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

PLoS One. 2014 Feb 14;9(2):e88763. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088763. eCollection 2014.

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain / anatomy & histology*
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Female
  • Health*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Male
  • Organ Size
  • Personality / physiology*
  • Personality Inventory
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the 973 project 2012CB517901; and Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61035006, 61125304, 81171406 and 61273361), and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20120185110028), and the Key Technology R&D Program of Sichuan Province (Grant No. 2012SZ0159). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.