More than just two sexes: the neural correlates of voice gender perception in gender dysphoria.
Gender dysphoria (also known as "transsexualism") is characterized as a discrepancy between anatomical sex and gender identity. Research points towards neurobiological influences. Due to the sexually dimorphic characteristics of the human voice, voice gender perception provides a biologically relevant function, e.g. in the context of mating selection. There is evidence for a better recognition of voices of the opposite sex and a differentiation of the sexes in its underlying functional cerebral correlates, namely the prefrontal and middle temporal areas. This fMRI study investigated the neural correlates of voice gender perception in 32 male-to-female gender dysphoric individuals (MtFs) compared to 20 non-gender dysphoric men and 19 non-gender dysphoric women. Participants indicated the sex of 240 voice stimuli modified in semitone steps in the direction to the other gender. Compared to men and women, MtFs showed differences in a neural network including the medial prefrontal gyrus, the insula, and the precuneus when responding to male vs. female voices. With increased voice morphing men recruited more prefrontal areas compared to women and MtFs, while MtFs revealed a pattern more similar to women. On a behavioral and neuronal level, our results support the feeling of MtFs reporting they cannot identify with their assigned sex.
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance-Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany.
Jessica
J
Junger
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance-Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany.
Ute
U
Habel
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Sabine
S
Bröhr
Department of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Josef
J
Neulen
Department of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology and Communication Disorders, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Christiane
C
Neuschaefer-Rube
Department of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology and Communication Disorders, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Peter
P
Birkholz
Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry Division, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Christian
C
Kohler
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance-Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany.
Frank
F
Schneider
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance-Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany.
Birgit
B
Derntl
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance-Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany.
Katharina
K
Pauly
D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000523:psychology*; D014831:Voice