This study will provide valuable information on the neurobiological underpinning of gender dysphoria (GD) and the effects of sex hormones, and promises to uncover functional or structural neural patterns that could predict outcome in terms of body image and quality of life after cross-sex hormone treatment.
Gender Identity and Own Body Perception- Implications for the Neurobiology of Gender Dysphoria
The purpose of this study is to understand the neurobiology of gender dysphoria (GD) and the interactions between cross hormone treatment, the brain, and the body phenotype. The investigators also aim to identify pre-treatment neurobiological and other factors to help predict body congruence and quality of life outcomes from hormone treatment. There is mounting interest in gender identity issues worldwide, as requests for gender-confirming treatments have increased in the past 3 decades, and alarmingly high suicide rates have recently been reported in those with GD. Despite this, little is known about neurobiological or other etiological factors contributing to GD or gender incongruence. This study will address a core feature of GD that has been little studied in terms of the neurobiology: the incongruence between perception of self and one's own body.
