Relationships between Personality Traits and Brain Gray Matter Are Different in Risky and Non-risky Drivers

Mas-Cuesta, Laura; Baltruschat, Sabina; Cándido, Antonio; Catena, Andrés · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1155/2022/1775777

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Summary

This study investigates the neuroanatomical basis of risky driving behavior and examines how risk-taking tendencies modulate the relationship between personality traits—specifically impulsivity and sensitivity to rewards and punishments—and brain gray matter volume. While previous research has linked traits like impulsivity to risky driving, the structural brain correlates and how these relationships vary based on risk proneness remain unclear. The authors aimed to fill this gap by analyzing whether risky drivers differ in brain structure within networks involved in reward processing, cognitive control, and behavioral modulation. The researchers recruited 144 participants (50 women, aged 18–68) and categorized them into three groups based on real-life driving behaviors: Non-Risk (NR, n=28), Medium-Risk (MR, n=53), and High-Risk (HR, n=63). Classification relied on self-reported data regarding traffic fines, license points lost, rehabilitation course attendance, and speeding habits. Participants underwent structural MRI scans using a 3T Siemens system, and their personality traits were assessed using the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ-20) and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) to measure preference for immediate rewards. Data analysis involved voxel-wise comparisons of gray matter volume and partial correlation analyses between personality scores and brain volumes, controlling for age, gender, education, and total intracranial volume. The results indicated that total gray matter volume varied significantly as a function of risky driving tendencies, with high-risk individuals exhibiting lower gray matter volumes than non-risk individuals. This reduction was observed in brain areas associated with reward and cognitive control networks, including the frontotemporal, parietal, limbic, and cerebellar cortices. Specifically, high-risk drivers showed lower volumes in regions such as the superior parietal cortex, cerebellum, and frontal areas. Furthermore, the study found that the correlations between personality traits and gray matter volumes differed by risk group. High-risk individuals demonstrated lower absolute correlations between their personality traits (sensitivity to reward/punishment and impulsivity) and gray matter volumes compared to less risk-prone individuals. For instance, the relationship between preference for immediate reward and gray matter volume in areas like the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex varied significantly between non-risk and high-risk groups. The findings suggest that risky drivers possess distinct brain structures in regions critical for reward processing, cognitive control, and behavioral modulation. The lower gray matter volumes and altered trait-brain correlations in high-risk individuals may contribute to dysfunctional decision-making and increased risk-taking behavior. These results highlight the importance of considering risk proneness when studying the neuroanatomical correlates of personality traits, indicating that the structural basis of risky driving involves both reduced gray matter volume and a decoupling of personality traits from their typical neural substrates.

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Topics

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• sensation seeking
• risk taking
• personality driving