Cloninger's Temperament Research Articles

VARIACIONES EN LA RESPUESTA CARDIOVASCULAR ANTE GANANCIAS MONETARIAS DURANTE LA EJECUCIÓN DE LA IOWA GAMBLING TASK EN POBLACIÓN SANA

The main objective of this study was to explore the potential relationship between cognitive inflexibility, decision-making, and their connection to heart rate activity in a sample of university students. The main objective of this study was to explore the potential relationship between cognitive inflexibility, decision-making, and their connection to heart rate activity in a sample of university students. 48 students from the University of Granada participated, divided into two groups: high cognitive inflexibility group (n = 24) and low cognitive inflexibility group. Cognitive inflexibility was assessed using the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R). Decision-making was evaluated using the Iowa Gambling Task. Our findings reveal a significant increase in heart rate in participants with low cognitive inflexibility. Specifically, during reward trials, consistently higher heart rates were recorded compared to punishment trials. This disparity persisted throughout the recording period, demonstrating a biphasic pattern characterized by an accelerating component starting from the second 3 of the experiment.

Stability of Cloninger's temperament traits following a health event: Subjective and objective health status analysis from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Personality/temperament traits are often presumed to remain stable across various life outcomes. This longitudinal study challenges this assumption by examining changes of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory traits following a severe health event, utilizing data from the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, combined with Finnish register data (N = 3195). We explore both health conditions diagnosed in healthcare settings and changes in individuals' self-reported health to discern the relationship between alterations in objective and subjective health and changes in temperament traits between ages 31 and 46. Our findings suggest that changes in health generally don't relate to alterations in three of the four temperament traits—novelty seeking, reward dependence, and persistence. However, we observe a significant shift in the fourth temperament trait, harm avoidance, following a health change. Both females and males reporting a decline in self-reported health become significantly more harm avoidant, irrespective of whether they experience an objective health event. Our results indicate that harm avoidance may not be entirely stable over time, and health changes, particularly regarding subjective health, are linked to variations in harm avoidance. Our results emphasize the need for caution when using harm avoidance as a predictor, particularly in the context of diverse health outcomes.

Investigating the effect of grit trait on performance and success in Hungarian athlete's sample.

The aim of the present study is to translate the Grit questionnaire into Hungarian and validate specifically within the context of sports. The second goal is to assess the questionnaire in Hungarian as a pilot study in the athlete population and to compare the grit trait with the coaches' athlete evaluation. Two hundred and sixty nine athletes, including 40 national team players, took part in the study, with an average age of 18.17 years (SD = 5.51). For the preliminary assessment, the Cloninger Temperament and Character Questionnaire (TCI-RH) was used; the coaches' athlete evaluation was modeled on a talent map. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the fit of the two-factor structure, and the internal reliability of the questionnaire scales also proved to be adequate. 2. There is no relationship between adolescents' perceived grit and coach ratings. 3. The national team players achieved a higher grit score. Based on the psychometric indicators, the validity and reliability of the questionnaire proved to be adequate. Therefore, it is applicable and useful for psychological practitioners and researchers in the Hungarian population within the context of sports.

Data-driven vs. psychological personality temperaments: theoretical and clinical utility of personality measures in psychiatry.

Decades of research on personality identified dissociable psychological temperaments. Cloninger's temperament and character theory used a psychobiological approach to differentiate three major dimensions of personality: harm avoidance, novelty seeking, and reward dependence. Previous studies, heretofore, did not examine the correspondence between Cloninger's psychological temperaments and statistically independent data-driven components and how that could enhance the clinical utility of personality temperaments. In this study, we validated an Arabic version of the tri-dimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) to construct data-driven personality temperaments using independent component analysis (ICA). Using SVM, we contrasted the clinical utility of data-driven personality vs. Cloninger's psychological temperaments in differentiating medication-naïve patients with major depressive disorder (N=244) and healthy subjects (N=1109). Data-driven personality components based on ICA showed very little overlap with Cloninger's original temperaments. Both Cloninger's temperaments and data-driven components revealed low internal consistency (for subscales) but high test-retest reliability. Cloninger's temperaments, however, showed a poor goodness-of-fit for the structure of the TPQ. Data-driven components significantly outperformed psychological TPQ temperaments with higher accuracy and recall but not precision. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the clinical utility of data-driven vs. psychological personality metrics using a sizeable sample of patients and healthy individuals. Our results could have wide implications for reexamining psychometric data to extract data-driven latent structures that can improve replicability, clinical utility, and cross-disciplinary inference.

