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Dr. Sherman Leis on Brain Differences

The Editor | Aug 31, 2015

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(Philadelphia, PA) Over the course of his distinguished career, renowned transgender surgeon and founder of The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, Dr. Sherman Leis, observed that transgender people, both male and female, think and act in ways often blending thought and behavioral characteristics of non-transgender men and women. A recent study on brain structure, reported in the New York Times, proves his observations correct.

Gender dysphoria or transsexualism has been commonly described simply as “a woman’s brain trapped in the body of a man” or “a man’s brain trapped in the body of a woman.” The latest neuroscience research suggests that gender identity may exist on a spectrum and that gender dysphoria fits within a range of human biological variation.

This recent study by George S. Kranz of the Medical University of Vienna reported that individuals identifying as transsexual had noticeable structural differences in their brains. Dr. Kranz studied four different groups: female-to-male transsexuals, male-to-female transsexuals, and controls who were born female or male and identify as such. Kranz found that in several brain regions, there can be a range of gender characteristics creating a blending of gender identity. For example, people born and identifying as female had the highest level of something called “mean diffusivity” (measurement of microstructure alterations in the brain), with a lower level of mean diffusivity in female-to-male transsexuals. Next came male-to-female, then males with born-male gender identity who had the lowest levels. In other words, he revealed a mismatch, for transgender people, between one’s gender identity and physical sexual characteristics, but on a scale.

“No matter what point one’s brain structure is on this range, this study clearly defines transsexuality as a physical condition and provides a clear distinction between transsexual people and others,” said Dr. Leis. Dr. Leis believes that studies like this one demonstrate that it is time for the global medical community to recognize gender dysphoria as a legitimate neurological condition and to treat it properly. He said, “Studies like this underscore the need for transsexualism to distinguish itself because of its unique needs and issues so we will be able to provide appropriate care and support across the country and around the world.”