Neuroscience and Sex/Gender: Looking Back and Forward

The association between 2D:4D digit ratio and sex-typed play in children with and without siblings

The 2D:4D digit ratio is commonly used as a surrogate possibly reflecting prenatal testosterone levels. Indirect evidence comes from studies investigating the association between 2D:4D and human characteristics that likely relate to prenatal testosterone. In children, sex-typed play reveals large sex differences early in development and an influence of prenatal testosterone is likely. Findings on the association between 2D:4D and children's sex-typed play are heterogeneous and other influences on the development of sex-typed play have been suggested, most of all social influences like siblings, their sex and birth order. The current study examined the association between right and left 2D:4D, a proposed surrogate for prenatal testosterone exposure, which was assessed in right and left hands of N = 505 6-month-old children, and sex-typed play behavior, which was evaluated 3.5 years later using the Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI), and the influence of siblings. To capture differential effects of siblings' sex and birth order, dummy-coded variables were used reflecting having no siblings as well as older or younger sisters or brothers. Multiple regression models were used to investigate the association between PSAI scores and sex, right and left 2D:4D, being a singleton as well as having an older or younger sister or brother. It was shown that sex and having an older brother were significant predictors for sex-typed play. Effects were further disentangled by conducting separate regression analyses in boys and girls. In boys, a significant association between PSAI scores and having an older brother was revealed, in girls, no significant associations were found. Results are discussed highlighting the non-significant association between 2D:4D and children's sex-typed play, which weakens the applicability of 2D:4D as a surrogate reflecting influences of prenatal T. Further, the importance of social factors like siblings on children's sex-typed play is discussed.

Sex differences of signal complexity at resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and their associations with the estrogen-signaling pathway in the brain

Sex differences in the brain have been widely reported and may hold the key to elucidating sex differences in many medical conditions and drug response. However, the molecular correlates of these sex differences in structural and functional brain measures in the human brain remain unclear. Herein, we used sample entropy (SampEn) to quantify the signal complexity of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) in a large neuroimaging cohort (N = 1,642). The frontoparietal control network and the cingulo-opercular network had high signal complexity while the cerebellar and sensory motor networks had low signal complexity in both men and women. Compared with those in male brains, we found greater signal complexity in all functional brain networks in female brains with the default mode network exhibiting the largest sex difference. Using the gene expression data in brain tissues, we identified genes that were significantly associated with sex differences in brain signal complexity. The significant genes were enriched in the gene sets that were differentially expressed between the brain cortex and other tissues, the estrogen-signaling pathway, and the biological function of neural plasticity. In particular, the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 gene in the estrogen-signaling pathway was expressed more in brain regions with greater sex differences in SampEn. In conclusion, greater complexity in female brains may reflect the interactions between sex hormone fluctuations and neuromodulation of estrogen in women.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-023-09954-y.

Sex, gender diversity, and brain structure in early adolescence

There remains little consensus about the relationship between sex and brain structure, particularly in early adolescence. Moreover, few pediatric neuroimaging studies have analyzed both sex and gender as variables of interest-many of which included small sample sizes and relied on binary definitions of gender. The current study examined gender diversity with a continuous felt-gender score and categorized sex based on X and Y allele frequency in a large sample of children ages 9-11 years old (N = 7195). Then, a statistical model-building approach was employed to determine whether gender diversity and sex independently or jointly relate to brain morphology, including subcortical volume, cortical thickness, gyrification, and white matter microstructure. Additional sensitivity analyses found that male versus female differences in gyrification and white matter were largely accounted for by total brain volume, rather than sex per se. The model with sex, but not gender diversity, was the best-fitting model in 60.1% of gray matter regions and 61.9% of white matter regions after adjusting for brain volume. The proportion of variance accounted for by sex was negligible to small in all cases. While models including felt-gender explained a greater amount of variance in a few regions, the felt-gender score alone was not a significant predictor on its own for any white or gray matter regions examined. Overall, these findings demonstrate that at ages 9-11 years old, sex accounts for a small proportion of variance in brain structure, while gender diversity is not directly associated with neurostructural diversity.

White matter microstructure in transmasculine and cisgender adolescents: A multiparametric and multivariate study

Adolescence is a sensitive developmental period for neural sex/gender differentiation. The present study used multiparametric mapping to better characterize adolescent white matter (WM) microstructure. WM microstructure was investigated using diffusion tensor indices (fractional anisotropy; mean, radial, and axial diffusivity [AD]) and quantitative T1 relaxometry (T1) in hormone therapy naïve adolescent cisgender girls, cisgender boys, and transgender boys (i.e., assigned female at birth and diagnosed with gender dysphoria). Diffusion indices were first analyzed for group differences using tract-based spatial statistics, which revealed a group difference in AD. Thus, two multiparametric and multivariate analyses assessed AD in conjunction with T1 relaxation time, and with respect to developmental proxy variables (i.e., age, serum estradiol, pubertal development, sexual attraction) thought to be relevant to adolescent brain development. The multivariate analyses showed a shared pattern between AD and T1 such that higher AD was associated with longer T1, and AD and T1 strongly related to all five developmental variables in cisgender boys (10 significant correlations, r range: 0.21-0.73). There were fewer significant correlations between the brain and developmental variables in cisgender girls (three correlations, r range: -0.54-0.54) and transgender boys (two correlations, r range: -0.59-0.77). Specifically, AD related to direction of sexual attraction (i.e., gynephilia, androphilia) in all groups, and T1 related to estradiol inversely in cisgender boys compared with transgender boys. These brain patterns may be indicative of less myelination and tissue density in cisgender boys, which corroborates other reports of protracted WM development in cisgender boys. Further, these findings highlight the importance of considering developmental trajectory when assessing the subtleties of neural structure associated with variations in sex, gender, and sexual attraction.