The Structural Relationships Between Temperament Dimensions of Personality and Psychological Symptoms of Somatic Symptom Disorder with the Mediation of Emotional Dysregulation

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the structural relationships between temperament dimensions of personality and psychological symptoms of somatic symptom disorder with the mediation of emotional dysregulation. Methods and Materials: For this purpose, 380 students from the University of Tabriz were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling during the academic year 2021-2022. The variables were measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Somatic Complaint Questionnaire, the short form of the Symptom Checklist, and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Findings: Data analysis using structural equation modeling showed that novelty seeking, reward dependence, and persistence negatively and significantly explain the variations in psychological symptoms. Harm avoidance and emotional dysregulation positively and significantly explain the variations in psychological symptoms. Reward dependence and persistence negatively and significantly explain the variations in emotional dysregulation. Novelty seeking and reward dependence negatively, and harm avoidance positively, can explain the variations in psychological symptoms through emotional dysregulation. Conclusion: The three temperament variables—novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence—could explain the changes in somatic symptoms through the mediation of emotional dysregulation. These findings indicate that somatic symptom disorder is influenced by personality factors and that inefficiency in emotion regulation exacerbates this disorder. Additionally, these findings suggest that emotional dysregulation is a significant variable in the relationship between temperament dimensions and somatic symptoms.

Genetic risk scores associated with temperament clusters in Finnish depression patients.

Cloninger's temperament dimensions have been studied widely in relation to genetics. In this study, we examined Cloninger's temperament dimensions grouped with cluster analyses and their association with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This study included 212 genotyped Finnish patients from the Ostrobothnia Depression Study. The temperament clusters were analysed at baseline and at six weeks from the beginning of the depression intervention study. We selected depression-related catecholamine and serotonin genes based on a literature search, and 59 SNPs from ten different genes were analysed. The associations of single SNPs with temperament clusters were studied. Using the selected genes, genetic risk score (GRS) analyses were conducted considering appropriate confounding factors. No single SNP had a significant association with the temperament clusters. Associations between GRSs and temperament clusters were observed in multivariate models that were significant after permutation analyses. Two SNPs from the DRD3 gene, two SNPs from the SLC6A2 gene, one SNP from the SLC6A4 gene, and one SNP from the HTR2A gene associated with the HHA/LRD/LP (high harm avoidance, low reward dependence, low persistence) cluster at baseline. Two SNPs from the HTR2A gene were associated with the HHA/LRD/LP cluster at six weeks. Two SNPs from the HTR2A gene and two SNPs from the COMT gene were associated with the HP (high persistence) cluster at six weeks. GRSs seem to associate with an individual's temperament profile, which can be observed in the clusters used. Further research needs to be conducted on these types of clusters and their clinical applicability.

Predictive capabilities of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Systematic review and meta-analysis

In the pharmacotherapy of depressive disorders, the problem of the predictors of a therapeutic response remains relevant, they may be important in determining treatment tactics. Objective : to determine the predictive power of the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in evaluating the results of antidepressant pharmacotherapy in patients with depression (major depressive disorder). Material and methods . PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for articles published between 1990 and November 2021. Only English-language prospective studies, that examined the relationship between pre-treatment TCI personality scores and antidepressant pharmacotherapy efficacy were selected. Results . A total of 18 studies were found (N tot =3122). The most commonly cited statistically significant predictors of therapy effectiveness were: harm avoidance (HA) in 11 studies (N tot =2413), reward dependence in 6 (N tot =1941), cooperativeness (CO) in 6 (N tot =1259). In only two studies (N tot =234), personality parameters were not associated with treatment efficacy. In 10 studies (N tot =1065) baseline values of personality characteristics were indicated, which made it possible to include them in the meta-analysis. HA (z=4.06; p<0.0001; I 2 =49%) and CO (z=2.71; p=0.007; I 2 =66%) were associated – in a statistically significant way – with the likelihood of achieving a response to antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Conclusion . Personality dimensions from the TCI questionnaire are predictors of the effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy

