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Sex differences and brain development during puberty and adolescence.

Jiska S Peper1, Sarah M Burke1, Lara M Wierenga1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.

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Summary

Sex differences in brain development and behavior are debated. While pubertal hormones influence arousal, motivation, and emotion similarly in both sexes, brain structure differences don't always correlate with behavioral or cognitive sex disparities.

Keywords:
AdolescenceAffective processingBrain structureCognitionDevelopmentGenderHormonesSex

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Sex differences in behavior and brain development are a long-standing debate.
  • Understanding these differences is crucial for explaining the etiology of sex-biased illnesses with adolescent onset.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review studies on sex differences in normative brain and behavioral development during puberty and adolescence.
  • To examine brain and behavioral development in gender dysphoria.
  • To explore the link between pubertal maturation and developmental changes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific studies.
  • Analysis of research on normative development and gender dysphoria.
  • Examination of sex hormone influences during puberty.

Main Results:

  • Pubertal maturation is linked to changes in arousal, motivation, and emotion, with similar patterns in boys and girls.
  • Substantial sex differences exist in mean brain structure, but these are not consistently linked to behavioral or cognitive differences.
  • Little evidence supports sex differences in brain development explaining cognitive sex differences.

Conclusions:

  • The link between pubertal maturation and affective/motivational changes is largely similar between sexes.
  • Existing evidence does not fully explain behavioral or cognitive sex differences through brain development disparities.
  • Further research and methodological considerations are needed to clarify the relationship between sex, brain development, and behavior.