Personality Reflection in the Brain’s Intrinsic Functional Architecture Remains Elusive

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 functional magnetic resonance imaging data. In the current paper, we set out to replicate 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 the statistical subtleties of the advanced neuroimaging statistical analysis procedures. 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.

近年来，对于个体性格与气质变异的神经影像学相关性研究呈现出显著增长，这一研究领域被冠以‘人格神经科学’的名称。在众多神经影像学模态和方法的探索中，大量研究集中于静息态功能磁共振成像数据中的功能连接。在本文中，我们旨在复制一项备受瞩目的研究，该研究报道了通过广泛应用的‘大五人格量表’评估的人格维度的一系列功能连接相关性。利用更大规模的样本（84名受试者）以及等效的数据分析流程，我们获得了与原始研究截然不同的结果。总体而言，在应用更为精确的基于排列的多重检验程序后，结果与无功能连接与人格之间相关性的假设相一致。这些结果表明，与其他神经影像学研究类似，在解读研究结果时，应采取极大的谨慎，其中原因之一是高级神经影像学统计分析程序的统计微妙性。当然，本研究的结果并不能最终否定人格与大脑内在功能结构之间存在某种联系的可能性，但明确显示出其形式很可能与之前报道的不同，且更加微妙和难以捉摸。