The Neural Basis Of The Five-pattern Personality In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective:This study conducted an empirical study on the five-pattern personality theory of traditional Chinese medicine based on the Chinese ancient traditional culture,which was born in the 1980 s under the influence of Yin-Yang theory,Namely structural scans of large populations were performed using modern scientific methods(structural magnetic resonance imaging),and then through statistical analysis to obtain the relationship between each personality trait and the corresponding gray matter volume of the brain,that is,the biological study of five-pattern personality.Methods:In a large sample of 219 healthy individuals,voxel-based morphometric(VBM)approach was performed to process the high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of each healthy individual.Then,The correlation between five personality traits and gray matter volume(GMV)was determined by using multiple regression analysis.Results:ShaoYang was positively associated with GMV of the right hippocampus and the left middle occipital gyrus.TaiYang was only negatively linked to GMV of the left cerebellum.Besides,TaiYin was negatively associated with GMV of the right precentral gyrus and the postcentral gyrus in the left hemisphere.Meanwhile,a positive association was revealed between Yin-Yang balance and GMV of the fusiform gyrus,the precuneusin the left hemisphere,and the orbital middle frontal gyrus in the right hemisphere.Conclusion:The findings may prove that these personality traits are related to several brain regions involved in regulating emotion,behavior and social-cognitive processes,suggesting that personality is indeed a complex psychological process,which is not carried out by one brain region,but the joint efforts of multiple brain regions.On the one hand,the results of this study may serve as a basis to explain the anatomical factors of personality,it enriches the traditional personality theory as well.