Sex differences in development of functional connections in the face processing network

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Understanding sex differences in typical development of the face processing network is important for elucidating disruptions during atypical development in sex-linked developmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder. Based on prior sex difference studies in other cognitive domains, this study examined whether females show increased integration of core and extended face regions with age for face viewing, while males would show increased segregation.

METHODS

This study used a cross-sectional design with typically developing children and adults (n = 133) and a functional MRI face localizer task. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis examined functional connectivity between canonical and extended face processing network regions with age, with greater segregation indexed by decreased core-extended region connectivity with age and greater integration indexed by increased core-extended region connectivity with age.

RESULTS

PPI analysis confirmed increased segregation for males-right fusiform face area (FFA) coupling to right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) opercular when viewing faces and left amygdala when viewing objects decreased with age. Females showed increased integration with age (increased coupling of the right FFA to right IFG opercular region and right occipital face area [OFA] to right IFG orbital when viewing faces and objects, respectively) and increased segregation (decreased coupling with age of the right OFA with IFG opercular region when viewing faces).

CONCLUSIONS

Development of core and extended face processing network connectivity follows sexually dimorphic paths. These differential changes mostly occur across childhood and adolescence, with males experiencing segregation and females both segregation and integration changes in connectivity.

Sex differences in brain-behavior relationships in the first two years of life

Background

Evidence for sex differences in cognition in childhood is established, but less is known about the underlying neural mechanisms for these differences. Recent findings suggest the existence of brain-behavior relationship heterogeneities during infancy; however, it remains unclear whether sex underlies these heterogeneities during this critical period when sex-related behavioral differences arise.

Methods

A sample of 316 infants was included with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans at neonate (3 weeks), 1, and 2 years of age. We used multiple linear regression to test interactions between sex and resting-state functional connectivity on behavioral scores of working memory, inhibitory self-control, intelligence, and anxiety collected at 4 years of age.

Results

We found six age-specific, intra-hemispheric connections showing significant and robust sex differences in functional connectivity-behavior relationships. All connections are either with the prefrontal cortex or the temporal pole, which has direct anatomical pathways to the prefrontal cortex. Sex differences in functional connectivity only emerge when associated with behavior, and not in functional connectivity alone. Furthermore, at neonate and 2 years of age, these age-specific connections displayed greater connectivity in males and lower connectivity in females in association with better behavioral scores.

Conclusions

Taken together, we critically capture robust and conserved brain mechanisms that are distinct to sex and are defined by their relationship to behavioral outcomes. Our results establish brain-behavior mechanisms as an important feature in the search for sex differences during development.

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

Diagnostic of transsexualism and gender incongruence are terms to describe individuals whose self-identity does not match their sex assignment at birth. A transgender woman is an individual assigned male at birth (AMAB) on the basis of the external or internal genitalia who identifies and lives as a woman. In recent decades, a significant increase in the number of transgender people has been reported. Although, its etiology is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic, environmental and cultural factors have been suggested to contribute to gender variation. In XY animals, it has been shown that environmental endocrine disruptors, through their anti-androgenic activity, induce a female identity. In this work, we described four XY individuals who were exposed in utero to the xenoestrogen diethylstilbesterol (DES) and were part of the French HHORAGES cohort. They all reported a female transgender identity starting from childhood and adolescence. This high prevalence of male to female transgenderism (1.58%) in our cohort of 253 DES sons suggests that exposure to chemicals with xenoestrogen activity during fetal life may affect the male sex identity and behavior.

Carving the Biodevelopment of Same-Sex Sexual Orientation at Its Joints

Sexual orientation is a core aspect of human experience and understanding its development is fundamental to psychology as a scientific discipline. Biological perspectives have played an important role in uncovering the processes that contribute to sexual orientation development. Research in this field has relied on a variety of populations, including community, clinical, and cross-cultural samples, and has commonly focused on female gynephilia (i.e., female sexual attraction to adult females) and male androphilia (i.e., male sexual attraction to adult males). Genetic, hormonal, and immunological processes all appear to influence sexual orientation. Consistent with biological perspectives, there are sexual orientation differences in brain development and evidence indicates that similar biological influences apply across cultures. An outstanding question in the field is whether the hypothesized biological influences are all part of the same process or represent different developmental pathways leading to same-sex sexual orientation. Some studies indicate that same-sex sexually oriented people can be divided into subgroups who likely experienced different biological influences. Consideration of gender expression in addition to sexual orientation might help delineate such subgroups. Thus, future research on the possible existence of such subgroups could prove to be valuable for uncovering the biological development of sexual orientation. Recommendations for such future research are discussed.

Is sex still binary?

