What happened to the research that was being done on "abnormalities" in the hypothalamus, that were found in "Gay" people?
I think I can say with confidence that this study has fallen flat. If it was in any way conclusive, you'd have heard about it ad nauseam. Trust me on that.
Shethink13 wrote:I think I can say with confidence that this study has fallen flat. If it was in any way conclusive, you'd have heard about it ad nauseam. Trust me on that.
I did a presentation on this for a Society for Neuroscience seminar a few years ago. The landmark studies were done by Simon LeVay at the Salk Institute and published in Science in the early 1990's. He analyzed hypothalamic nuclei (INAH 1-4) in gay men and straight men and compared them with the same areas in the female hypothalamus. The results were that the neuronal structure and connectivity in gay men were similar to the female hypothalamus and significantly different than those of straight men. LeVay's studies led to numerous follow-ups on the anterior and ventral medial hypothalamus, sexually dimorphic nuclei, neurotransmitter differences, and influences on the development of the hypothalamus.
Important areas as the hypothalamus is a critical part of the system that controls sexual behavior. In a sense, sexual behaviors and function are hardwired there. Change the wiring - change the behavior, Studies have shown that artificially 'feminizing' the hypothalamus makes male animals exibit female sexual behaviors. Interrupt the function of these areas and reduced to no sexual behaviors are displayed.
The research is ongoing. It has in no sense "fallen flat." The October 22, 2004 issue of Brain Research has an article on "Differential brain activation in exclusively homosexual and heterosexual men produced by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine." by Kinnunen LH, Moltz H, Metz J, Cooper M. showing that the serotonergic (serotonin - a neurotransmitter) systems in the hypothalamus function differently in gay men as compared to straight. The authors believe this mirrors the now accepted neuroanatomical differences between the two populations. Other studies have shown differences in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, mammilary bodies, and other brain regions.
The role of neurophysiologic differences between gay and straight and the mechanism of development is still a active area of research. Just because the main stream media doesn't pay attention - doesn't mean it isn't happening.