Distinctive Personality Traits and Neural Correlates Associated with Stimulant Drug Use Versus Familial Risk of Stimulant Dependence

Background: Personality traits, such as self-directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (CO), may be indicative of problematic alcohol and/or drug use. Objectives: The aim of this study was to quantify the association of substance use with SD and CO in a large cohort of adolescents. Method: A total of 6,917 individuals (58% women) at the age of 18 who had filled in the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT), and the SD and CO scales from the Temperament and Character Inventory, as part of the Child and Adolescent Twin study in Sweden were included in the analyses. Results: High AUDIT scores (>15) were found in 2.4% of the population and high DUDIT scores (>7) in 1.2% of the population. Total score on the AUDIT was negatively correlated (p < 0.001) with SD (r = –0.18) and CO (r = –0.15), as well as total DUDIT with SD (r = –0.11) and CO (r = –0.08). The risk of high AUDIT (>15) and DUDIT (>7) was highest for those with a low (1 standard deviation below mean) SD score (ORs 4.1 and 4.5, p < 0.001) and a low CO score (ORs 3.5 and 4.5, p < 0.001). However, at 1 standard deviation above mean, no association between alcohol or drug use and SD or CO was seen. Using SD and CO scores to predict AUDIT >15 or DUDIT >7 yielded a sensitivity between 62.4 and 71.3% and a specificity between 64.9 and 70.4%. Conclusions: Personality traits of low SD and CO are associated with increased alcohol and drug use. These findings support the notion that personality traits can be used to identify individuals at high risk of substance abuse.

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Disentangle the neural correlates of attachment style in healthy individuals

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796019000271 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (04) ◽

pp. 371-375 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cinzia Perlini ◽

Marcella Bellani ◽

Maria Gloria Rossetti ◽

Niccolò Zovetti ◽

Giulia Rossin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personality Traits ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Functional Imaging ◽

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Wide Range

AbstractSince its development and theorisation in the 60s, attachment theory has greatly influenced both clinical and developmental psychology suggesting the existence of complex dynamics based on the relationship between an infant and its caregiver, that affects personality traits and interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Many studies have been conducted to explore the association between attachment styles and psychosocial functioning and mental health. By contrast, only a few studies have investigated the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment style, showing mixed results. Therefore, in this review, we described current evidence from structural and functional imaging studies with the final aim to disentangle the neural correlates of attachment style in healthy individuals. Overall, different attachment styles have been correlated with volumetric alterations mainly in the cingulate cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and anterior temporal pole. Consistently, functional imaging studies suggested patterns of activations in fronto-striatal-limbic circuits during the processing of social and attachment-related stimuli. Further studies are needed to clarify the neurobiological signature of attachment style, possibly taking into consideration a wide range of demographic, psychosocial and clinical factors that may mediate the associations between the style of attachment and brain systems (e.g., gender, personality traits, psychosocial functioning, early-life experience).

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Cognitive emotion regulation and personality: an analysis of individual differences in the neural and behavioral correlates of successful reappraisal

Personality Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/pen.2019.11 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Christoph Scheffel ◽

Kersten Diers ◽

Sabine Schönfeld ◽

Burkhard Brocke ◽

Alexander Strobel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Cognitive Emotion Regulation ◽

Behavioral Correlates ◽

Relaxation Period ◽

Emotion Regulation Strategy ◽

Healthy Participants

Abstract A common and mostly effective emotion regulation strategy is reappraisal. During reappraisal, activity in cognitive control brain regions increases and activity in brain regions associated with emotion responding (e.g., the amygdala) diminishes. Immediately after reappraisal, it has been observed that activity in the amygdala increases again, which might reflect a paradoxical aftereffect. While there is extensive empirical evidence for these neural correlates of emotion regulation, only few studies targeted the association with individual differences in personality traits. The aim of this study is to investigate these associations more thoroughly. Seventy-six healthy participants completed measures of broad personality traits (Big Five, Positive and Negative Affect) as well as of more narrow traits (habitual use of emotion regulation) and performed an experimental fMRI reappraisal task. Participants were instructed to either permit their emotions or to detach themselves from the presented negative and neutral pictures. After each picture, a relaxation period was included. Reappraisal success was determined by arousal ratings and activity in the amygdala. During reappraisal, we found activation in the prefrontal cortex and deactivation in the left amygdala. During the relaxation period, an immediate aftereffect was found in occipital regions and marginally in the amygdala. Neither personality traits nor habitual use of emotion regulation predicted reappraisal success or the magnitude of the aftereffect. We replicated typical activation and deactivation patterns during intentional emotion regulation and partially replicated the immediate aftereffect in the amygdala. However, there was no association between personality traits and emotion regulation success.

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