An interesting study!

[AmberTG]

For those of you who like to read this stuff, I think this study about brain differentiation is worth reading.
http://www.annelawrence.com/brain-sex_critique.html

[Marla S]

Hm, I am not very into neuro-sciences, but always wondered what the direct correlation of the size and neuron count of a certain area to any kind of behavior might be.
(They tried it with intelligence (i.e. brain of Einstein) and other things too and couldn't find a general link)

I think the activity of certain brain areas to certain stimuli would give a better hint, though that is a very indirect measure too.
If I remember right they did such measurements to compare homosexuals and heterosexuals. Result being that there are distinctive activity patterns.

The fact that Zhou/Kruijver obviously had a misinterpretation of their data, doesn't mean that a "brain-sex" approach is wrong.
At least it seems to me that the conclusion derived from new data that there is no brain-sex is at least as speculative.

[ZenFrost]

Interesting article, but it can be very tricky to know stuff as far as the brain is concerned. I think they need to do a lot more research before coming to any conclusions.

[AmberTG]

ZenFrost, I agree with you on that one. So far, the only thing that they can say with some degree of confidence is that taking hormones of the opposite sex changes the size of certain areas of the brain over time.. That doesn't help at all to explain why or how we are TG/CD to start with. I think they still don't have a clue. It is an interesting article though.

Marla, I think the brain-sex idea is still a valid idea, they just don't have the technology to find the cause yet.

[PaulaJaneThomas]

It's a pity that the author felt compelled to even mention that twat Blanchard in an otherwise very interesting article.

[Maggie Kay]

I'll say Amen to that, Paula. I find the theory of autogynepheila insulting. Logically it is absurd. I love airplanes, doesn't mean I want to be one.....

[loriannetucson]

Well put, Kay. Funny even. I, too, think that the concept of autogynephilia will be discarded when most "latent secondary transexuals" like me (I do NOT like that label BTW) are allowed and are empowered to transition at a younger age. Frankly, I'm disgusted at the thought that just because I was born with a working, sensate oversized clitoris (that many call a penis), that must mean I want to "be an airplane" too. We are sexual beings. I hope I can retain my sexuality post op.

[melissaK]

Thanks for the link, however its Anne Lawrence. There's an agenda in the writing and in the degree of logic applied to critically attacking other studies' conclusions, and the lack of similar critical attacks on Lawrence's own conclusions.

But being a believer in the "free market place of ideas" concept that underlies our own First Amendment, you gotta read everything to learn whether or not the truth is yet discernable.

Puritan poet John Milton may have said it best some 300 years ago:



"Though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so truth be in the field,
we do injuriously by licensing and prohibiting to misdoubt her strength.
Let her and falsehood grapple; who ever knew truth put to the worse,
in a free and open encounter." Aeropagetica

hugs,
'lissa

[JoannaDees]

When I first saw the term autogynephelia I thought ooh ooh what is that. I read about it and thought how interesting. Does that make sense for me? More research showed differing viewpoints, and I'm still not sure. There is years of research to be done, but differences in the brain structure cannot be rejected. My travels on the internet have shown so many differing scientific and emotional views. I'm too old to do much about it, and I concentrate on being OK with me, what else can I do? What else can I do ...............

[MarinaTwelve200]

My area in brain study is "Functional anyalisis" rather than look at the physical structure of the brain, I observe and diagram how elements of it work---sorta like "reverse engineering" an unknown electronic device. One identifies specific brain functions, such as menory or visual identification and works out, diagramatically, how they work---eventually, they can be put together allowing us to chart out the entire functional model of the brain.

We leave the physical biological structures of these functions to the neuro biologists.

I initially got into this while researching artificial intellegence for computers, in an effort to identify individual functions and how to make them work in a machine context, but this has led to more brain study. Already I can see how perception works and sensor recognition. such studies have resulted in insights into conciousness, memory function, autisim, and yes, sex, sexuality and identity functions. Such research will lead to understanding of mental diseases and even allow us to develop intelligent machines in the future. On my own I have discovered several identity functions and a close parallell between "Mental telepathy" and the art/perception function.