of testosterone to cause development changes

Question 3

what are the changes in brain structure in transexuals?

Answer 3

Many sex and gender differences in brain structure and functioning - It’s possible that transexuals’ brains do not match their genetic sex

Question 4

what are some differneces between men and womens brains?

Answer 4

Brains are not 100% masculine or 100% feminine
Male brains are larger than female brains
Females have a proportionally thicker cortex and more grey matter/less white matter when compared with men
Men have larger ventricles (glymphatic structures)

Question 5

how can stress change the sex of the brain in 15 mins?

Answer 5

typical female neurons have more dendritic spines than male neurons (important for firing/processing speed)
After 15 mins of stress, researchers found a reversal in this pattern in the rat hippocampus
Therefore, physical structure of brain cells can’t determine sex - you need to know whether there was high or low stress. This is an interactionist/ diathesis-stress/ nature and nurture issue.
Many environmental factors have been shown to change the default sex of
developing brain regions Eg. All stages of life, size of social group, level of environmental stimulation.