PreprintArticleVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Associated with Higher Openness to Experience and IQ: Implications for the Noradrenergic System for Novelty Seeking in Daily Life
Version 1
: Received: 28 April 2023 / Approved: 28 April 2023 / Online: 28 April 2023 (08:16:32 CEST)
How to cite:
Plini, E.; Robertson, I.; Brosnan, M.; Dockree, P. Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Associated with Higher Openness to Experience and IQ: Implications for the Noradrenergic System for Novelty Seeking in Daily Life. Preprints2023, 2023041143. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1143.v1
Plini, E.; Robertson, I.; Brosnan, M.; Dockree, P. Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Associated with Higher Openness to Experience and IQ: Implications for the Noradrenergic System for Novelty Seeking in Daily Life. Preprints 2023, 2023041143. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1143.v1
Plini, E.; Robertson, I.; Brosnan, M.; Dockree, P. Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Associated with Higher Openness to Experience and IQ: Implications for the Noradrenergic System for Novelty Seeking in Daily Life. Preprints2023, 2023041143. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1143.v1
APA Style
Plini, E., Robertson, I., Brosnan, M., & Dockree, P. (2023). Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Associated with Higher Openness to Experience and IQ: Implications for the Noradrenergic System for Novelty Seeking in Daily Life. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1143.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Plini, E., Meadhbh Brosnan and Paul Dockree. 2023 "Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Associated with Higher Openness to Experience and IQ: Implications for the Noradrenergic System for Novelty Seeking in Daily Life" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1143.v1
Abstract
It has been proposed that upregulation of the noradrenergic (NA) system through exposure to novelty might be one of the key components for building cognitive reserve and resilience to neurodegeneration. A personality trait that promotes greater interest in novel experiences is Openness to Experience (OE). Individuals who are high in OE exhibit strong curiosity towards novelty and are more likely to be exposed to novel stimuli throughout the lifespan.Performing voxel-based morphometry analyses, we examined whether OE in 135 healthy young adults was associated with Locus Coeruleus (LC) - the main core of the noradrenergic system. We also investigated whether LC mediates the relationship between OE and a key measure of reserve, I.Q. In comparison with other neuromodulators’ seeds (Dorsal and Median Raphe [DR-MR] -5-HT, Ventral Tegmental Area [VTA] -DA- and Nucleus Basalis of Meynert [NBM] -Ach-), results show that greater LC integrity was related to greater OE and IQ. Additionally, mediation analyses revealed that only LC mediated the relationship between OE and IQ. Furthermore, a Bayesian multiple regression was conducted to model the contribution of both isolated and combined neuromodulator seeds to OE trait express. This approach found that the LC + VTA could account for more variance in OE expression compared to the LC alone. Other weaker but significant associations were observed between DR and OE, between LC + NBM and Conscientiousness and between DR + NBM and Extraversion.These results are together suggestive that OE is primarily underpinned by monoaminergic functioning, and that the LC-NA system plays a central role mediating the interdependence between OE expression and cognition (IQ level). While offering further understanding of the neurobiology of human personality, these findings indicate a pivotal role of LC-NA system integrity in novelty seeking in daily life. This provides a psychobiological account for how OE expression may be beneficial for maintaining the noradrenergic system to facilitate cognitive reserve and resilience to neurodegenerative conditions.
Keywords
Locus Coeruleus; Personality; Openness to Experience; Intelligence
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
