Editorial: Pride in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Riccardo Manca¹Lucas Albrechet-Souza²Jhon Alexander Moreno^3,4,5*

• ¹Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
• ²Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, United States
• ³Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
• ⁴Centre de recherche de l’institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Innovation, Technology, and Cognition Research Laboratory (INTECOG), CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, Canada
• ⁵Notre-Dame Hospital, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CCSMTL), Montreal, Canada

1910s, with early publications largely by pathologizing interpretations of non-36 behavior. This negative bias toward homosexuality persisted for several decades. It 37 only in 1970s that the field began a gradual shift away from searching for neural "correlates" of 38 sexuality-and, to a lesser extent, gender identity-toward research questions more directly relevant 39 to the clinical needs and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. These developments ultimately 40 paved the way for more recent investigations examining how the social challenges faced by 41LGBTQIA+ individuals may adversely affect a broad range of health-related outcomes. 42 A novel perspective on the experimental study of gender identity and gender roles emerges from the 43 use of metaverse-based approaches (Kang & Rhee). In their study, the authors examined how adopting male avatars affected female participants' experiences and self-perceptions. Interacting 45 through a male avatar not only enhanced participants' momentary identification with male gender 46 roles but also deepened their understanding of gender dynamics and increased empathy toward 47 gendered experiences.