sex hormones
Recent articles
Revisiting sex and gender in the brain
To conduct scientifically accurate and socially responsible research, it is useful to think of “sex” as a complex, multifactorial and context-dependent variable.
![Abstract illustration of a feminine face in structural flux.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1200-lede-Kundakovic-sex-gender-brain-neuroscience-1024x683.png)
Revisiting sex and gender in the brain
To conduct scientifically accurate and socially responsible research, it is useful to think of “sex” as a complex, multifactorial and context-dependent variable.
Dose, scan, repeat: Tracking the neurological effects of oral contraceptives
We know little about how the brain responds to oral contraceptives, despite their widespread use. I am committed to changing that: I scanned my brain 75 times over the course of a year and plan to make my data openly available.
![Grid of human brain scans.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Heller-hormones-brain-scans-1200-1024x683.png)
Dose, scan, repeat: Tracking the neurological effects of oral contraceptives
We know little about how the brain responds to oral contraceptives, despite their widespread use. I am committed to changing that: I scanned my brain 75 times over the course of a year and plan to make my data openly available.
Males and females show different patterns of risk for brain-based conditions. Ignoring these differences does us all a disservice.
Although studying sex differences in the brain is complex, technically awkward and socioculturally loaded, it is absolutely essential.
![Illustration of men’s and women’s faces.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raznahan-Sex-Differences-neuro-1200-1024x692.png)
Males and females show different patterns of risk for brain-based conditions. Ignoring these differences does us all a disservice.
Although studying sex differences in the brain is complex, technically awkward and socioculturally loaded, it is absolutely essential.
Extra Y chromosomes are linked to autism
Data from people with more or fewer than two sex chromosomes could help answer questions around genetic protection and vulnerability.
![Human X and Y chromosomes.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1200-y-chromosome-autism-1024x683.png)
Extra Y chromosomes are linked to autism
Data from people with more or fewer than two sex chromosomes could help answer questions around genetic protection and vulnerability.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Rethinking mental health: The body’s impact on the brain
Mounting evidence illustrates how peripheral molecules can influence brain function, offering new therapeutic targets.
![Illustration of a body, brain visible through a transparent head, looking at orange circles over its hands.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-hodes-body-brain-mental-health-neuroscience-1024x683.png)
Rethinking mental health: The body’s impact on the brain
Mounting evidence illustrates how peripheral molecules can influence brain function, offering new therapeutic targets.
How eight initiatives are tackling neuroscience’s gender gap
In honor of today’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, The Transmitter spoke with some of the women working to bolster their ranks in the field through storytelling podcasts, speaker repositories, social media networks and other community-based advocacy projects.
![Illustrated collage of women doing scientific tasks: looking at brain slices, pouring a solution into a beaker and looking into a microscope.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-women-neuroscience-gender-imbalance-1024x683.png)
How eight initiatives are tackling neuroscience’s gender gap
In honor of today’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, The Transmitter spoke with some of the women working to bolster their ranks in the field through storytelling podcasts, speaker repositories, social media networks and other community-based advocacy projects.
TSC2 gene; cortical thickness; long noncoding RNA
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 February.
![Research image of neural rosettes.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-spotted-TSC2-RNA-autism-1024x683.png)
TSC2 gene; cortical thickness; long noncoding RNA
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 February.