Clarifying the Relationship Between Intrinsic Brain Activity and Neurotic Personality
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1
University of Wollongong, Australia
Aim: Neuroticism is a major dimension of personality defined biologically in terms of lower nervous system thresholds for emotional stimulation. Previous research has established a link between neuroticism and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, focussing on task-based analyses that evoke emotional responses to stimuli. However, the applicability of intrinsic cortical activity in examining neuroticism, particularly with regard to alpha arousal and frontal alpha asymmetry, remains a controversial issue that requires re-evaluation. Hence, this study aimed to clarify the relationship between intrinsic EEG and neuroticism.
Methods: Continuous EEG was recorded from 80 adults (40 female; aged 18-28) during eyes-closed (ECL) and eyes-open (EO) resting-states. Maximal regions of activity in each condition for delta, theta, alpha, and beta were identified with multivariate analyses of variance. The use of alpha as a marker of cortical arousal was determined by correlating global baseline ECL levels with the ECL to EO change in alpha. Frontal alpha asymmetry was measured as the difference between the F3 and F4 electrodes. A novel exploration of EEG reactivity (i.e. the change from ECL to EO) in all bands was included. Participants completed the 50-item International Personality Item Pool to derive neuroticism scores that were then correlated with alpha arousal levels, frontal alpha asymmetry, and EEG reactivity.
Results: Alpha was confirmed as a global measure of cortical arousal. No significant correlation was observed between parietal alpha arousal levels and neuroticism. All correlations between neuroticism and ECL EEG activity, frontal alpha asymmetry, and EEG reactivity were non-significant.
Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that a meaningful relationship does not exist between intrinsic cortical activity and neuroticism. It is argued that while resting-state cortical activity does not reflect the biological basis of neuroticism, unique aspects of valence processing in response to emotional stimuli, rather than cortical arousal, may be triggering neurotic tendencies.
Keywords:
neuroticism,
Frontal alpha asymmetry,
emotional instability,
EEG,
Cortical arousal
Conference:
ASP2016 - The 26th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Adelaide Australia, Adelaide,SA, Australia, 12 Dec - 14 Dec, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Abstract (student award)
Citation:
Coleman
E,
Barry
R,
Karamacoska
D and
Wilson
E
(2016). Clarifying the Relationship Between Intrinsic Brain Activity and Neurotic Personality.
Conference Abstract:
ASP2016 - The 26th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Adelaide Australia.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2016.221.00015
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Received:
31 Oct 2016;
Published Online:
05 Dec 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Mrs. Elle Coleman, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, elle.p.coleman@gmail.com
Prof. Robert Barry, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, rbarry@uow.edu.au