# Gender Incongruence and Autistic Traits: Cerebral and Behavioral Underpinnings

## TL;DR

This study explores how autistic traits and gender dysphoria are linked through brain structure and body incongruence in transgender individuals.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific brain regions where cortical thickness correlates with autistic traits in transgender individuals.

## Key findings

- Transgender individuals showed higher autistic traits and greater body incongruence compared to cisgender individuals.
- Higher autistic traits in transgender individuals were associated with thinner cortex in the temporal pole and temporal gyri.
- Autistic traits were linked to brain regions involved in social cognition rather than previously reported patterns in transgender individuals.

## Abstract

Gender dysphoria and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) co-occur at high rates. Yet, it is unknown whether gender dysphoria and ASD are associated with common or distinct neurobiological correlates or how they relate to experiences of gender-related body incongruence. Using the Social Responsiveness Scale, we assessed autistic traits in 99 transgender and 99 cisgender individuals and investigated their associations with gender-related body incongruence, measured via a visually based “Body Morph” test, and with cortical thickness in the brain. Autistic traits were significantly higher among transgender individuals, and those with higher autistic traits had higher body incongruence scoring. Among transgender individuals, higher autistic traits were linked with a thinner cortex bilaterally in the temporal pole and the superior and inferior temporal gyri. Autistic traits were only partly associated with cortical morphology patterns previously reported in transgender individuals; instead, they were primarily linked to temporal lobe areas mediating social cognition. While replicating the previous literature on the increased prevalence of autistic traits among transgender individuals, this study reports specific regions in the brains of transgender individuals where cortical thickness is associated with autistic traits.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10508-024-02809-5.