Sexual differentiation of the human brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation

Swaab, Dick F. and Garcia-Falgueras, Alicia (2009) Sexual differentiation of the human brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation. Functional Neurology; New Trends in Interventional Neurosciences, 24 (1). pp. 17-28. ISSN 1971-3274

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Abstract

During the intrauterine period the fetal brain develops in the male direction through a direct action of testosterone on the developing nerve cells, or in the female direction through the absence of this hormone surge. In this way, our gender identity (the conviction of belonging to the male or female gender) and sexual orientation are programmed into our brain structures when we are still in the womb. However, since sexual differentiation of the genitals takes place in the first two months of pregnancy and sexual differentiation of the brain starts in the second half of pregnancy, these two processes can be influenced independently, which may result in transsexuality. This also means that in the event of ambiguous sex at birth, the degree of masculinization of the genitals may not reflect the degree of masculinization of the brain. There is no proof that social environment after birth has an effect on gender identity or sexual orientation

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Gender identity, homosexuality, human brain, sexual orientation, sexual differentiation, transsexuality
Subjects:	600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 616 Malattie (classificare qui la Clinica medica, la medicina basata sull'evidenza, la Medicina interna, la Medicina sperimentale) > 616.8 Malattie del sistema nervoso e disturbi mentali (Classificare qui la Neuropsichiatria, la Neurologia) 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 616 Malattie (classificare qui la Clinica medica, la medicina basata sull'evidenza, la Medicina interna, la Medicina sperimentale) > 616.8 Malattie del sistema nervoso e disturbi mentali (Classificare qui la Neuropsichiatria, la Neurologia) > 616.85 Malattie varie del sistema nervoso e disturbi mentali di diverso genere > 616.858 Disturbi della personalità, sessuali, dell’identità di genere, del controllo degli impulsi, fittizi, dello sviluppo, dell’apprendimento; comportamento violento, ritardo mentale
Depositing User:	Danilo Dezzi
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2012 07:06
Last Modified:	03 Jul 2012 07:06
URI:	http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/3591

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