"Teenage Emotional Cue Processing Recalibrated by Testosterone"

A recent study explores how testosterone, particularly in transgender boys undergoing hormone therapy, influences the processing of emotional cues from caregivers and peers during adolescence. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers found that testosterone therapy appears to recalibrate the neural response to emotional cues, reducing the impact of negative familial cues while heightening sensitivity to peer emotions. These findings shed light on the differential impact of testosterone on the brain's processing of emotional cues and its role in the social reorientation process during adolescence.