In this perspective article we discuss the limitations of sex as a binary concept and how it is challenged by medical developments and a better understanding of gender diversity. Recent data indicate that sex is not a simple binary classification based solely on genitalia at birth or reproductive capacity but encompasses various biological characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, and secondary sexual characteristics. The existence of individuals with differences in sex development (DSD) who do not fit typical male or female categories further demonstrates the complexity of sex. We argue that the belief that sex is strictly binary based on gametes is insufficient, as there are multiple levels of sex beyond reproductivity. We also explore the role of sex in sex determination, gene expression, brain development, and behavioural patterns and emphasize the importance of recognizing sex diversity in personalized medicine, as sex can influence disease presentation, drug response, and treatment effectiveness. Finally, we call for an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to study sex diversity and develop new categories and methodologies that go beyond a binary model.

Enhancing precision in human neuroscience

Human neuroscience has always been pushing the boundary of what is measurable. During the last decade, concerns about statistical power and replicability - in science in general, but also specifically in human neuroscience - have fueled an extensive debate. One important insight from this discourse is the need for larger samples, which naturally increases statistical power. An alternative is to increase the precision of measurements, which is the focus of this review. This option is often overlooked, even though statistical power benefits from increasing precision as much as from increasing sample size. Nonetheless, precision has always been at the heart of good scientific practice in human neuroscience, with researchers relying on lab traditions or rules of thumb to ensure sufficient precision for their studies. In this review, we encourage a more systematic approach to precision. We start by introducing measurement precision and its importance for well-powered studies in human neuroscience. Then, determinants for precision in a range of neuroscientific methods (MRI, M/EEG, EDA, Eye-Tracking, and Endocrinology) are elaborated. We end by discussing how a more systematic evaluation of precision and the application of respective insights can lead to an increase in reproducibility in human neuroscience.

Insights into Sex and Gender Differences in Brain and Psychopathologies Using Big Data

The societal implication of sex and gender (SG) differences in brain are profound, as they influence brain development, behavior, and importantly, the presentation, prevalence, and therapeutic response to diseases. Technological advances have enabled speed up identification and characterization of SG differences during development and in psychopathologies. The main aim of this review is to elaborate on new technological advancements, such as genomics, imaging, and emerging biobanks, coupled with bioinformatics analyses of data generated from these technologies have facilitated the identification and characterization of SG differences in the human brain through development and psychopathologies. First, a brief explanation of SG concepts is provided, along with a developmental and evolutionary context. We then describe physiological SG differences in brain activity and function, and in psychopathologies identified through imaging techniques. We further provide an overview of insights into SG differences using genomics, specifically taking advantage of large cohorts and biobanks. We finally emphasize how bioinformatics analyses of big data generated by emerging technologies provides new opportunities to reduce SG disparities in health outcomes, including major challenges.

Sex, gender diversity, and brain structure in children ages 9 to 11 years old

There remains little consensus about the relationship between sex and brain structure, particularly in childhood. Moreover, few pediatric neuroimaging studies have analyzed both sex and gender as variables of interest - many of which included small sample sizes and relied on binary definitions of gender. The current study examined gender diversity with a continuous felt-gender score and categorized sex based on X and Y allele frequency in a large sample of children ages 9-11 years-old (N=7693). Then, a statistical model-building approach was employed to determine whether gender diversity and sex independently or jointly relate to brain morphology, including subcortical volume, cortical thickness, gyrification, and white matter microstructure. The model with sex, but not gender diversity, was the best-fitting model in 75% of gray matter regions and 79% of white matter regions examined. The addition of gender to the sex model explained significantly more variance than sex alone with regard to bilateral cerebellum volume, left precentral cortical thickness, as well as gyrification in the right superior frontal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and several regions in the left parietal lobe. For mean diffusivity in the left uncinate fasciculus, the model with sex, gender, and their interaction captured the most variance. Nonetheless, the magnitude of variance accounted for by sex was small in all cases and felt-gender score was not a significant predictor on its own for any white or gray matter regions examined. Overall, these findings demonstrate that at ages 9-11 years-old, sex accounts for a small proportion of variance in brain structure, while gender diversity is not directly associated with neurostructural diversity.

The association between parental risks and childhood development: findings from a community-based survey in East China

BACKGROUND

Nurturing care is necessary for optimal early childhood development. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of parental risks in rural East China and assess their impacts on early development in children younger than three years old.

METHODS

This community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3852 caregiver-child pairs in Zhejiang Province from December 2019 to January 2020. Children aged 0 to 3 years were recruited from China's Early Childhood Development Program (ECD). Local child health care providers conducted face-to-face interviews with the primary caregivers. Demographic information of the participants was collected by questionnaire. Each child was screened for parental risk through the Parental Risk Checklist designed by the ECD program. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) was used to identify children with potential developmental delays. Multinomial logistic regression model and linear trend test were applied to assess the association between parental risks and suspected developmental delays.

RESULTS

Among the 3852 children included in the analyses, 46.70% had at least one parental risk and 9.01% presented suspected developmental delays in any domain of ASQ. Parental risk was statistically associated with the overall suspected developmental delay in young children (Relative Risk Ratio (RRR): 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 1.72; P = 0.010) after adjusting potential confounders. Compared with children with no parental risk, children exposed to 3 or more parental risks had 2.59, 5.76, 3.95, and 2.84 times higher risk of the suspected developmental delay in overall ASQ, communication, problem-solving, and personal-social domain, respectively (P values < 0.05). The linear trend tests found that the more parental risks, the higher possibility of developmental delay (P values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Parental risks are prevalent among children under three years in rural East China, which may increase the risk of developmental delays in children. Meanwhile, parental risk screening can be used to recognize poor nurturing care in primary health care settings. Targeted interventions are warranted to improve nurturing care for optimal early childhood development.

