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Sex versus gender associations with brain structure.
H K Luckhoff1, R Smit1, L Phahladira1
1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Summary
Sex and gender independently influence brain structure. Female sex is linked to larger subcortical volumes, while higher gender continuum scores correlate with thicker frontal cortical regions in healthy adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Limited understanding of gender's impact on brain structure compared to sex.
- Need to differentiate societal gender constructs from biological sex in population studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between sex and gender roles with brain structure (cortical thickness, subcortical volumes).
- To explore sex-specific gender role associations with brain anatomy in healthy adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized FreeSurfer for brain imaging analysis in 88 healthy adults.
- Assessed gender roles using the Bem Sex Role Inventory, calculating a continuum score.
- Examined associations of sex and gender continuum/domains with brain structure ROIs.
Main Results:
- Female sex correlated with larger basal ganglia, hippocampus, and ventral diencephalon volumes.
- Higher gender continuum scores associated with thicker superior frontal, middle frontal, and pars orbitalis cortex.
- Both female sex and higher gender scores independently linked to larger corpus callosum volumes.
Conclusions:
- Sex and gender demonstrate semi-independent relationships with brain structure.
- Findings support disaggregating sex and gender for a nuanced understanding of brain differences.
- Highlights the importance of considering both biological sex and societal gender constructs.
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