Sex differences in the brain: a whole body perspective

摘要: Most writing on sexual differentiation of the mammalian brain (including our own) considers just two organs: gonads and brain. This perspective, which leaves out all other body parts, misleads us in several ways. First, there is accumulating evidence that organs are sexually differentiated, sex differences peripheral affect We demonstrate this by reviewing examples involving muscles, adipose tissue, liver, immune system, gut, kidneys, bladder, placenta nervous system behavior. The second consequence ignoring when considering neural we likely to miss fact some develop compensate for internal environment (i.e., because male female brains operate different bodies, required make output/function more similar sexes). also consider sensory systems cause perceive information about world; sexes perceived world differently therefore exposed experience via treatment others. Although topic often seen as much emotionally charged than studies organs, dichotomy largely false. By putting firmly back body, predictable can be completely understood.