Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.
Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular and of the Critical Area Pathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2018 May 15;467:3-13. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.08.008. Epub 2017 Aug 25.
Differences between males and females are widely represented in nature. There are gender differences in phenotypes, personality traits, behaviors and interests, cognitive performance, and proneness to specific diseases. The most marked difference in humans is represented by sexual orientation and core gender identity, the origins of which are still controversial and far from being understood. Debates continue on whether sexual behavior and gender identity are a result of biological (nature) or cultural (nurture) factors, with biology possibly playing a major role. The main goal of this review is to summarize the studies available to date on the biological factors involved in the development of both sexual orientation and gender identity. A systematic search of published evidence was performed using Medline (from January 1948 to June 2017). Review of the relevant literature was based on authors' expertise. Indeed, different studies have documented the possible role and interaction of neuroanatomic, hormonal and genetic factors. The sexual dimorphic brain is considered the anatomical substrate of psychosexual development, on which genes and gonadal hormones may have a shaping effect. In particular, growing evidence shows that prenatal and pubertal sex hormones permanently affect human behavior. In addition, heritability studies have demonstrated a role of genetic components. However, a convincing candidate gene has not been identified. Future studies (e.i. genome wide studies) are needed to better clarify the complex interaction between genes, anatomy and hormonal influences on psychosexual development.
男女之间的差异在自然界中广泛存在。表型、个性特征、行为和兴趣、认知表现以及易患特定疾病方面存在性别差异。人类最明显的差异表现在性取向和核心性别认同上，其起源仍存在争议，远未被理解。关于性行为和性别认同是生物（天性）还是文化（教养）因素的结果，仍存在争议，生物学可能起着主要作用。本综述的主要目的是总结目前关于性取向和性别认同发展中涉及的生物学因素的研究。使用 Medline（从 1948 年 1 月至 2017 年 6 月）对已发表的证据进行了系统搜索。根据作者的专业知识对相关文献进行了回顾。事实上，不同的研究已经记录了神经解剖学、激素和遗传因素的可能作用和相互作用。性二态大脑被认为是心理性发展的解剖学基础，基因和性腺激素可能对其具有塑造作用。越来越多的证据表明，产前和青春期的性激素会永久性地影响人类的行为。此外，遗传研究表明遗传因素也有一定作用。但是，尚未确定令人信服的候选基因。需要进一步的研究（例如全基因组研究）来更好地阐明基因、解剖结构和激素对心理性发展的复杂相互作用。
