Oct, 1, 2023

Vol.30 No.2, pp. 84-88

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  • Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
  • Volume 17(4); 2010
  • Article

Review

Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry 2010;17(4):203-9. Published online: Apr, 1, 2010

Abstract PDF Full Text

The Relationship between Harm Avoidance Temperament and Right Frontal and Left Parietal Lobes in Young Adults：A Cortical Thickness Analysis

  • Dajung J. Kim, BA1; Young Wook Lyoo2; Young Jun Park2; Tae Joo Ahn2; Byeong Joo Choi2; E-Kyung Shin3; and Tae-Suk Kim, MD, PhD4;
    1;Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, 2;Seoul Science High School, Seoul, Korea, 3;Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, U.S.A., 4;Department of Psychiatry, Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Abstract

Objectives：Increasing evidence suggests the presence of neurobiological bases for temperamental characteristics in humans. Brain correlates of harm avoidance(HA) have been most extensively studied using functional and structural brain imaging methods due to its potential link with anxiety and depressive disorders. To date, however, we are not aware of any reports that have examined the potential relationship between HA levels and regional cortical thickness. The aim of the current study is to examine the cortical thickness which is associated with HA temperament in healthy young subjects.


Methods：Twenty-eight young, healthy individuals(13 men and 15 women, mean age, 29.4 ± 6.3 years) were screened for eligibility and administered the Korean version of the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory and underwent high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scanning.


Results：HA was associated with cortical thickness in the right superior frontal cortex and in the left parietal cortex, adjusted for age and sex and corrected for multiple comparisons using the permutation testing method.


Conclusion：Individual temperamental differences in HA are associated with structural variations in specific areas of the brain. The fact that these brain regions are involved in top-down modulations of subcortical fear reactions adds functional significance to current findings.

Keywords Harm avoidance;Cortical thickness;Personality;Temperament and Character Inventory;Magnetic resonance imaging.