Transgender brains more like their desired gender from an early age: Study

Researchers have discovered the brain activity of transgender adolescents is similar to the patterns of the gender they desire, the Science Daily reported.

A team from the University of Liege in Belgium studied the brain functions of transgender youth that included children with gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria is described as a condition where an individual experiences distress because they feel they do not match their biological sex and gender identity, according to the NHS.

For the study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were used to observe how the brain responds to a pheromone that produces gender-specific activity.

The results showed the pattern of brain activation in the transgender youth displayed those non-transgender boys and girls who are of their desired gender.

"Although more research is needed, we now have evidence that sexual differentiation of the brain differs in young people with GD, as they show functional brain characteristics that are typical of their desired gender," lead author of the study Dr Julia Bakker, is quoted as saying by Science Daily.

Adding, "We will then be better equipped to support these young people, instead of just sending them to a psychiatrist and hoping that their distress will disappear spontaneously."

The study was originally published in the European Society of Endocrinology.