Abstract

OROZCO CALDERON, Gabriela  and  OSTROSKY SHEJET, Feggy. Frontal Lobes and Executive Functions in Transsexuals. Acta de investigación psicol [online]. 2012, vol.2, n.1, pp.592-604. ISSN 2007-4719.

Transsexualism is characterized by the development of a gender identity that is at variance with morphology of genitals and secondary sex characteristics. The origin of the transsexualism is not very clear, although some biological indicators as the prenatal androgenization seems to be one of the causes that predispose to the development of the sexual identity, as well as the cerebral anatomical differences between transsexuals and non transsexuals. Mental functions including executive functions are susceptible to be affected by sexual steroids hormones during development. The aim was to evaluate the cognitive profile in male to female transsexuals (M-FT) in absence of hormonal treatment with estrogens. With the battery of Frontal lobes and Executive Functions, transsexuals had a smaller execution compared with the men in the totals of executive functions and the totals of orbitomedial prefrontal cortex. In the sub-tests of inhibition (Stroop) and Decision making (letter Game of the IOWA) group transsexual had minor's scores than men and women. These results support the evidences that they indicate that the transsexuals display a distant mental execution to their sex of birth. We propose a cognitive profile in our transsexual group different from men and the women sets out.

Keywords : Transsexual; Executive functions; Frontal lobes; Prefrontal cortex; Cognitive profile.

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