Navigating in the dark: Meta-synthesis of subjective experiences of gender dysphoria amongst transgender and gender non-conforming youth.

Objective: We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative research on subjective experiences of gender dysphoria (GD) amongst transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth in order to improve clinical encounters, complement existing knowledge and potentially influence future research.

Methods: We systematically searched for qualitative studies on GD in English, German, Spanish and Scandinavian languages in seven databases. Starting with 2000 articles, we finally included 12 papers in the meta-synthesis, following Noblit and Hare's (1988) seven steps for qualitative meta-synthesis research.

Body Satisfaction and Physical Appearance in Gender Dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria (GD) is often accompanied by dissatisfaction with physical appearance and body image problems. The aim of this study was to compare body satisfaction with perceived appearance by others in various GD subgroups. Data collection was part of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence.

Self-Reported Executive Functioning in Everyday Life in Parkinson's Disease after Three Months of Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation.

Objective. Studies on the effect of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on executive functioning in Parkinson's disease (PD) are still controversial. In this study we compared self-reported daily executive functioning in PD patients before and after three months of STN-DBS.

Body Image in Young Gender Dysphoric Adults: A European Multi-Center Study.

The alteration of sex-specific body features and the establishment of a satisfactory body image are known to be particularly relevant for individuals with Gender Dysphoria (GD). The aim of the study was to first develop new scales and examine the psychometric properties of the Hamburg Body Drawing Scale (Appelt & Strauß 1988). For the second part of this study, the satisfaction with different body features in young GD adults before cross-sex treatment were compared to female and male controls.

Elevated mRNA-levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its receptor in plaque-bearing Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice.

Research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) has indicated an association between hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and cognitive senescence, indicating that post meno-/andropausal changes in HPG axis hormones are implicated in the neuropathology of AD. Studies of transgenic mice with AD pathologies have led to improved understanding of the pathophysiological processes underlying AD. The aims of this study were to explore whether mRNA-levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gnrh) and its receptor (Gnrhr) were changed in plaque-bearing Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice and to investigate whether these levels and amyloid plaque deposition were downregulated by treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (Gnrh-a; Leuprorelin acetate).

Sexual behavior of gender-dysphoric individuals before gender-confirming interventions: a European multicenter study.

A transsexual course of development that starts before puberty (early onset) or during or after puberty, respectively (late onset), may lead to diverse challenges in coping with sexual activity. The authors explored the sexual behavior of 380 adult male-to-female and female-to-male individuals diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria who had not yet undergone gender-confirming interventions. Data originated from the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence Initiative, conducted in Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Norway.

Effects of inhibition of gonadotropin releasing hormone secretion on the response to novel objects in young male and female sheep.

This study investigated the actions of blocking the GnRH receptor using a specific agonist on the response of male and female sheep to a novel object placed in their pen. The study is part of a series performed on 46 same sex twin animals. One of the pair received a subcutaneous implant of the GnRH agonist Goserelin acetate every four weeks while the other remained untreated.

Peri-pubertal gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment affects sex biased gene expression of amygdala in sheep.

The nature of hormonal involvement in pubertal brain development has attracted wide interest. Structural changes within the brain that occur during pubertal development appear mainly in regions closely linked with emotion, motivation and cognitive functions. Using a sheep model, we have previously shown that peri-pubertal pharmacological blockade of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors, results in exaggerated sex-differences in cognitive executive function and emotional control, as well as sex and hemisphere specific patterns of expression of hippocampal genes associated with synaptic plasticity and endocrine signaling.

Effects of peripubertal gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist on brain development in sheep--a magnetic resonance imaging study.

In many species sexual dimorphisms in brain structures and functions have been documented. In ovine model, we have previously demonstrated that peri-pubertal pharmacological blockade of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) action increased sex-differences of executive emotional behavior. The structural substrate of this behavioral alteration however is unknown.

Sex-specific development of spatial orientation is independent of peripubertal gonadal steroids.

Prenatal exposure to androgens has been shown to modulate brain development, resulting in changed behavioral attitudes, sexual orientation and cognitive functions, including processing of spatial information. Whether later changes in gonadotropic hormones during puberty induce further organizational effects within the brain is still insufficiently understood. The purpose of this study was to assess development of spatial orientation before and after the time of normal pubertal development, in an ovine model where half of the animals did not undergo typical reproductive maturation due to the pharmacological blockade of gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) signaling.

Peri-pubertal gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog treatment affects hippocampus gene expression without changing spatial orientation in young sheep.

Background: Normal brain maturation is the result of molecular changes that can be modulated by endocrine variables associated with brain plasticity and results in sex- and age specific changes in cognitive performance. Using a sheep model, we have previously shown that peri-pubertal pharmacological blockade of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors results in increased sex-differences in cognitive executive function and emotional control. In this study we explore effects of this treatment regime on hippocampal gene expression and spatial orientation.

Development of psychophysiological motoric reactivity is influenced by peripubertal pharmacological inhibition of gonadotropin releasing hormone action--results of an ovine model.

This study reports the effects of peripubertal GnRH receptor inactivation on development of psychophysiological motoric reactivity (PMR; sometimes also called emotional reactivity), plasma cortisol concentrations and the relationship between plasma cortisol and PMR in male and female sheep. The study formed part of a larger trial and utilised 46 same sex twins. One twin remained untreated (control) while the other received a subcutaneous GnRH agonist (GnRHa Goserelin-Acetate) implant every 4th week, beginning at 8 and 28 weeks of age, in males and females, respectively (different, due to sex specific age of puberty).

Age of onset and sexual orientation in transsexual males and females.

Introduction: With regard to transsexual developments, onset age (OA) appears to be the starting point of different psychosexual pathways.

Aim: To explore differences between transsexual adults with an early vs. late OA.

Prepubertal gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog leads to exaggerated behavioral and emotional sex differences in sheep.

In mammals, sex specialization is reflected by differences in brain anatomy and function. Measurable differences are documented in reproductive behavior, cognition, and emotion. We hypothesized that gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) plays a crucial role in controlling the extent of the brain's sex specificity and that changes in GnRH action during critical periods of brain development, such as puberty, will result in altered sex-specific behavioral and physiological patterns.