Key result
Regional gray matter density of the bilateral putamen was significantly positively correlated with dispositional optimism in adolescents, an association that may be mediated by extraversion.
Why the study?
Less is known about the association between dispositional optimism and brain structure, as well as the role of extraversion in this association.
Cross-Sectional (n=231)
Dispositional optimism in late adolescence is positively correlated with gray matter density in the bilateral putamen, an association that may be mediated by extraversion.
Putamen gray matter density may index optimism via extraversion in adolescents; leaves open causal direction and clinical utility.
Dispositional optimism reflects one's generalized positive expectancies for future outcomes and plays a crucial role in personal developmental outcomes and health (e.g., counteracting related mental disorders such as depression and anxiety). Increasing evidence has suggested that extraversion is an important personality factor contributing to dispositional optimism. However, less is known about the association between dispositional optimism and brain structure and the role of extraversion in this association. Here, we examined these issues in 231 healthy high school students aged 16 to 20 years (110 males, mean age = 18.48 years, SD = 0.54) by estimating regional gray matter density (rGMD) using a voxel-based morphometry method via structural magnetic resonance imaging. Whole-brain regression analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between dispositional optimism and the rGMD of the bilateral putamen after adjusting for age, sex, family socioeconomic status (SES), general intelligence, and total gray matter volume (TGMV). Moreover, prediction analyses using fourfold balanced cross-validation combined with linear regression confirmed a significant connection between dispositional optimism and putamen density after adjusting for age, sex, and family SES. More importantly, subsequent mediation analysis showed that extraversion may account for the association between putamen density and dispositional optimism after adjusting for age, sex, family SES, general intelligence, TGMV, and the other four Big Five personality traits. Taken together, the current study provides new evidence regarding the neurostructural basis underlying dispositional optimism in adolescents and underscores the importance of extraversion as an essential personality factor for dispositional optimism acquisition.
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Lai et al. (2019) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=231). Regional gray matter density (rGMD) of the bilateral putamen was evaluated on Correlation between dispositional optimism and rGMD of the bilateral putamen. Regional gray matter density of the bilateral putamen was significantly positively correlated with dispositional optimism in adolescents, an association that may be mediated by extraversion.
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