A multivariate analysis of 59 candidate genes in personality traits: the temperament and character inventory

Comings DE, Gade-Andavolu R, Gonzalez N, Wu S, Muhleman D,Blake H, Mann MB, Dietz G, Saucier G, MacMurray JP. A multivari-ate analysis of 59 candidate genes in personality traits: the tempera-ment and character inventory.Clin Genet 2000: 58: 375–385. © Munksgaard, 2000Cloninger (Cloninger CR. Neurogenetic adaptive mechanisms in alco-holism. Science 1987: 236: 410–416) proposed three basic personalitydimensions for temperament: novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and re-ward dependence. He suggested that novelty seeking primarily utilizeddopamine pathways, harm avoidance utilized serotonin pathways, andreward dependence utilized norepinephrine pathways. Subsequently, oneadditional temperament dimension (persistence) and three character di-mensions (cooperativeness, self-directedness, and self-transcendence)were added to form the temperament and character inventory (TCI).We have utilized a previously described multivariate analysis technique(Comings DE, Gade-Andavolu R, Gonzalez N et al. Comparison ofthe role of dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenergic genes in ADHD,ODD and conduct disorder. Multivariate regression analysis of 20genes. Clin Genet 2000: 57: 178–196; Comings DD, Gade-Andavolu R,Gonzalez N et al. Multivariate analysis of associations of 42 genes inADHD, ODD and conduct disorder. Clin Genet 2000: in press) toexamine the relative role of 59 candidate genes in the seven TCI traitsand test the hypothesis that specific personality traits were associatedwith specific genes. While there was some tendency for this to be true,a more important trend was the involvement of different ratios offunctionally related groups of genes, and of different genotypes of thesame genes, for different traits.