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Neurobiologic function and temperament in subjects with personality disorders
Vivian Mitropoulou1, Robert L Trestman, Antonia S New
1Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. vivian.mitropoulou@mssm.edu
CNS Spectrums
|January 9, 2004
Summary
This study explored links between neurotransmitters and personality traits in 142 patients. Dopamine showed a trend with novelty-seeking, and norepinephrine correlated with reward dependence, but other connections were not significant.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
Background:
- Personality traits are hypothesized to be linked to specific neurotransmitter systems.
- Investigating these connections can enhance understanding of personality disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic probes and personality traits.
- To evaluate central monoamine neurotransmitter levels in relation to the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) in personality disorder subjects.
Main Methods:
- 142 patients with personality disorders were assessed.
- Neurotransmitter function was measured using prolactin response to fenfluramine (serotonin), growth hormone response to clonidine (norepinephrine), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine levels (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine).
- Regression and correlational analyses were performed to assess associations between biological measures and TPQ scores.
Main Results:
- A trend was observed between CSF and plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) and novelty-seeking.
- Persistence scale of the TPQ positively correlated with growth hormone response to clonidine (norepinephrine).
- Sentimentality and attachment subscales (reward dependence) correlated with CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (serotonin) and CSF 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (norepinephrine), respectively.
Conclusions:
- Limited support found for dopamine-novelty-seeking and norepinephrine-reward dependence links.
- Other hypothesized relationships between monoamines and personality traits were not significantly supported by these measures.