Depressive personality traits and temperament and character personality traits in a clinical sample: Results from regression and network analyses

Personality and psychopathology are highly relevant and easily relatable constructs. The current study investigated the relationships between dependency and self-criticism, sociotropy and autonomy depressive personality traits, and Cloninger's temperament and character personality traits postulated as vulnerability factors for depression, in relation to depressive and general psychopathology symptoms in a clinical sample of 100 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder.The results showed that self-directedness, a character trait of the temperament and character model, was positively associated with dependency, self-criticism, sociotropy, and autonomy. Applying more in-depth analyses with regression models revealed associations between self-directedness and depressive personality styles dependency and sociotropy, and general psychopathology symptoms was a significant clinical indicator in these relationships. Going beyond the regression models, network analysis showed that self-directedness is associated with self-criticism, sociotropy, autonomy, and general psychopathology symptoms. The relationship between self-directedness and sociotropy, self-criticism and autonomy suggests that these depressive personality traits may be attributable to aspects of self-determination, maturity, responsibility, discipline, and self-acceptance. General psychopathology research informed by literature incorporating personality traits has far-reaching implications for understanding individual differences as well as increasing efforts to contribute to the amelioration of disabling psychological disorders like major depressive disorders.

Personality traits of university students with smartphone addiction.

Nowadays smartphone use is increasing drastically. There is a higher prevalence of smartphone addiction in some specific personality traits. The goal of this study is to evaluate the association of smartphone addiction with personality traits. This study is correlational research. Three hundred and eighty two students of Tehran universities were asked to answer the smartphone addiction scale (SAS) questionnaire and the Persian version of the Cloninger temperament and character inventory (TCI) questionnaire. After the smartphone addiction questionnaire assessment, individuals with smartphone addiction were identified and compared to the non-smartphone addicted group in terms of personality traits. One hundred and ten individuals (28.8%) were prone to smartphone addiction. Mean scores of people with smartphone addiction were higher in novelty-seeking, harm avoidance, and self-transcendence than the non-addicts and were statistically significant. In persistence and self-directedness, the mean scores of the smartphone addiction group were lower than the non-addicts and were statistically significant. Individuals with smartphone addiction had higher reward dependence and lower cooperativeness however they were not statistically significant. high novelty seeking, harm avoidance, self-transcendence, low persistence, and self-directedness which indicate narcissistic personality disorder, could have a role in smartphone addiction.

РОЛЬ ИМПУЛЬСИВНОСТИ И ЕЁ ТИПОВ В СТРУКТУРЕ БИПОЛЯРНОГО АФФЕКТИВНОГО РАССТРОЙСТВА

Elevated levels of impulsivity often characterize patients with bipolar affective disorder (BD). However, it remains unclear whether the characteristics of impulsivity and its types depend on the solid phase of the disease and the severity of symptoms, as well as comorbid conditions and psychopharmacotherapy. Fifty-one patients diagnosed with BD and 61 respondents without psychiatric characteristics were assessed, including impulsivity with the Barratt Self-Interview Survey (BIS-11) and temperament with the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Statistical data processing included comparing means, analysis of variance with posterior tests, and correlation analysis. BD patients were characterized by an increased level of impulsivity regardless of the actual phase of the disease (t (76.2) = 7.04; p < 0.001). Euthymia patients were significantly more impulsive compared to the control group (t (107) = 3.95; p < 0.001), whereas patients were characterized by increases in all types of impulsivity (F (3) = 19.0; p < 0.001). There were associations of the impulsivity level with the severity of depressive (r = 0.502; p < 0.001) and manic symptoms (rho = 0.302; p = 0.035) as well as temperament traits such as reward dependence (r = -0.312; p = 0.029) and novelty seeker (r = 0.525; p < 0.001). Impulsivity assessment can serve as an essential diagnostic tool in the clinical evaluation of a patient with suspected BD.

