Narcissistic personality traits and prefrontal brain structure
Igor Nenadić1,2,3, Carsten Lorenz4, Christian Gaser4,5
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany. nenadic@staff.uni-marburg.de.
Scientific Reports
|August 4, 2021
Summary
Subclinical narcissism is linked to differences in brain structure, specifically in prefrontal and insular regions. This study found grey matter variations in healthy individuals with higher narcissistic traits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Narcissistic traits are associated with brain networks, but findings are inconsistent.
- Previous research suggests links between narcissism and brain structure/function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between subclinical narcissism and regional brain volumes.
- To test the hypothesis that narcissistic traits correlate with variations in insular and prefrontal brain areas.
Main Methods:
- 103 healthy subjects assessed using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI).
- High-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyzed with voxel-based morphometry.
- Statistical analysis using multiple regression models with threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE).
Main Results:
- Significant positive correlations found between NPI scores and grey matter volume in prefrontal cortical areas (medial, ventromedial, dorsolateral, orbitofrontal), cingulate cortices, insula, and caudate nuclei.
- No reliable links were observed with specific NPI facets.
- Findings align with functional studies on narcissism-related phenotypes like self-enhancement and social dominance.
Conclusions:
- Narcissistic traits are associated with variations in prefrontal and insular brain structure.
- These structural findings complement previous functional neuroimaging studies.
- Further research is needed to explore associations with specific narcissistic facets like entitlement and vulnerability.
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