Thread by @queersprings

Even if small differences exist between the brains of male and female individuals, the two are similar for the most part. So why are the differences highlighted more often?

I tried to find out for @TheWireScience. A 🧵-

#gender #science #neuroscience

https://twitter.com/TheWireScience/status/1590562397244518401

A 2021 paper by @Lise_Eliot et al. found that other than size, sex differences in the brain were “trivial and population-specific”. That is, it concluded, the human brain *wasn’t* sexually dimorphic. /2

#SexualDimorphism #gender #science #neuroscience

@Lise_Eliot and @Fausto_Sterling have said that the gendered ways of society and culture can affect an individual’s biology. If they are right, sex differences in the brain could be *created*, rather than innate. /3

#natureculture #gender #science #neuroscience

Such #neuroplasticity also offers ways in which neurodevelopment can be “rerouted” to ameliorate undesirable behaviours, like #aggression. /4

#gender #science #neuroscience

The neurological basis of #psychologicalandrogyny was investigated only last year when researchers (@BarbaraSahakian and @DrCLangley et al.) used #fMRI to check whether it translated to “#brainandrogyny”.

What did they find? Read the report to find out: science.thewire.in/the-sciences/a…

As the discourse continues to develop, one last mind-blowing piece of work from @DaphnaJoel. In 2015, Joel and her colleagues investigated 300 brain scans to understand whether human brains could be categorised as ‘male’ or ‘female’. What did they find?

Read report to find out!

This report wouldn't have been possible without patient conversations with @Lise_Eliot, @DaphnaJoel and @DrCLangley. @Fausto_Sterling, Cordelia Fine and Larry Cahill provided important references and suggestions!

Also, big thanks to @1amnerd for exquisite editing and support. /e

Tagging a few who might be interested to read: @shubhatole @ViditaVaidya @ayushumd @SashainaEF @NeuroGarg @netshrink @NeuroRishika @nihban @subbu2805 @vanshika_writes