Neural Activation During Mental Rotation in Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: the Influence of Sex Hormones and Sex Chromosomes.

van Hemmen, Judy; Veltman, Dick J.; Hoekzema, Elseline; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T.; Dessens, Arianne B.; Bakker, Julie

doi:10.1093/cercor/bhu280

Article (Scientific journals)

Neural Activation During Mental Rotation in Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: the Influence of Sex Hormones and Sex Chromosomes.

van Hemmen, Judy; Veltman, Dick J.; Hoekzema, Elseline et al.

2016 • In Cerebral Cortex

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/177445

DOI
10.1093/cercor/bhu280

PubMed
25452569

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Keywords :

CAIS; fMRI; sexual differentiation; spatial cognition; testosterone

Abstract :

[en] Sex hormones, androgens in particular, are hypothesized to play a key role in the sexual differentiation of the human brain. However, possible direct effects of the sex chromosomes, that is, XX or XY, have not been well studied in humans. Individuals with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), who have a 46,XY karyotype but a female phenotype due to a complete androgen resistance, enable us to study the separate effects of gonadal hormones versus sex chromosomes on neural sex differences. Therefore, in the present study, we compared 46,XY men (n = 30) and 46,XX women (n = 29) to 46,XY individuals with CAIS (n = 21) on a mental rotation task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Previously reported sex differences in neural activation during mental rotation were replicated in the control groups, with control men showing more activation in the inferior parietal lobe than control women. Individuals with CAIS showed a female-like neural activation pattern in the parietal lobe, indicating feminization of the brain in CAIS. Furthermore, this first neuroimaging study in individuals with CAIS provides evidence that sex differences in regional brain function during mental rotation are most likely not directly driven by genetic sex, but rather reflect gonadal hormone exposure.

Disciplines :

Neurosciences & behavior

Author, co-author :

van Hemmen, Judy

Veltman, Dick J.

Hoekzema, Elseline

Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T.

Dessens, Arianne B.

Bakker, Julie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biologie de la différenciation sexuelle du cerveau

Language :

English

Title :

Neural Activation During Mental Rotation in Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: the Influence of Sex Hormones and Sex Chromosomes.

Publication date :

2016

Journal title :

Cerebral Cortex

ISSN :

1047-3211

eISSN :

1460-2199

Publisher :

Oxford University Press, United Kingdom

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

[fr] http://reflexions.ulg.ac.be/IdentiteSexuelle
[en] http://reflexions.ulg.ac.be/en/SexualIdentity

Commentary :

Available on ORBi :

since 26 January 2015

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