Structural Relationships between brain- behavior systems and Cloninger Temperament and Character model with Tetrad dark sides of personality

Background and Aim: It seems that one of the important factors affecting the dark dimensions of personality is brain-behavioral systems and dimensions of temperament and character, so the purpose of the present study is the relationship between brain-behavioral systems and temperament and character with dark dimensions of personality in students. Methods: The design of this research was a correlation method in terms of applied purpose and in terms of controlling variables. The statistical population of the study was all male and female students of national, free and non-profit universities of Tabriz in the academic year 2021. From this population, 450 people were selected by cluster random sampling and studied. The questionnaire of dark personality traits, brain-behavioral systems and temperament was used to collect data. Data has been analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation methods. Results: The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between behavioral activation system and dark dimensions of personality. There is also a significant negative relationship between behavioral deterrence system and war and escape with the dark dimensions of personality. On the other hand, innovation, self-avoidance, reward of dependence and self-escape with the dark dimensions of personality have a positive relationship and there is a negative and significant relationship between perseverance, self-direction and cooperation with the dark dimensions of personality. On the other hand, the results of path analysis showed that the variables of behavioral activation system and behavioral inhibition play a mediating role between temperament and character with dark personality traits. Conclusion: The results of this research show that paying attention to the variables of behavioral brain systems and temperament and character play an important role in the dark dimensions of personality.

Premorbid temperament as predictor of onset of depression: 23-year follow-up

BackgroundPreviously Cloninger's temperament traits have been researched as a risk factor for depression mostly in cross-sectional studies. In these studies, especially high harm avoidance has been associated with an increased risk of depression. The main objective of this study was to investigate how temperament traits affect the risk of the onset of depression in a previously mentally healthy adult population. MethodsThis study includes a follow-up period of 23 years from the age of 31 until 54 in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study. Temperament was measured at the 31-year follow-up using Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The outcome of the study was depressive disorder diagnosis during the follow-up in both sexes. To be able to take correlations between temperament traits we also did an analysis using temperament clusters. ResultsOur sample size was 3999 individuals, out of which 240 were diagnosed with depression. For women an increase in the TCI score for novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA) or persistence (P) increased the risk of depression during the follow-up. For men only HA was a significant predictor of depression. An increase in reward dependence (RD) was found to reduce the risk of psychotic depression. In the analysis using the temperament clusters, the cluster including shy and pessimistic individuals was associated with risk for depression diagnosis in men. ConclusionsThis prospective general population-based cohort study added to previous knowledge of high HA being a risk factor for depression, but it also found new associations such as higher P and NS.

Internet addiction: Gender-associated differences in psychological characteristics

IntroductionInternet addiction (IA) is reported to cause significant negative psychosocial consequences. The gender specificity of psychological characteristics that are potentially significant for the formation of IA remains understudied.ObjectivesTo identify gender-related differences in the psychological characteristics of people with IA.Methods100 subjects aged 16-34 years who scored 65 points or more on the Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) were identified and divided into 2 groups by gender: group 1 (54 men) and group 2 (46 women). The individual psychological characteristics were assessed with: the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS); the Bass-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ); the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ); the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ); a short version of the Five-factor Personality Questionnaire (TIPI-RU) and the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125).ResultsWomen were significantly more likely to experience fear of situations of interpersonal contact and action in public places (p=0.027). They experienced significantly more sexual violence in childhood (p=0.032) and were more likely to have personality traits such as “reward dependence” (p=0.002), “persistence” (p = 0.046), and “self-transcendence” (p=0.002). Men demonstrated physical aggression (p=0.009), suppressed emotions (p=0.019) significantly more often than women and characterized themselves as emotionally stable (p=0.048).ConclusionsThe gender differences identified in the cohort of individuals with IA can potentially be considered specific for this contingent, although such gender relationships can be observed in other forms of addiction and in the general population. The specificity of gender differences may reflect individual psychological markers of increased vulnerability to developing IA.DisclosureThe study was financially supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research within the framework of scientific project No 18-29-22079.

Family history of mood disorder weakens the association between personality traits and suicidality in depressed patients

