Leukocyte gene expression variation as a function of Big 5 dimensions of human personality

Individual differences in basal leukocyte gene expression profiles as a function of Big 5 personality dimensions Gene expression profiling was carried out on peripheral blood mononuclear cell RNA samples collected from 119 healthy adults measured for the 5 major dimensions of human personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) using the NEO-FFI 60-item personality inventory. Personality measures are z-score standardized. Analyses control for major demographic characteristics (age, sex, Caucasian vs Non-Caucasian race) as well as Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking (CigDay), alcohol consumption (AlcDay), and physical activity (ExerDay, hours per day). Additional secondary analyses controlled for the presence of minor physical symptoms (MinorSymptom, e.g.,hayfever, headache), medication use (BirthControl, Antidepressant, OtherMedication), and negative affective states (NegativeAffect, standardized values of PANAS Negative Affect scale). Experiment type: Risk prediction