Genetics, sex, and gender

This review aims to give an overview of what has been discovered so far and what still needs to be analyzed about how sex and gender affect the disease development. These two terms are often confused and indifferently used. In principle, the term "sex" refers to biological differences between males and females, specifically reproductive organs and their functions, while the term "gender" refers to the social context in which people live and which contributes to a subjective sexual identity, masculine or feminine. This dichotomy, however, is not so rigid and both sex and gender influence different aspects of human health, such as brain, health and aging and drug treatment and pharmacokinetics. In particular, we want to focus on genetic differences between men and women: indeed, the expression of the genes mapped on X chromosome or Y chromosome and all epigenetic interactions affect the diseases development. Finally, we will briefly outline sex and gender differences in clinical manifestations of three neurological diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and obsessive compulsive disorder. In the era of personalized medicine, we must not forget the importance of gender medicine to promote personalized care for any kind of patients.

Sex and gender in neurodevelopmental conditions

Health-related conditions often differ qualitatively or quantitatively between individuals of different birth-assigned sexes and gender identities, and/or with different gendered experiences, requiring tailored care. Studying the moderating and mediating effects of sex-related and gender-related factors on impairment, disability, wellbeing and health is of paramount importance especially for neurodivergent individuals, who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions with uneven sex/gender distributions. Researchers have become aware of the myriad influences that sex-related and gender-related variables have on the manifestations of neurodevelopmental conditions, and contemporary work has begun to investigate the mechanisms through which these effects are mediated. Here we describe topical concepts of sex and gender science, summarize current knowledge, and discuss research and clinical challenges related to autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions. We consider sex and gender in the context of epidemiology, behavioural phenotypes, neurobiology, genetics, endocrinology and neighbouring disciplines. The available evidence supports the view that sex and gender are important contributors to the biological and behavioural variability in neurodevelopmental conditions. Methodological caveats such as frequent conflation of sex and gender constructs, inappropriate measurement of these constructs and under-representation of specific demographic groups (for example, female and gender minority individuals and people with intellectual disabilities) limit the translational potential of research so far. Future research and clinical implementation should integrate sex and gender into next-generation diagnostics, mechanistic investigations and support practices.

Sex differences matter: Males and females are equal but not the same

Sex differences between males and females can be detected early in life. They are present also later even to a much greater extent affecting our life in adulthood and a wide spectrum of physical, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics. Moreover, sex differences matter also in individual's health and disease. In this article, we reviewed at first the sex differences in brain organization and function with respect to the underlying biological mechanisms. Since the individual functional differences in the brain, in turn, shape the behavior, sex-specific psychological/behavioral differences that can be observed in infants but also adults are consequently addressed. Finally, we briefly mention sex-dependent variations in susceptibility to selected disorders as well as their pathophysiology, diagnosis, and response to therapy. The understanding of biologically determined variability between males and females can have important implications, especially in gender-specific health care. We have the impression that it is very important to emphasize that sex matters. Males and females are differently programmed by nature, and it must be respected. Even though we as males and females are not the same, we would like to emphasize that we are still equal and together form a worthy colorful continuum.

Steroid Hormone Interaction with Dendritic Spines: Implications for Neuropsychiatric Disease

Dendritic spines, key sites for neural plasticity, are influenced by gonadal steroids. In this chapter, we review the effects of gonadal steroids on dendritic spine density in areas important to cognitive function, the hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Most of these animal model studies investigated the effects of estrogen in females, but we also include more recent data on androgen effects in both males and females. The underlying genomic and non-genomic mechanisms related to gonadal steroid-induced spinogenesis are also reviewed. Subsequently, we discuss possible reasons for the observed sex differences in many neuropsychiatric diseases, which appear to be caused, in part, by aberrant synaptic connections that may involve dendritic spine pathology. Overall, knowledge concerning the regulation of dendritic spines by gonadal hormones has grown since the initial discoveries in the 1990s, and current research points to a potential role for aberrant spine functioning in many neuropsychiatric disorders.

Low-dissipation optimization of the prefrontal cortex in the -12° head-down tilt position: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

Introduction

Our present study set out to investigate the instant state of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in healthy subjects before and after placement in the -12°head-down tilt (HDT) position in order to explore the mechanism behind the low-dissipation optimization state of the PFC.

Methods

40 young, right-handed healthy subjects (male: female = 20: 20) were enrolled in this study. Three resting state positions, 0°initial position, -12°HDT position, and 0°rest position were sequentially tested, each for 10 minutes. A continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) instrument was used to assess the resting state hemodynamic data of the PFC. After preprocessing the hemodynamics data, we evaluated changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) level and beta values of PFC. The subjective visual analogue scale (VAS) was applied before and after the experiment. The presence of sleep changes or adverse reactions were also recorded.

Results

Pairwise comparisons of the concentrations of oxyhemoglobin (HbO), deoxyhemoglobin (HbR), and hemoglobin (HbT) revealed significant differences in the aforementioned positions. Specifically, the average rsFC of PFC showed a gradual increase throughout the whole process. In addition, based on graph theory, the topological properties of brain network, such as small-world network and nodal degree centrality were analyzed. The results show that global efficiency and small-world sigma (σ) value were differences between 0°initial and 0°rest.