IntroductionDepression is associated with a high risk of suicidal thoughts (ST) and behaviour (SB). Suicidality and depression have partially shared genetic underpinnings and family history of mood disorders (FH) can reflect genetic impact on specific features of depression. Thus, in depressed patients, FH may affect suicidality and its associations with other risk factors, such as personality traits.ObjectivesWe conducted a cross-sectional study to test the impact of FH on the association between suicidality and personality traits in depressed patients.Methods200 depression in- and outpatients (64% (n=128) women, mean age (M(SD):36,21(15,09)) were enrolled. 28% (n=56) reported FH (“FH+” cohort), other patients comprised the “FH-” cohort. Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) was used to assess ST and SB during the most suicidal period of life. Personality traits were assessed by Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125). Information about FH and history of suicide attempts (SA) was obtained during the clinical interview.ResultsPersonality traits and suicidality characteristics (ST, SB, SA) did not differ between FH+ and FH- patients. In FH+, no differences in TCI-125 scores between suicide attempters and non-attempters were found, while in FH-, attempters had higher scores of TCI-125 “Novelty seeking” (p=0.002) and “Self-transcendence” (p=0.031) subscales. Multiple correlations between ST, SB and TCI-125 subscales were found only in FH-, In FH+, only one correlation (between ST and TCI-125 “Persistence” subscale (r=-0.288, p=0.038) was found.ConclusionsOur results showed a weakened association between personality traits and suicidality in depressed patients with FH of mood disorders, although more data on larger samples are needed.DisclosureThe study was supported by RSF grant # 20-15-00132

Born to Be a Risky Driver? The Relationship Between Cloninger's Temperament and Character Traits and Risky Driving.

Temperament refers to basic, largely inherited, relatively stable personality traits which have been present since early childhood. Considering the very fundamental role of temperament in human development and behaviour, it is reasonable to assume that temperament is also related to risky driving and drivers’ view of themselves as drivers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between Cloninger’s temperament dimensions, risky driving and drivers’ view of their perceptual motor and safety skills. The sample consisted of 335 Turkish drivers (aged 19–57; 53.7% men) who completed an Internet-based survey including Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) and Driver Skill Inventory (DSI). Correlation analyses showed that TCI scale Cooperativeness correlated negatively with all DBQ scales indicating risky driving and positively with safety skills. In regression analyses after controlling age, gender and lifetime mileage, cooperativeness still was significantly related to all DBQ scales and safety skills. Persistence correlated negatively with ordinary violations, lapses and errors and positively with perceptual motor skills. In regression analyses, persistence was related to errors and lapses. Reward dependence was positively related to lapses and harm avoidance negatively to perceptual motor skills. The results of the present study indicate that largely innate temperament character traits may influence an individual’s predisposition to risky driving. Future studies about temperament and risky driving with larger samples allowing sub-group analyses are needed.

Personality traits in acromegalic patients: Comparison with patients with non-functioning adenomas and healthy controls

ObjectivesPituitary diseases may cause psychiatric and personality alterations. We aimed to compare the personality traits of acromegalic patients with those of patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas and a healthy control group. DesignFifty-eight acromegalic patients, 45 patients with non-functioning adenoma, and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were used to assess personality, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. ResultsDepression score was higher in acromegaly and non-functioning adenoma groups than healthy controls. RSES scores were similar among the three groups. Regarding the scales of TCI, only novelty-seeking was significantly reduced in acromegaly and non-functioning adenoma than the control group. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the difference was due to the difference between acromegalic patients and controls. Scales of TCI were correlated with depression and anxiety in patients with acromegaly and non-functioning adenoma but not in healthy controls. ConclusionThis study showed that novelty-seeking was reduced in patients with acromegaly. Both the hormonal lack and excess and structural changes can lead to cognitive and personality changes in acromegaly. More studies are needed to be carried out about personality characteristics in pituitary diseases.

The Discriminational Role of Cloninger's Temperament Model and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in the Discrimination of Tobacco Users

Objective: The purpose of this study was discriminating smokers from healthy people based on temperament and cognitive emotion regulation. Method: the present study has been a group classification design. The research population were all of girl and boy students in kerman. The final sample of research was including 200 participants (each group has 100 participants). For collect data used of cloninger's temperament questionnaire and cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (short- form). Findings: in comparison with the healthy group, the mean of novelty seeking and inefficient cognitive emotion regulation was higher and the mean of persistence, self-directedness, reward dependence and co-perativeness was lower in the smoking group. However, there was no significant difference in terms of harm avoidance, self-transcendence and efficient cognitive emotion regulation. Conclusion: considering a person's profile in the Cloninger temperament model and cognitive emotion regulation strategies, it is possible to identify people who are prone to tobacco use and provide them with the necessary training.

Functional Polymorphisms in Oxytocin and Dopamine Pathway Genes and the Development of Dispositional Compassion Over Time: The Young Finns Study.

