More than just two sexes: the neural correlates of voice gender perception in gender dysphoria

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 6;9(11):e111672. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111672. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Gender dysphoria (also known as "transsexualism") is characterized as a discrepancy between anatomical sex and gender identity. Research points towards neurobiological influences. Due to the sexually dimorphic characteristics of the human voice, voice gender perception provides a biologically relevant function, e.g. in the context of mating selection. There is evidence for a better recognition of voices of the opposite sex and a differentiation of the sexes in its underlying functional cerebral correlates, namely the prefrontal and middle temporal areas. This fMRI study investigated the neural correlates of voice gender perception in 32 male-to-female gender dysphoric individuals (MtFs) compared to 20 non-gender dysphoric men and 19 non-gender dysphoric women. Participants indicated the sex of 240 voice stimuli modified in semitone steps in the direction to the other gender. Compared to men and women, MtFs showed differences in a neural network including the medial prefrontal gyrus, the insula, and the precuneus when responding to male vs. female voices. With increased voice morphing men recruited more prefrontal areas compared to women and MtFs, while MtFs revealed a pattern more similar to women. On a behavioral and neuronal level, our results support the feeling of MtFs reporting they cannot identify with their assigned sex.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Auditory Perception*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Net / physiology*
  • Transsexualism / psychology*
  • Voice*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG: HA 3202/7-1 and IRTG 1328) and the Brain Imaging Facility of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research of the Faculty of Medicine at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.