Minority Stress and the Effects on Emotion Processing in Transgender Men and Cisgender People: A Study Combining fMRI and 1H-MRS.
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol
; 25(5): 350-360, 2022 05 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34878531
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Minority stress via discrimination, stigmatization, and exposure to violence can lead to development of mood and anxiety disorders and underlying neurobiochemical changes. To date, the neural and neurochemical correlates of emotion processing in transgender people (and their interaction) are unknown.METHODS:
This study combined functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to uncover the effects of anxiety and perceived stress on the neural and neurochemical substrates, specifically choline, on emotion processing in transgender men. Thirty transgender men (TM), 30 cisgender men, and 35 cisgender women passively viewed angry, neutral, happy, and surprised faces in the functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner, underwent a magnetic resonance spectroscopy scan, and filled out mood- and anxiety-related questionnaires.RESULTS:
As predicted, choline levels modulated the relationship between anxiety and stress symptoms and the neural response to angry and surprised (but not happy faces) in the amygdala. This was the case only for TM but not cisgender comparisons. More generally, neural responses in the left amygdala, left middle frontal gyrus, and medial frontal gyrus to emotional faces in TM resembled that of cisgender women.CONCLUSIONS:
These results provide first evidence, to our knowledge, of a critical interaction between levels of analysis and that choline may influence neural processing of emotion in individuals prone to minority stress.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética
/
Pessoas Transgênero
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol
Assunto da revista:
NEUROLOGIA
/
PSICOFARMACOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Bélgica