From body to brain - Considering the neurobiologicol effects of female genital cutting
From body to brain - Considering the neurobiologicol effects of female genital cutting
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DOI：
10.1353/pbm.2008.0012
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发表时间：
2008-12-01
影响因子：
1
通讯作者：
Einstein, Gillian
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Einstein, Gillian
切割女性生殖器是一种古老的传统，不受宗教限制，主要在非洲和非洲人移民的地区实行。所有类型的FGC都涉及切断外阴的神经支配：阴蒂，大阴唇和小阴唇。大多数类型包括阴蒂切除。由于外阴组织受神经及其末梢的高度支配，我在这里假设大脑和脊髓会对FGC做出反应，就像它会对神经靶点或输入的任何损失做出反应一样：通过重新排列神经网络。这反过来又会影响到目标结构的神经信号，并改变感官知觉。大多数关于切割女性生殖器官的科学研究都集中在其生殖后果上，然而，为了充分了解其对妇女生活的影响，有必要了解生殖系统以外的情况。探索FGC的潜在神经变化可能有助于解释女性自身的混合反应，并为研究确定新的方向，以了解她们的生活。神经生物学分析还可以帮助我们理解文化实践如何在中枢神经系统结构上铭刻意义，影响身心。
Female genital cutting (FGC) is an ancient tradition unbounded by religion and practiced primarily in Africa and the regions to which Africans have immigrated. All types of FGC involve cutting neural innervation to the vulva: the clitoris, labia majora and minora. Most types include excision of the clitoris. Since the tissue of the vulva is highly innervated by nerves and their endings, I postulate here that the brain and spinal cord will respond to FGC as it would to any loss of neural targets or inputs: by rearranging neural networks. This, in turn, would affect neural signaling to target structures and modify sensory perception. Most scientific investigations of FGC have focused on its reproductive consequences.To fully appreciate its effects on the lives of women, however, an understanding beyond the reproductive system is necessary. Exploring the potential neural changes of FGC may help explain the mixed responses of the women themselves and identify new directions for research to understand their lives. A neurobiological analysis may also help us understand how cultural practices inscribe meaning on central nervous system structures, affecting mind as well as body.