Discussion

In this study, placement in the -12°HDT had a significant effect on PFC function, mainly manifested as self-inhibition, decreased concentration of HbO in the PFC, and improved rsFC, which may provide ideas to the understanding and explanation of neurological diseases.

Inter-Network Brain Functional Connectivity in Adolescents Assigned Female at Birth Who Experience Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria (GD) is characterized by distress due to an incongruence between experienced gender and sex assigned at birth. Brain functional connectivity in adolescents who experience GD may be associated with experienced gender (vs. assigned sex) and/or brain networks implicated in own-body perception. Furthermore, sexual orientation may be related to brain functional organization given commonalities in developmental mechanisms proposed to underpin GD and same-sex attractions. Here, we applied group independent component analysis to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) BOLD timeseries data to estimate inter-network (i.e., between independent components) timeseries correlations, representing functional connectivity, in 17 GD adolescents assigned female at birth (AFAB) not receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy, 17 cisgender girls, and 15 cisgender boys (ages 12-17 years). Sexual orientation was represented by degree of androphilia-gynephilia and sexual attractions strength. Multivariate partial least squares analyses found that functional connectivity differed among cisgender boys, cisgender girls, and GD AFAB, with the largest difference between cisgender boys and GD AFAB. Regarding sexual orientation and age, the brain's intrinsic functional organization of GD AFAB was both similar to and different from cisgender girls, and both differed from cisgender boys. The pattern of group differences and the networks involved aligned with the hypothesis that brain functional organization is different among GD AFAB (vs. cisgender) adolescents, and certain aspects of this organization relate to brain areas implicated in own-body perception and self-referential thinking. Overall, brain functional organization of GD AFAB was generally more similar to that of cisgender girls than cisgender boys.

Recommendations for Resuming PA after Prolonged Rest in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Integrative Review of Relevance for Immunity

This systematic integrative review aims to summarize the protective effect of PA on children and adolescents, with special reference to the immune system. Periods of prolonged inactivity in children and adolescents are rare and due to exceptional events, such as illness or environmental circumstances, e.g., natural disasters, wars, or epidemics. The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced billions of children in developmental ages into inactivity. This exceptional event was the reason for studying the compensational behavioral strategies adopted by children and adolescents to counteract physical inactivity. Several studies showed the rise of spontaneous physical activity (PA) among children and adolescents to compensate for sedentarism. However, for some children, sedentarism could in turn foster other sedentarism. With the restart of "normal daily life" worldwide, a question is posed on both how to resume PA without causing damage and how to improve the immune response. Some key points emerged from the literature. Children must resume PA gradually using different methods, considering age, sex, health status, and the presence of overweight conditions. Immunity can be stimulated with PA by aerobic exercise, resistance training, flexibility exercise, relaxation, and coordinative exercises.

Psychological Care of Children and Families with Variations or Differences in Sex Development

Paediatric clinical psychology literature provides applicable evidence for use in specialist health care settings and services. The general approach of psychological care of children and families with paediatric conditions is recognisable as preventative and de-stigmatising, aimed to maximise personal agency with shared responsibility for achieving best outcomes via multi-professional teamwork. Recent commentaries regarding healthcare for children with different sex development (DSD), have noted service-level pitfalls including poor teamwork and underuse of early and integrated psychological intervention. Psychological research regarding the variously termed DSD, Variations in Sex Development (VSD, Variation in Sex Characteristics (VSC), or intersex, has historically centred around the assessment of sex differences, gender identity and the impact of including hormone influences on brain and behaviour. Psychological research in this specialist area has not focussed on the evaluation of specific clinical interventions or psychotherapeutic models but has investigated psychological aspects of multi-professional healthcare provision. There are new goals for psychological care of children with variation or difference in sex development. These require a framework of good communication to enable those receiving care to come to know and articulate their own hopes for treatment and support. Paediatric psychological intervention studies involving larger clinical groups such as diabetes, provide evidence applicable to DSD populations. A risk of stigma is recognised as inherent to some physical interventions within routine paediatric care of people with variations or differences in sex development. Psychological care and intervention should be aimed at minimising these risks via questioning and examining their assumed need. Psychological approaches can provide a foundation for ethical and rights-based multi-professional care of children with variation or difference in sex development.

An introduction to the Special Issue on “Sports Science: Evolutionary Perspectives and Biological Mechanisms”

The goal of the special issue on “Sports science: evolutionary perspectives and biological mechanisms” was to build a bridge to help the development of a coherent and unifying approach to the study of sport science within an evolutionary framework. By focusing specifically on the biological and psychological dynamics of sport performance and competition, we asked if sports can be used to study the evolution of human behavior, biology and psychology. Likewise, we asked whether this evolutionary approach could improve our understandings of the physical and psychological limits of human athletic performance and health.

