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. 2011 Aug 1;45(4):364-371.
doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2011.04.002.

Sources of Cognitive Exploration: Genetic Variation in the Prefrontal Dopamine System Predicts Openness/Intellect

Colin G Deyoung  1 , Dante Cicchetti, Fred A Rogosch, Jeremy R Gray, Maria Eastman, Elena L Grigorenko
Affiliations

Sources of Cognitive Exploration: Genetic Variation in the Prefrontal Dopamine System Predicts Openness/Intellect

Colin G Deyoung et al. J Res Pers. .

Abstract

The personality trait Openness/Intellect reflects the tendency to be imaginative, curious, perceptive, artistic, and intellectual-all characteristics that involve cognitive exploration. Little is known about the biological basis of Openness/Intellect, but the trait has been linked to cognitive functions of prefrontal cortex, and the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a key role in motivation to explore. The hypothesis that dopamine is involved in Openness/Intellect was supported by examining its association with two genes that are central components of the prefrontal dopaminergic system. In two demographically different samples (children: N = 608; adults: N = 214), variation in the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) and the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (COMT) predicted Openness/Intellect, as main effects in the child sample and in interaction in adults.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Interaction between COMT Val158Met, maltreatment, and sex predicts Openness/Intellect in children (N = 608). A constant (1) was added to scores to facilitate graphical representation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interaction between DRD4 7-Repeat allele and COMT Val158Met predicts Openness/Intellect in adult males (N = 214). A constant (1) was added to scores to facilitate graphical representation.
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