近期，著名雜誌PLoS ONE刊登了中科院心理研究所研究人員最新的一項研究成果「Personality Is Reflected in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional Architecture。」研究人員通過研究發現大腦內在功能架構反映人格特徵。
人格或者個性特徵是指人面臨眾多環境刺激時所表現出的獨特、穩定而持久的思維方式和行為風格。探討大腦的功能架構如何反映人格是一個極具挑戰性的論題，部分原因在於很難設計出適當的任務對個性進行測量。靜息態功能連接（RSFC）技術不依賴任何特定的任務，可以探測大腦內在功能架構。最近，中科院心理研究所特聘研究員左西年與其國際合作者一起，使用RSFC技術對人格特徵的大腦功能架構研究這一難題進行了初步嘗試。
該項研究考察了「大五」人格五因素的大腦內在功能架構關聯：神經質或情緒穩定性（Neuroticism），外傾性（Extraversion），開放性（Openness to Experience），隨和性(Agreeableness)和盡責性(Conscientiousness)。39名右利手成年志願者（18名男性，平均年齡30±8歲）完成NEO人格量表修訂版之後，參加了1至5次靜息態功能磁共振成像掃描，並且在完成最後一次掃描的一年內，再次進行一次該人格量表測量。
研究結果顯示，基於大腦的兩個認知與情感樞紐——前扣帶和楔前葉的種子區域，人格的每一個因素都具有一種獨特的靜息態功能連接（RSFC）模式。這些模式與分別負責認知和情感過程（如動機、共情和未來導向思維等）相應的腦功能分區一致。神經質和外向性是五因素中研究最廣泛的兩個因素，可分別預測種子點與背內側前額葉皮層和外側旁邊緣腦區之間的連接。這些區域又與情緒調節、自我評價和獎賞相關聯，與特質的特性一致。人格特質大多與受試者間不一致出現的功能連接相關聯，即各個人格因素所預測的腦區靜息態功能連接並無重疊。這表明，雖然個體間存在一個基本的、核心的大腦功能架構，核心之外的多變連接引致了個體間人格特徵的差異，進而引發了多樣化的反應表現。
上述研究發現為使用靜息態功能技術來探索心-腦關聯，並進一步研究相應人格障礙的神經環路提供了一個新的視角，對於人格障礙的神經心理病理學機制研究有啟發。該項研究得到了中科院心理研究所特聘研究員啟動科學基金的資助。（生物谷Bioon.com）
Personality Is Reflected in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional Architecture
Jonathan S. Adelstein, Zarrar Shehzad, Maarten Mennes, Colin G. DeYoung, Xi-Nian Zuo, Clare Kelly, Daniel S. Margulies, Aaron Bloomfield, Jeremy R. Gray, F. Xavier Castellanos, Michael P. Milham
Personality describes persistent human behavioral responses to broad classes of environmental stimuli. Investigating how personality traits are reflected in the brain's functional architecture is challenging, in part due to the difficulty of designing appropriate task probes. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) can detect intrinsic activation patterns without relying on any specific task. Here we use RSFC to investigate the neural correlates of the five-factor personality domains. Based on seed regions placed within two cognitive and affective 『hubs』 in the brain—the anterior cingulate and precuneus—each domain of personality predicted RSFC with a unique pattern of brain regions. These patterns corresponded with functional subdivisions responsible for cognitive and affective processing such as motivation, empathy and future-oriented thinking. Neuroticism and Extraversion, the two most widely studied of the five constructs, predicted connectivity between seed regions and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and lateral paralimbic regions, respectively. These areas are associated with emotional regulation, self-evaluation and reward, consistent with the trait qualities. Personality traits were mostly associated with functional connections that were inconsistently present across participants. This suggests that although a fundamental, core functional architecture is preserved across individuals, variable connections outside of that core encompass the inter-individual differences in personality that motivate diverse responses.