A new study suggests that sex and gender are represented differently in children’s brains. The findings, published in Science Advances, show that sex and gender have unique and overlapping associations with brain functional connections. Researchers from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research analyzed data from nearly 4,800 children participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
They used machine learning to predict sex and gender based on brain connectivity patterns. The study found that sex is primarily linked to connectivity within motor, visual, control, and limbic networks. In contrast, gender-related networks are more widely distributed throughout the brain.
Sex and gender have traditionally been conflated in research when they should have been studied separately,” said lead author Elvisha Dhamala, Ph.D. This research sheds light on the complex and nuanced ways biological and environmental factors influence brain organization.
The researchers emphasize the need to consider a person’s sex and gender to understand health and disease across the human lifespan fully.
Gender impacts brain network distribution
Many of the brain networks shown to be related to sex and gender in this study are implicated in brain disorders.
Prior studies have found that people assigned female at birth are more likely to experience mood disorders. In contrast, those assigned male at birth are more likely to be diagnosed with autism or attention deficit disorders. The present study shows that while sex is linked to specific brain networks, gender’s influence spreads more widely across the brain. Understanding how sex and gender affect the brain can help develop better therapies to treat mental health and other conditions,” said Anil K. Malhotra, M.D., co-director of the Institute of Behavioral Science at the Feinstein Institutes. The findings highlight the importance of accounting for both sex and gender in neuroscience research. The study authors believe that considering these factors separately can lead to a clearer understanding of brain-related differences throughout life.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