Androgens increase excitatory neurogenic potential in human brain organoids

The biological basis of male-female brain differences has been difficult to elucidate in humans. The most notable morphological difference is size, with male individuals having on average a larger brain than female individuals^1,2, but a mechanistic understanding of how this difference arises remains unknown. Here we use brain organoids³ to show that although sex chromosomal complement has no observable effect on neurogenesis, sex steroids-namely androgens-lead to increased proliferation of cortical progenitors and an increased neurogenic pool. Transcriptomic analysis and functional studies demonstrate downstream effects on histone deacetylase activity and the mTOR pathway. Finally, we show that androgens specifically increase the neurogenic output of excitatory neuronal progenitors, whereas inhibitory neuronal progenitors are not increased. These findings reveal a role for androgens in regulating the number of excitatory neurons and represent a step towards understanding the origin of sex-related brain differences in humans.

Task-domain and hemisphere-asymmetry effects in cisgender and transmale individuals

The present research examined the extent to which transmale individuals’ functional brain organization resembles that of their assigned sex or gender identity. Cisgender-female, cisgender-male, and transmale participants, who were assigned female sex but did not have a female gender identity, were compared in terms of effects that have been observed in cisgender individuals: task-domain effects, in which males perform better than females on spatial tasks and females perform better than males on verbal tasks; and hemisphere-asymmetry effects, in which males show larger differences between the left and right hemispheres than females. In addition, the present research measured participants’ intelligence in order to control for potential moderating effects. Participants performed spatial (mental rotation) and verbal (lexical decision) tasks presented to each hemisphere using a divided-visual field paradigm, and then completed an intelligence assessment. In the mental-rotation task, cismale and transmale participants performed better than cisfemale participants, however this group difference was explained by intelligence scores, with higher scores predicting better performance. In the lexical-decision task, cismale and transmale participants exhibited a greater left-hemisphere advantage than cisfemales, and this difference was not affected by intelligence scores. Taken together, results do not support task-domain effects when intelligence is accounted for; however, they do demonstrate a hemisphere-asymmetry effect in the verbal domain that is moderated by gender identity and not assigned sex.

Ageing: Not only an age-related issue

Developments in the last century have led to an unprecedented increase in life expectancy. These changes open opportunities for humans to grow and develop in healthy and adaptive ways, adding life to years as well as years to life. There are also challenges, however - as we live longer, a greater number of people will experience chronic illness and disability, often linked to lifestyle factors. The current paper advances an argument that there are fundamental biological sex differences which, sometimes directly and sometime mediated by lifestyle factors, underpin the marked differences in morbidity and mortality that we find between the sexes. Furthermore, we argue that it is necessary to consider sex as a key factor in research on healthy ageing, allowing for the possibility that different patterns exist between males and females, and that therefore different approaches and interventions are required to optimise healthy ageing in both sexes.

Caloric restriction alleviates radiation injuries in a sex-dependent fashion

Safe and effective regimens are still needed given the risk of radiation toxicity from iatrogenic irradiation. The gut microbiota plays an important role in radiation damage. Diet has emerged as a key determinant of the intestinal microbiome signature and function. In this report, we investigated whether a 30% caloric restriction (CR) diet may ameliorate radiation enteritis and hematopoietic toxicity. Experimental mice were either fed ad libitum (AL) or subjected to CR preconditioning for 10 days and then exposed to total body irradiation (TBI) or total abdominal irradiation (TAI). Gross examinations showed that short-term CR pretreatment restored hematogenic organs and improved the intestinal architecture in both male and female mice. Intriguingly, CR preconditioning mitigated radiation-induced systemic and enteric inflammation in female mice, while gut barrier function improved in irradiated males. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing showed that the frequency of pro-inflammatory microbes, including Helicobacter and Desulfovibrionaceae, was reduced in female mice after 10 days of CR preconditioning, while an enrichment of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria, such as Faecalibaculum, Clostridiales, and Lactobacillus, was observed in males. Using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) or antibiotic administration to alter the gut microbiota counteracted the short-term CR-elicited radiation tolerance of both male and female mice, further indicating that the radioprotection of a 30% CR diet depends on altering the gut microbiota. Together, our findings provide new insights into CR in clinical applications and indicate that a short-term CR diet prior to radiation modulates sex-specific gut microbiota configurations, protecting male and female mice against the side effects caused by radiation challenge.

Influence of sex and gender on the management of late-stage knee osteoarthritis

PURPOSE

The exact nature of sex and gender differences in knee osteoarthritis (OA) among patient candidates for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains unclear and requires better elucidation to guide clinical practice. The purpose of this investigation was to survey physician practices and perceptions about the influence of sex and gender on knee OA presentation, care, and outcomes after TKA.

METHODS

The survey questions were elaborated by a multidisciplinary scientific board composed of 1 pain specialist, 4 orthopedic specialists, 2 physiatrists, and 1 expert in gender medicine. The survey included 5 demographic questions and 20 topic questions. Eligible physician respondents were those who treat patients during all phases of care (pain specialists, orthopedic specialists, and physiatrists). All survey responses were anonymized and handled via remote dispersed geographic participation.

RESULTS

Fifty-six physicians (71% male) accepted the invitation to complete the survey. In general, healthcare professionals expressed that women presented worse symptomology, higher pain intensity, and lower pain tolerance and necessitated a different pharmacological approach compared to men. Pain and orthopedic specialists were more likely to indicate sex and gender differences in knee OA than physiatrists. Physicians expressed that the absence of sex and gender-specific instruments and indications is an important limitation on available studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare professionals perceive multiple sex and gender-related differences in patients with knee OA, especially in the pre- and perioperative phases of TKA. Sex and gender bias sensitivity training for physicians can potentially improve the objectivity of care for knee OA among TKA candidates.

