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Beyond the binary: Rethinking sex and the brain
1School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|January 13, 2021
Summary
The traditional binary view of sex and brain differences is challenged by the mosaic hypothesis. Human brains exhibit a mix of features, leading to a new, non-binary framework for understanding sex and brain relationships.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sexology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Traditional research often assumes distinct male and female brains.
- Binary conceptualizations of sex and brain relations are prevalent.
- Challenges to binary models arise from empirical evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the relationship between sex and brain structure.
- To evaluate the binary conceptualization of sex and brain.
- To introduce a non-binary framework for understanding brain sex differences.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on sex and brain.
- Analysis of evidence supporting and challenging binary models.
- Conceptual development of a non-binary framework.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests sex effects on the brain can be variable and context-dependent.
- Human brains display mosaics of features, not exclusively male or female.
- Sex category explains limited variability in human brain structure.
- A new non-binary framework positions brains in multi-dimensional space.
Conclusions:
- The binary view of sex and brain is insufficient.
- A mosaic hypothesis and non-binary framework better explain brain sex characteristics.
- This framework has implications for future research on sex-related variables.
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