TY - JOUR

T1 - No evidence for a role of the serotonin 4 receptor in five-factor personality traits

T2 - A positron emission tomography brain study

AU - Stenbæk, Dea Siggaard

AU - Dam, Vibeke Høyrup

AU - Fisher, Patrick Mac Donald

AU - Hansen, Nanna

AU - Hjordt, Liv Vadskjær

AU - Frokjaer, Vibe Gedsoe

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Serotonin (5-HT) brain architecture appears to be implicated in normal personality traits as supported by genetic associations and studies using molecular brain imaging. However, so far, no studies have addressed potential contributions to variation in normal personality traits from in vivo serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT4R) brain availability, which has recently become possible to image with Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This is particularly relevant since availability of 5-HT4R has been shown to adapt to synaptic levels of 5-HT and thus offers information about serotonergic tone in the healthy brain. In 69 healthy participants (18 females), the associations between personality traits assessed with the five-factor NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) and regional cerebral 5-HT4R binding in neocortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were investigated using linear regression models. The associations between each of the five personality traits and a latent variable construct of global 5-HT4R levels were also evaluated using latent variable structural equation models. We found no significant associations between the five NEO personality traits and regional 5-HT4R binding (all p-values > .17) or the latent construct of global 5-HT4R levels (all p-values > .37). Our findings indicate that NEO personality traits and 5-HT4R are not related in healthy participants. Under the assumption that global 5-HT4R levels index 5-HT tone, our data also suggest that 5-HT tone per se is not directly implicated in normal personality traits.

AB - Serotonin (5-HT) brain architecture appears to be implicated in normal personality traits as supported by genetic associations and studies using molecular brain imaging. However, so far, no studies have addressed potential contributions to variation in normal personality traits from in vivo serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT4R) brain availability, which has recently become possible to image with Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This is particularly relevant since availability of 5-HT4R has been shown to adapt to synaptic levels of 5-HT and thus offers information about serotonergic tone in the healthy brain. In 69 healthy participants (18 females), the associations between personality traits assessed with the five-factor NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) and regional cerebral 5-HT4R binding in neocortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were investigated using linear regression models. The associations between each of the five personality traits and a latent variable construct of global 5-HT4R levels were also evaluated using latent variable structural equation models. We found no significant associations between the five NEO personality traits and regional 5-HT4R binding (all p-values > .17) or the latent construct of global 5-HT4R levels (all p-values > .37). Our findings indicate that NEO personality traits and 5-HT4R are not related in healthy participants. Under the assumption that global 5-HT4R levels index 5-HT tone, our data also suggest that 5-HT tone per se is not directly implicated in normal personality traits.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Amygdala/metabolism

KW - Female

KW - Genotype

KW - Gyrus Cinguli/metabolism

KW - Hippocampus/metabolism

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Neocortex/metabolism

KW - Personality/physiology

KW - Positron-Emission Tomography/methods

KW - Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT4/metabolism

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0184403

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0184403

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28880910

AN - SCOPUS:85029826816

VL - 12

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

SN - 1932-6203

IS - 9

M1 - e0184403

ER -