title: Role of the serotonin transporter gene in temperament and character.
abstract: The biosocial model postulates that personality is comprised of two broad domains: temperament, which is largely due to inherited variations in specific monoamine neurotransmitter systems; and character, which arises from socioculturally learned differences in values, goals, and self-concepts and is the strongest predictor of personality disorders. The model also proposes that serotonin modulates the temperament trait of harm avoidance. We analyzed the association of temperament and character traits with the 5-HTTLPR, an inherited variation that modulates serotonin transporter gene expression, in 634 volunteer subjects. Contrary to theory, the 5-HTTLPR was most strongly associated with the character traits of cooperativeness and self-directedness. Associations with the temperament traits of reward dependence and harm avoidance were weaker and could be attributable largely to cross-correlations with the character traits and demographic variables. Psychometric analysis indicated that the serotonin transporter influences two broad areas of personality, negative affect and social disaffiliation, that are consistent across inventories but are more concisely described by the 5-factor model of personality than by the biosocial model. These results suggest that there is no fundamental mechanistic distinction between character and temperament in regard to the serotonin transporter gene, and that a single neurotransmitter can influence multiple personality traits.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. deanh@helix.nih.gov
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Hamer
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: S Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Sabol
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002605:Character; D005260:Female; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics; D012701:Serotonin / Q000235:genetics*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D013694:Temperament
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012701:Serotonin