An enlarged suprachiasmatic nucleus in homosexual men.
Morphometric analysis of the human hypothalamus revealed that the volume of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in homosexual men is 1.7 times as large as that of a reference group of male subjects and contains 2.1 times as many cells. In another hypothalamic nucleus which is located in the immediate vicinity of the SCN, the sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN), no such differences in either volume or cell number were found. The SDN data indicate the selectivity of the enlarged SCN in homosexual men, but do not support the hypothesis that homosexual men have a 'female hypothalamus'.
Swaab
D F
DF
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam.
Hofman
M A
MA
D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology