Very interesting post Alexander! I have thought about this too. I do think think that for some transgendered cases that in fact they do have opposite-sex-brains. One hypothesis is that they are actually genetic mosaics. For example a male to female transgender person my have most of their cells carrying XY chromosomes but their brains are actually mosaic and have XO genotype or XX as a result from the formation of a genetic chimera. Thus their brains are genetically female while other parts of their body are genetically male. The strongest evidence comes from gynandromorph brids, which has been shown that genetic sex of brain cells contributes to sexual behaviour. With new genome sequencing methods it should be very easy to test this hypothesis.
Cheers!
ian
Love Genetics!
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Interesting!
There also has been some amazing work in C. elegans where the researchers can change the sex of the nervous system and also change their behaviour. Again this is excellent evidence that the genetic "sex" of the brain determines behaviour. For sure it will be more complicated than this and for sure there is an epigenetic component but model organisms like C. elegans will certainly help us understand complex human behaviours. Its worms but the evolutionary conservation of molecular signaling pathways between worms and humans are very similar if not identical. Cheers!
ian
Valuable comment again, thanks)