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Personality Traits Are Associated With Cortical Development Across Adolescence: A Longitudinal Structural MRI Study
Lia Ferschmann1, Anders M Fjell1, Margarete E Vollrath1,2
1University of Oslo.
Child Development
|January 10, 2018
Summary
Personality traits like conscientiousness are linked to brain development in adolescents. Longitudinal studies show these traits correlate with expected cortical thinning during maturation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Understanding the link between personality traits and brain structure during development is crucial.
- Individual differences in personality are significant but their neurobiological underpinnings in youth remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between personality traits and longitudinal changes in brain structure (cortical thickness and surface area) during adolescence.
- To explore if personality traits predict developmental trajectories of brain morphology.
Main Methods:
- Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) in 99 participants aged 8-19 years.
- Collected follow-up MRI data after an average of 2.6 years for 74 individuals.
- Correlated Big Five personality traits with longitudinal changes in regional CT and SA.
Main Results:
- Longitudinal analysis revealed associations between personality traits and the developmental changes in cortical thickness and surface area.
- Conscientiousness, emotional stability, and imagination were linked to more age-typical patterns of cortical thinning over time.
- Cross-sectional relationships between personality and brain structure were limited.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent personality traits are associated with developmental trajectories of cortical maturation.
- Individual variability in personality may be partly explained by ongoing cortical development during adolescence.
- These findings suggest a developmental basis for adult personality-brain relationships.
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