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Personality Traits Are Associated With Cortical Development Across Adolescence: A Longitudinal Structural MRI Study
Author(s) -
Ferschmann Lia,
Fjell Anders M.,
Vollrath Margarete E.,
Grydeland Håkon,
Walhovd Kristine B.,
Tamnes Christian K.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13016
Subject(s) - psychology , conscientiousness , big five personality traits , personality , developmental psychology , personality development , longitudinal study , social psychology , extraversion and introversion , pathology , medicine
How personality traits relate to structural brain changes in development is an important but understudied question. In this study, cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA), estimated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were investigated in 99 participants aged 8–19 years. Follow‐up MRI data were collected after on average 2.6 years for 74 individuals. The Big Five personality traits were related to longitudinal regional CT or SA development, but limited cross‐sectional relations were observed. Conscientiousness, emotional stability, and imagination were associated with more age‐expected cortical thinning over time. The results suggest that the substantial individual variability observed in personality traits may partly be explained by cortical maturation across adolescence, implying a developmental origin for personality–brain relations observed in adults.