What the Gay Brain Looks Like (1 Viewer)

[xeuyrawp]

TIME
Tuesday, Jun. 17, 2008
What the Gay Brain Looks Like

By Alice Park

What makes people gay? Biologists may never get a complete answer to that question, but researchers in Sweden have found one more sign that the answer lies in the structure of the brain.

Scientists at the Karolinska Institute studied brain scans of 90 gay and straight men and women, and found that the size of the two symmetrical halves of the brains of gay men more closely resembled those of straight women than they did straight men. In heterosexual women, the two halves of the brain are more or less the same size. In heterosexual men, the right hemisphere is slightly larger. Scans of the brains of gay men in the study, however, showed that their hemispheres were relatively symmetrical, like those of straight women, while the brains of homosexual women were asymmetrical like those of straight men. The number of nerves connecting the two sides of the brains of gay men were also more like the number in heterosexual women than in straight men.

Just what these brain differences mean is still not clear. Ever since 1991, when Simon LeVay first documented differences in the hypothalamus of gay and straight men, researchers have been struggling to understand what causes these differences to occur. Until now, the brain regions that scientists have come to believe play a role in sexual orientation have been related to either reproduction or sexuality. The Swedish study, however, is the first to find differences in parts of the brain not normally involved in reproduction — the denser network of nerve connections, for example, was found in the amygdala, known as the emotional center of the brain. "The big question has always been, if the brains of gay men are different, or feminized, as earlier research suggests," says Dr. Eric Vilain, professor of human genetics at University of California Los Angeles, "then is it just limited to sexual preference or are there other regions that are gender atypical in gay males? For the first time, in this study it looks like there are regions of the brain not directly involved in sexuality that seem to be feminized in gay males."

Vilain, who studies the genetic factors behind sexuality and sexual orientation, notes that it may turn out that the brains of gay men possess only some 'feminized' structures, while retaining some masculine ones, and this is reflected in how they act on their sexuality. "We know from studies that men, regardless of their sexual orientation, retain masculine characteristics when it comes to their sexual behavior," he says. Both gay and straight men, for example, tend to prefer younger partners, in contrast to women, who gravitate toward older partners. Most men are also more likely than women to engage in casual sex, and to be aroused by visual stimuli. "So I expect that some regions of the brain will remain masculine even in gay men," says Vilain. For something as complex as sexual orientation, it's no surprise that everything from genes to gender to environment may play a role in ultimately determining your perfect partner.

Source.

 

[Iron]

Bring on the gaydar

 

[boris]

lawl, gay men have smaller brains lawl

 

[jb_nc]

ah yes sound groundbreaking research into why poofs are gay

*100000 die from AIDS*

 

[poWerdrY]

Why gays haven't died out by now? I mean, they can't reproduce, and by Darwin's survival of the fittest, there shouldn't be any gays. Being gay does not give you any advantage in passing your genes. Baffling.

 

[A High Way Man]

who was the first gay of all time

 

[boris]

Why gays haven't died out by now? I mean, they can't reproduce, and by Darwin's survival of the fittest, there shouldn't be any gays. Being gay does not give you any advantage in passing your genes. Baffling.

Well obviously you dangle berry, the gay 'gene' is not passed down by homosexuals alone.

*facepalms*

 

[Kwayera]

Why gays haven't died out by now? I mean, they can't reproduce, and by Darwin's survival of the fittest, there shouldn't be any gays. Being gay does not give you any advantage in passing your genes. Baffling.

It's a female gene, and thus passed down the fermale line (they suspect that the same gene that makes men gay also makes females more fertile, or something like that.)

 

[conics2008]

who gives a crap on what the gay brain looks like. gessh, at the end of the day there are still homophobiesss walking the streets and some confused teenagers worried about if their bi-curious. gessh lets thing flow naturally..

 

[conics2008]

Why gays haven't died out by now? I mean, they can't reproduce, and by Darwin's survival of the fittest, there shouldn't be any gays. Being gay does not give you any advantage in passing your genes. Baffling.

gesssh your soo closed minded and ignorant.

 

[TacoTerrorist]

^ Not everyone spends their free time nose buried into a science book.

 

[xeuyrawp]

It's a female gene, and thus passed down the fermale line (they suspect that the same gene that makes men gay also makes females more fertile, or something like that.)

I'd be really curious to see (once more understanding of the gay male is had), to see the scientific relationship between gay females and gay males.

I have a feeling that our social attitude, namely that gay men are easier "to spot" and are effectively more different, may reflect a scientific grounding.

 

[voktyabreh]

I wonder what a bisexual brain looks like.

 

[Kwayera]

I'd be really curious to see (once more understanding of the gay male is had), to see the scientific relationship between gay females and gay males.

I have a feeling that our social attitude, namely that gay men are easier "to spot" and are effectively more different, may reflect a scientific grounding.

Well if you can take a look at the latest issue of New Scientist, there's some nifty shots showing the amygala's response to stimulation (of the emotional variety, I think). A homosexual man's brain resembles a heterosexual woman's brain, and a homosexual woman's brain resembles a.. you guessed it, a heterosexual man's brain.