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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Oct 1;40(14):4038-4057.
doi: 10.1002/hbm.24684. Epub 2019 Jun 6.

Brain gray matter correlates of extraversion: A systematic review and meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies

Han Lai  1   2 , Song Wang  1   2   3 , Yajun Zhao  4 , Lei Zhang  2 , Cheng Yang  1 , Qiyong Gong  1   2   3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Brain gray matter correlates of extraversion: A systematic review and meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies

Han Lai et al. Hum Brain Mapp. .

Abstract

Extraversion is a fundamental personality dimension closely related to an individual's life outcomes and mental health. Although an increasing number of studies have attempted to identify the neurostructural markers of extraversion, the results have been highly inconsistent. The current study aimed to achieve a comprehensive understanding of brain gray matter (GM) correlates of extraversion with a systematic review and meta-analysis approach. Our review showed relatively high interstudy heterogeneity among previous findings. Our meta-analysis of whole-brain voxel-based morphometry studies revealed that extraversion was stably associated with six core brain regions. Additionally, meta-regression analyses identified brain regions where the associations of extraversion with GM volume were modulated by gender and age. The relationships between extraversion and GM structures were discussed based on three extraversion-related functional systems. Furthermore, we explained the gender and age effects. Overall, our study is the first to reveal a comprehensive picture of brain GM correlates of extraversion, and the findings may be useful for the selection of targeted brain areas for extraversion interventions.

Keywords: extraversion; meta-analysis; structural magnetic resonance imaging; systematic review; voxel-based morphometry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses flow diagram of data selection in the current systematic review and meta‐analysis. DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging; GM, gray matter; PET, positron emission tomography; rs‐fMRI, resting‐state fMRI; SBM, surface‐based morphometry; WM, white matter [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 2
Figure 2
Brain regions showing positive (red) and negative (green) correlation with extraversion in the meta‐analysis. Clusters were displayed at voxelwise p < .005, z > 1, and cluster size >10 voxels [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 3
Figure 3
Brain regions where the associations of extraversion with GMV were modulated by gender in the meta‐regression analysis. Clusters were displayed at voxelwise p < .0005, z > 1, and cluster size >10 voxels [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 4
Figure 4
Brain regions where the associations of extraversion with GMV were modulated by age in the meta‐regression analysis. Clusters were displayed at voxelwise p < .0005, z > 1, and cluster size >10 voxels [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 5
Figure 5
Three functional neural circuits underlying extraversion. Positive and negative extraversion‐related clusters were displayed in red and green, respectively [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
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