Abstract
To investigate the biochemical correlates of normal personality we utilized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Our sample consisted of 60 subjects ranging in age from 18 to 32 (27 females). Personality was assessed with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). We measured brain biochemistry within the precuneus, the cingulate cortex, and underlying white matter. We hypothesized that brain biochemistry within these regions would predict individual differences across major domains of personality functioning. Biochemical models were fit for all personality domains including Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Our findings involved differing concentrations of Choline (Cho), Creatine (Cre), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in regions both within (i.e., posterior cingulate cortex) and white matter underlying (i.e., precuneus) the Default Mode Network (DMN). These results add to an emerging literature regarding personality neuroscience, and implicate biochemical integrity within the default mode network as constraining major personality domains within normal human subjects.
Highlights
There is increasing interest within the neurosciences regarding the relationship between normal personality traits and brain structure
Normal personality traits have been well linked to clinical disorders such as schizoid, avoidant, and borderline personalities [2] as well as clinical psychiatric disorders, major depression [3,4] and schizophrenia [5]
To investigate the biochemical correlates of the main personality factors we utilize proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), an imaging technique that allows for the assay of neurochemistry in vivo
Summary
There is increasing interest within the neurosciences regarding the relationship between normal personality traits and brain structure. Several studies have linked normal personality traits to discrete brain regions in normal human cohorts [6,7,8,9,10]. Both increased and decreased brain volumes were associated with personality variables, Extraversion and Neuroticism, suggesting a complex interplay of excitatory and inhibitory networks underlying normal personality functioning. Our group and others have previously demonstrated relationships between spectroscopic measures of metabolite concentration and measures of intelligence [11,12,13,14,15,16,17], affect [18], and creativity [19], in cohorts of normal human subjects. We hypothesize that personality variables from the Big Five will relate to spectroscopic measures within the cingulate gyrus and white matter regions projecting to the frontal and parietal lobes
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