'Eye-blink tests show sexuality is hard-wired before birth'

 Psychologists say they have found powerful evidence to support the theory
 that a person's sexuality is "hard-wired" into the brain before birth.

 Researchers measured the "startle" response, or eye-blink reaction, of both
 straight and gay test subjects who were subjected to sudden loud noises.

 They found significant differences in the response between male and female,
 heterosexual and homosexual participants which, they said, could be linked
 to the area of the brain which determined sexuality.

 Dr Qazi Rahman, of the University of East London, said the reaction of the
 lesbian test subjects was closer to that which would be expected among straight
 men. The same was true among gay men, although to a lesser extent, in that their
 reaction was closer to that of women.

 Dr Rahman said the results could affect the way society dealt with sexuality
 and issues of sexual orientation.

 Along with Dr Veena Kumari and Dr Glenn Wilson of the Institute of Psychiatry,
 part of King's College London, Dr Rahman claimed their study offered the first
 independent evidence of a non-learned, neurological basis for sexual
 orientation.

 Using a technique called prepulse inhibition (PPI), the test subjects were
 unexpectedly startled by loud noises preceded by a quieter noise.

 Using electrodes on the face just beneath the eye, Dr Rahman measured the
 strength of the involuntary eye-blink responses to the noises and compared
 them with those to a loud noise on its own - the lower the response, the
 stronger the level of inhibition.

 Heterosexual men had a PPI of 40%, compared to 13% for heterosexual women.
 Lesbians had a PPI of 33% - significantly stronger that that of straight
 women. Gay men averaged a PPI of 32% - slightly lower than straight men.

 Dr Rahman said: "The startle response is pre-conscious and cannot be learned.
 It is mediated by an ancient region of the brain called the limbic system
 which also controls sexual behaviour. This is very strong evidence that female
 sexual orientation at least may be 'hard-wired' in this region."

 Story filed: 18:42 Thursday 2nd October 2003
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_825217.html?menu=


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 note

 We can see that women are most sensitive to alarm or danger signals, followed
 by much later by gay men, lesbian women and hetero men - in that order.

 This seems to be fairly conclusive confirmation of conclusions at:-

 www.perceptionsa.couk.com/genes4.html
 
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              FURTHER REFERENCES

  GO - "search perceptions" - in SEARCH-ENGINE


file-ID www.perceptions.couk.com/genes61.txt