Brain signature characterizing the body-brain-mind axis of transsexuals.
Individuals with gender identity disorder (GID), who are commonly referred to as transsexuals (TXs), are afflicted by negative psychosocial stressors. Central to the psychological complex of TXs is the conviction of belonging to the opposite sex. Neuroanatomical and functional brain imaging studies have demonstrated that the GID is associated with brain alterations. In this study, we found that TXs identify, when viewing male-female couples in erotic or non-erotic ("neutral") interactions, with the couple member of the desired gender in both situations. By means of functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that the TXs, as opposed to controls (CONs), displayed an increased functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area, which is associated with dimorphic genital representation, and anterior cingulate cortex subregions, which play a key role in social exclusion, conflict monitoring and punishment adjustment. The neural connectivity pattern suggests a brain signature of the psychosocial distress for the gender-sex incongruity of TXs.
Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hsiao-Lun
HL
Ku
Chia-Shu
CS
Lin
Hsiang-Tai
HT
Chao
Pei-Chi
PC
Tu
Cheng-Ta
CT
Li
Chou-Ming
CM
Cheng
Tung-Ping
TP
Su
Ying-Chiao
YC
Lee
Jen-Chuen
JC
Hsieh
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004882:Erotica; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult