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Cloninger's Unified Biosocial Theory of Personality postulates a relationship between
the relative functional activity of central serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic
neurotransmitter systems, and the strength of three elemental dimensions of personality.
These dimensions are Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, and Reward Dependence, respectively.
Accordingly, we predicted that neuroendocrine responses to serotonergic challenge
would correlate with Harm Avoidance scores, but not with Novelty Seeking or Reward
Dependence scores. We examined the relationship between the prolactin and cortisol
responses to a 12.5-mg intravenous clomipramine challenge and these personality dimensions
as measured by Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in 32 healthy
subjects. The cortisol response correlated only with Harm Avoidance scores, as predicted;
however, prolactin response did not correlate with Harm Avoidance scores. Instead,
it demonstrated an inverse relationship with Novelty Seeking scores. There was a positive
relationship of baseline prolactin with Harm Avoidance in a post hoc analysis. Cortisol
response to serotonergic challenge may be a better indicator for responsivity of serotonergic
systems as they relate to the personality dimension of Harm Avoidance than is prolactin.
Prolactin responses may be overly affected by dopaminergic influences; however, baseline
prolactin may still be a valid indicator of serotonergic tone.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
December 2,
1996
Received:
April 29,
1996
Footnotes
Supported in part by NIMH grants MH-42145, MH-19111, and MH-33127 and by NIH grant RR-00046.
Identification
Copyright
© 1997 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc.
