Subcortical neural mechanisms of childhood trauma impacts on personality traits
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Published on: March 8, 2018
Zhaosong Chu1, Xin Wang1, Yuqi Cheng1
1Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, China; Yunnan Province Clinical Research Center for Mental Health, Kunming 650032, China.
Abstract:
This study aims to explore the relationships between childhood trauma (CT), personality traits, and subcortical structures. 171 healthy individuals completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and underwent 3D T1-weighted MRI scans. Linear regression analyses indicated the complex relationship between CT, personality traits, and subcortical gray matter volume (GMV). Mediation analyses revealed that the right hippocampal GMV partially mediated the effects of CT on neuroticism. These findings suggest that CT affects the development of the Big Five personality traits, and alterations in subcortical structures are closely related to this process. Altered GMV in the right hippocampus may be a key neural mechanism for CT-induced neuroticism.
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