Background: We define compassion as an enduring disposition that centers upon empathetic concern for another person's suffering and the motivation to act to alleviate it. The contribution of specific candidate genes to the development of dispositional compassion for others is currently unknown. We examine candidate genes in the oxytocin and dopamine signaling pathways.Methods: In a 32-year follow-up of the Young Finns Study (N = 2,130, 44.0% men), we examined with multiple indicators latent growth curve modeling the molecular genetic underpinnings of dispositional compassion for others across the life span. We selected five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) whose functions are known in humans: rs2268498 (OXTR), rs3796863 (CD38) (related to lower oxytocin levels), rs1800497 (ANKK1/DRD2), rs4680 (COMT), and rs1611115 (DBH) (related to higher dopamine levels). Compassion was measured with Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory on three repeated observations spanning 15 years (1997–2012). Differences between gender were tested.Results: We did not find an effect of the five SNPs in oxytocin and dopamine pathway genes on the initial levels of dispositional compassion for others. Individuals who carry one or two copies of the T-allele of DBH rs1611115, however, tend to increase faster in compassion over time than those homozygotes for the C-allele, b = 0.063 (SE = 0.027; p = 0.018). This effect was largely driven by male participants, 0.206 (SE = 0.046; p < 0.001), and was not significant in female participants when analyzed separately.Conclusions: Men who are known to have, on average, lower compassion than women seem to reduce this difference over time if they carry the T-allele of DBH rs1611115. The direction of the association indicates that dopamine signaling activity rather than overall dopamine levels might drive the development of compassion.

Understanding the well-being of dentistry students.

The transactional model of stress is a framework describing the process for coping with stressful events as a relationship between the individual person and environment. This study aimed to investigate the associations between personality, learning environment and experiences of mental health for a cohort of Australian dentistry students. Students were invited in 2017 to complete an online questionnaire including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCIR-140). Students were followed-up one year later, and generalised estimating equations were used. A total of 219 (response 73.5%) students participated in the study. Two personality profiles of dentistry students were identified. Group 1 were significantly higher in the traits persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness and reward dependence, whereas Group 2 were significantly higher in harm avoidance. Students with Group 2 personality had a 3.12 (CI:1.72-5.65) increased odds of depression compared to Group 1 students. Compared to students with positive perceptions of the learning environment, students with negative perceptions had increased odds of stress (3.48, CI: 1.85-6.53), depression (2.71, CI: 1.57- 4.65) and anxiety (2.59, CI: 1.56-4.28). Students with personalities high in levels of self-directedness, cooperativeness and persistence and low in harm avoidance, as found in Group 1, demonstrate high levels of general well-being. Positive perceptions of the dentistry learning environment were found to be an important influence on students stress. This study highlighted a number of factors important to student well-being and provides direction for further investigation of interventions aimed at enhancing student well-being.

Brainstem glucose metabolism predicts reward dependence scores in treatment-resistant major depression.

It has been suggested that individual differences in temperament could be involved in the (non-)response to antidepressant (AD) treatment. However, how neurobiological processes such as brain glucose metabolism may relate to personality features in the treatment-resistant depressed (TRD) state remains largely unclear. To examine how brainstem metabolism in the TRD state may predict Cloninger's temperament dimensions Harm Avoidance (HA), Novelty Seeking (NS), and Reward Dependence (RD), we collected 18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG PET) scans in 40 AD-free TRD patients. All participants were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). We applied a multiple kernel learning (MKL) regression to predict the HA, NS, and RD from brainstem metabolic activity, the origin of respectively serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic neurotransmitter (NT) systems. The MKL model was able to significantly predict RD but not HA and NS from the brainstem metabolic activity. The MKL pattern regression model identified increased metabolic activity in the pontine nuclei and locus coeruleus, the medial reticular formation, the dorsal/median raphe, and the ventral tegmental area that contributed to the predictions of RD. The MKL algorithm identified a likely metabolic marker in the brainstem for RD in major depression. Although 18FDG PET does not investigate specific NT systems, the predictive value of brainstem glucose metabolism on RD scores however indicates that this temperament dimension in the TRD state could be mediated by different monoaminergic systems, all involved in higher order reward-related behavior.