The association between the harm avoidance subscale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and serotonin transporter availability in the brainstem of male volunteers

Wu, I Ting; Lee, I Hui; Yeh, Tzung Lieh; Chen, Kao Ching; Chen, Po See; Yao, Wei Jen; Yang, Yen Kuang

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2009.10.005

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 181, Issue 3 , Pages 241-244, 30 March 2010

The association between the harm avoidance subscale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and serotonin transporter availability in the brainstem of male volunteers

I Ting Wu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan
I Hui Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Tzung Lieh Yeh
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Kao Ching Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Po See Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan
- Dou-liou Branch, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Wei Jen Yao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Yen Kuang Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan
- Dou-liou Branch, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Correspondent author. Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan 70428, Taiwan. Tel.: +886 6 235 3535x5213; fax: +886 6 275 9259.

Received 16 October 2008; received in revised form 13 August 2009; accepted 17 October 2009.

Abstract

The relationship between harm avoidance scores of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and serotonin transporter availability, as approximated using single photon emission computed tomography with [¹²³I] ADAM, was examined. Our results showed a significant negative correlation between the harm avoidance total score, as well as the asthenia subscore, and serotonin transporter availability, particularly in males.

Keywords: Serotonin transporter, Harm avoidance, SPECT