No relationship between prenatal or early postnatal androgen exposure and autistic traits: evidence using anogenital distance and penile length measurements at birth and 3 months of age

BACKGROUND

Autism is more prevalent in males than in females. Hypotheses related to the extreme male brain theory of autism suggest that heightened androgen exposure during early development contributes to autistic traits. Whilst prior research focused mostly on the prenatal period, the current study tests the influences of androgen exposure during both the prenatal and the early postnatal periods on autistic traits during childhood.

METHODS

Anthropometric measures that are putative biomarkers of early androgen exposure were employed. Anogenital distance (AGD) was measured at birth and 3 months of age in boys and girls. Penile length at birth and 3 months of age was also measured in boys. When the children were 9-13 years old, a parent-reported questionnaire (the 10-item children's version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient; AQ-10 Child) was used to assess autistic traits in 97 boys and 110 girls.

RESULTS

There were no significant associations between any of the AGD or penile length measures and scores on the AQ-10 Child in boys, girls or the entire sample.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study provides the first test of whether early measurements of AGD and/or penile length predict subsequent autistic traits. The current findings do not support a relationship between prenatal or early postnatal androgen exposure and autistic traits. The current study augments prior research showing no consistent relationship between early androgen exposure and autistic traits.

Sex differences in the social brain and in social cognition

Many studies have reported sex differences in empathy and social skills. In this review, several lines of empirical evidences about sex differences in functions and anatomy of social brain are discussed. The most relevant differences involve face processing, facial expression recognition, response to baby schema, the ability to see faces in things, the processing of social interactions, the response to the others' pain, interest in social information, processing of gestures and actions, biological motion, erotic, and affective stimuli. Sex differences in oxytocin-based parental response are also reported. In conclusion, the female and male brains show several neuro-functional differences in various aspects of social cognition, and especially in emotional coding, face processing, and response to baby schema. An interpretation of this sexual dimorphism is provided in the view of evolutionary psychobiology.

Superior Detection of Faces in Male Infants at 2 Months

Females generally attend more to social information than males; however, little is known about the early development of these sex differences. With eye tracking, 2-month olds' (N = 101; 44 females) social orienting to faces was measured within four-item image arrays. Infants were more likely to detect human faces compared to objects, suggesting a functional face detection system. Unexpectedly, males looked longer at human faces than females, and only males looked faster and longer at human faces compared to objects. Females, in contrast, looked less at human faces relative to animal faces and objects, appearing socially disinterested. Notably, this is the first report of a male face detection advantage at any age. These findings suggest a unique stage in early infant social development.

The Human Brain Is Best Described as Being on a Female/Male Continuum: Evidence from a Neuroimaging Connectivity Study

Psychological androgyny has long been associated with greater cognitive flexibility, adaptive behavior, and better mental health, but whether a similar concept can be defined using neural features remains unknown. Using the neuroimaging data from 9620 participants, we found that global functional connectivity was stronger in the male brain before middle age but became weaker after that, when compared with the female brain, after systematic testing of potentially confounding effects. We defined a brain gender continuum by estimating the likelihood of an observed functional connectivity matrix to represent a male brain. We found that participants mapped at the center of this continuum had fewer internalizing symptoms compared with those at the 2 extreme ends. These findings suggest a novel hypothesis proposing that there exists a neuroimaging concept of androgyny using the brain gender continuum, which may be associated with better mental health in a similar way to psychological androgyny.

A Multi-Modal MRI Analysis of Cortical Structure in Relation to Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation, and Age in Adolescents

Gender dysphoria (GD) is characterized by distress due to an incongruence between experienced gender and sex assigned at birth. Sex-differentiated brain regions are hypothesized to reflect the experienced gender in GD and may play a role in sexual orientation development. Magnetic resonance brain images were acquired from 16 GD adolescents assigned female at birth (AFAB) not receiving hormone therapy, 17 cisgender girls, and 14 cisgender boys (ages 12–17 years) to examine three morphological and microstructural gray matter features in 76 brain regions: surface area (SA), cortical thickness (CT), and T1 relaxation time. Sexual orientation was represented by degree of androphilia-gynephilia and sexual attraction strength. Multivariate analyses found that cisgender boys had larger SA than cisgender girls and GD AFAB. Shorter T1, reflecting denser, macromolecule-rich tissue, correlated with older age and stronger gynephilia in cisgender boys and GD AFAB, and with stronger attractions in cisgender boys. Thus, cortical morphometry (mainly SA) was related to sex assigned at birth, but not experienced gender. Effects of experienced gender were found as similarities in correlation patterns in GD AFAB and cisgender boys in age and sexual orientation (mainly T1), indicating the need to consider developmental trajectories and sexual orientation in brain studies of GD.

Women and Men Differ in Relative Strengths in Wisdom Profiles: A Study of 659 Adults Across the Lifespan

Wisdom is a multi-component trait that is important for mental health and well-being. In this study, we sought to understand gender differences in relative strengths in wisdom. A total of 659 individuals aged 27-103 years completed surveys including the 3-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS) and the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE). Analyses assessed gender differences in wisdom and gender's moderating effect on the relationship between wisdom and associated constructs including depression, loneliness, well-being, optimism, and resilience. Women scored higher on average on the 3D-WS but not on the SD-WISE. Women scored higher on compassion-related domains and on SD-WISE Self-Reflection. Men scored higher on cognitive-related domains and on SD-WISE Emotion Regulation. There was no impact of gender on the relationships between wisdom and associated constructs. Women and men have different relative strengths in wisdom, likely driven by sociocultural and biological factors. Tailoring wisdom interventions to individuals based on their profiles is an important next step.

