Abstract
Background The Rorschach test is one of the most popular tests used in clinical settings for psychopathology and personality assessment; however, there is still little evidence regarding the functional correlates of test responses. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows for the investigation of biological correlates associated with different psychological functions. Among other applications, fMRI has been used to identify different networks that reflect brain activity in the resting state (rs-fMRI), that is, when an individual is not engaged in any specific task. Among these resting-state networks (RSN), the best-known and most studied are the Default Mode Network (DMN), along with other networks such as salience, frontoparietal, sensorimotor, temporo-parietal, visual, and cerebellar networks. Methods We used this type of analysis to obtain new evidence regarding Rorschach. This study aimed to analyze the functional brain architecture underlying Rorschach’s personality variables, administered according to Exner’s Comprehensive System (CS). In particular, the aims are: 1) to ascertain the existence of correlations between CS variables and activity of the RSN, and 2) to use these profiles of activity to develop a new data-driven clustering of the CS variables. Archival data from twenty-four non-clinical subjects were analyzed. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and partial least squares regression (PLS) were used to analyze the fMRI data. Results The results showed specific associations with the given Rorschach variables (several of which could be grouped into higher-order latent factors) and activity of the main RSN. Moreover, the cluster analysis outlined important groupings of Rorschach variables, particularly regarding their clinical implications. Conclusions Our study could be comprised in the existing literature providing strong evidence about the neurobiological validity of the Rorschach test.
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