SIRT1 genetic polymorphism is associated with distinct personality traits in healthy Chinese-Han participants

Introduction Sirt1 (Silence information regulation 1) is involved in neurophysiological processes, including neurodevelopment and neuroprotection. Polymorphisms of the SIRT1 gene have been associated with psychiatric disorders and certain personality-related phenotypes. However, evidence regarding the relationship between SIRT1 genetic variation and normative temperament dimensions in healthy individuals remains limited. Methods We examined the association between four single-nucleotide polymorphisms of SIRT1 and personality traits measured using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) in 570 healthy Chinese-Han adults. Associations between the four SIRT1 polymorphisms and TPQ scores were examined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with genotype as the independent variable and age and sex included as covariates. Results After adjustment for age and sex, rs3740051 showed significant overall genotype effects on novelty seeking (NS; F = 3.50, p = 0.03, η 2 = 0.01) and extravagance (NS3; F = 3.77, p = 0.02, η 2 = 0.01). Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons showed that participants with the AA genotype had significantly higher NS and NS3 scores than those with the AG genotype ( p = 0.007 and p = 0.01, respectively). Discussion The results suggest that SIRT1 alleles can contribute to the variance in human personality traits.