Human gender development

Human gender-related behavior/psychology is shaped by a developmental system that involves numerous influences interacting over time. Understanding of the full range of elements in the system and how they interact is currently incomplete. The available evidence suggests, however, that early exposure to testosterone, postnatal socialization, e.g., by parents and peers, and self-socialization related to cognitive understanding of gender are important elements. This article focuses on prenatal and early neonatal influences of testosterone on gender-related psychological/behavioral outcomes, and contextualizes these hormonal influences within an understanding of socialization influences. There is consistent evidence that early testosterone exposure influences childhood gender role behavior, including sex-typical toy play, as well as gender identity and sexual orientation. Evidence for similar hormonal influences on spatial ability and on traits related to autism, or autistic spectrum disorder, is inconsistent. Evidence from girls exposed to elevated testosterone prenatally suggests that they experience alterations in processes of external socialization, as well as self-socialization, and that these, along with early testosterone exposure, shape gender-related outcomes.

Parental hostility predicts reduced cortical thickness in males

Although impacts of negative parenting on children's brain development are well-documented, little is known about how these associations may differ for males and females in childhood. We examined interactions between child sex and early and concurrent parental hostility on children's cortical thickness and surface area. Participants included 63 children (50.8% female) assessed during early childhood (Wave 1: M age = 4.23 years, SD = 0.84) and again three years later (Wave 2: M age = 7.19 years, SD = 0.89) using an observational parent-child interaction task. At Wave 2, children completed a structural MRI scan. Analyses focused on regions of interest. After correcting for multiple comparisons, Wave 1 parental hostility predicted males' reduced thickness in middle frontal and fusiform cortices, and Wave 2 parental hostility was concurrently associated with males' reduced thickness in the middle frontal cortex. Interactions between sex and parenting on children's surface area did not survive corrections for multiple comparisons. Our findings provide support for a male-specific neural vulnerability of hostile parenting across development. Results have important implications for uncovering neural pathways to sex-differences in psychopathology, learning, and cognitive disabilities.

Autistic traits, systemising, empathising, and theory of mind in transgender and non-binary adults

BACKGROUND

Prior research examining autistic traits in gender minority adults has reported mixed findings. Most prior studies did not include non-binary individuals. Little is known about the mechanisms shaping autistic traits in gender minority adults. This study examined autistic traits, as well as constructs related to the extreme male brain theory of autism and the mindblindness theory, in transgender and non-binary adults.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted to assess autism-related traits in 323 gender minority adults, including 74 transgender men (individuals assigned female at birth and identify as a man), 95 transgender women (individuals assigned male at birth and identify as a woman), 104 non-binary AFAB (individuals assigned female at birth and identify as non-binary), and 50 non-binary AMAB (individuals assigned male at birth and identify as non-binary). Autistic traits, systemising, empathising, and Theory of Mind (ToM) were measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the short forms of the Systemising Quotient (SQ-Short) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short), the 10-item version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ-10) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (Eyes Test). Participants' scores on these measures were compared with previously published scores based on large-scale general population samples including thousands of participants.

RESULTS

On average, compared with control females in the general population samples, both transgender men and non-binary AFAB scored significantly higher on the AQ and the SQ-Short but scored significantly lower on the EQ-Short, the EQ-10, and the Eyes Test. No clear or consistent group differences emerged when transgender women and non-binary AMAB were compared with control males.

LIMITATIONS

The present study does not have a large sample of gender minority adults. It has been argued that the measures employed may not provide a precise assessment of the psychological constructs of interest. The present study has a "non-clinical" sample. However, not all gender minorities have access to or require clinical services, and so a "non-clinical" sample may be more representative of the gender minority community as a whole than samples recruited through clinics.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings suggest a "masculinised" autism-related profile and reduced ToM in transgender men and in non-binary AFAB. These findings might be interpreted to support the extreme male brain theory of autism and the mindblindness theory. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Identity in Women and Men Prenatally Exposed to Diethylstilbestrol

We assessed the associations of prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure, a potent estrogen, with sexual orientation and gender identity in 3306 women and 1848 men who participated in a study of prenatal DES exposure. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were derived from logistic regression models adjusted for birth year, study cohort, and education. Among women, the OR for DES in relation to reporting sexual orientation identity as nonheterosexual was 0.61 (95% CI 0.40-0.92) primarily due to a strong inverse association with a lesbian identity (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.25-0.76). Among men, the OR for DES in relation to reporting a nonheterosexual sexual orientation identity was 1.4 (95% CI 0.82-2.4), and ORs were similar for having a gay identity (1.4, 95% CI 0.72-2.85) and bisexual identity (1.4, 95% CI 0.57-3.5). Only five individuals reported a gender identity not conforming to that assigned at birth, preventing meaningful analysis. Women who were prenatally exposed to DES were less likely to have a lesbian or bisexual orientation, while DES-exposed men were somewhat more likely to report being gay or bisexual, but estimates were imprecise.