Relationship between personality and gray matter volume in healthy young adults: a voxel-based morphometric study

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the neurostructural foundations of the human personality in young adults. High-resolution structural T1-weighted MR images of 71 healthy young individuals were processed using voxel-based morphometric (VBM) approach. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify the associations between personality traits and gray matter volume (GMV). The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, Short Scale for Chinese was chosen to assess the personality traits. This scale includes four dimensions, namely, extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and lie. Particularly, we studied on two dimensions (extraversion and neuroticism) of Eysenck's personality. Our results showed that extraversion was negatively correlated with GMV of the bilateral amygdala, the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, and the left superior frontal gyrus, all of which are involved in emotional and social cognitive processes. These results might suggest an association between extraversion and affective processing. In addition, a positive correlation was detected between neuroticism and GMV of the right cerebellum, a key brain region for negative affect coordination. Meanwhile, a negative association was revealed between GMV of the left superior frontal gyrus and neuroticism. These results may prove that neuroticism is related to several brain regions involved in regulating negative emotions. Based on those findings, we concluded that brain regions involved in social cognition and affective process accounted for modulation and shaping of personality traits among young individuals. Results of this study may serve as a basis for elucidating the anatomical factors of personality.

Figure 1. Negative correlation of E score and GMV (p<0.05, Alphasim corrected) in the (A) L amygdala (−27, 3, −24) (r = −0.43, p<0.001), (B) R amygdala (27, 2, −27) (r = −0.46, p<0.001), and (C) L superior frontal gyrus (−14, 29, 32) (r = −0.35, p<0.005).

The GMV values in the figure were extracted from the significant clusters after age, gender, and total intracranial volume of each subject were regressed out. More details of these regions are described in Table 2 .

Figure 2. Negative correlation of E score and GMV (p<0.05, Alphasim corrected) in the (A) L parahippocampal (−18, 3, −24) (r = −0.42, p<0.0001), (B) R parahippocampal (27, 6, −26) (r = −0.50, p<0.0001), and (C) R middle temporal gyrus (54, −71, 20) (r = −0.38, p<0.05).

The GMV values in the figure were extracted from the significant clusters after age, gender, and total intracranial volume of each subject were regressed out. More details of these regions are described in Table 2 .

Figure 3. Correlations of N score and GMV (p<0.05, Alphasim corrected) in the (A) L superior frontal gyrus (−20, 13, 56) (r = −0.3853, p<0.0001), and (B) R cerebellum (8, −41, −14) (r = 0.3720, p<0.05).

The GMV values in the figure were extracted from the significant clusters after age, gender, and total intracranial volume of each subject were regressed out. More details of these regions are described in Table 2 .