Personality reflection in the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture remains elusive

0525085 - PSÚ 2021 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Tomeček, David - Androvičová, R. - Fajnerová, I. - Děchtěrenko, Filip - Rydlo, J. - Horáček, J. - Lukavský, Jiří - Tintěra, J. - Hlinka, Jaroslav
Personality reflection in the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture remains elusive.
PLoS ONE. Roč. 15, č. 6 (2020), č. článku e0232570. ISSN 1932-6203. E-ISSN 1932-6203
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-23940S
Institutional support: RVO:68081740 ; RVO:67985807
Keywords : Big Five * default mode network * fMRI * functional connectivity * personality neuroscience
OECD category: Psychology (including human - machine relations); Neurosciences (including psychophysiology (UIVT-O)
Impact factor: 3.240, year: 2020
Method of publishing: Open access
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0232570

In the last years, there has been a considerable increase of research into the neuroimaging correlates of inter-individual temperament and character variability—an endeavour for which the term ‘personality neuroscience’ was coined. Among other neuroimaging modalities and approaches, substantial work focuses on functional connectivity in resting state (rs-FC) functional magnetic resonance imaging data. In the current paper, we set out to independently query the questions asked in a highly cited study that reported a range of functional connectivity correlates of personality dimensions assessed by the widely used ‘Big Five’ Personality Inventory. Using a larger sample (84 subjects) and an equivalent data analysis pipeline, we obtained widely disagreeing results compared to the original study. Overall, the results were in line with the hypotheses of no relation between functional connectivity and personality, when more precise permutation-based multiple testing procedures were applied. The results demonstrate that as with other neuroimaging studies, great caution should be applied when interpreting the findings, among other reasons due to multiple testing problem involved at several levels in many neuroimaging studies. Of course, the current study results can not ultimately disprove the existence of some link between personality and brain’s intrinsic functional architecture, but clearly shows that its form is very likely different and much more subtle and elusive than was previously reported.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0309403