A Neurodevelopmental Theory of Brain-Body Alignment in Transgender Individuals

This document presents a theoretical framework exploring the neurodevelopmental basis of transgender identity. It proposes that mismatches in the timing of brain and body sexual differentiation may contribute to persistent transgender experiences. Phantom somatosensory phenomena are discussed as potential indicators of the brain’s internal representation of gendered anatomy. The framework suggests that gendered brain patterns, detectable via neuroimaging, may align more closely with an individual’s identified gender than with their assigned sex at birth.