Effects of genome-wide neuroticism-associated variants on five-factor model personality traits in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) have characteristic personality traits compared with healthy subjects. Genome-wide significant variants for neuroticism have been reported in healthy subjects. However, the associations of these genome-wide neuroticism-associated variants with five-factor personality traits in patients with SCZ are less clear. We investigated the influences of nine independent genome-wide significant variants for neuroticism on five-factor personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) in 107 patients with SCZ and 119 healthy controls (HCs). As expected, patients with SCZ scored significantly higher for neuroticism and lower for extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness than HCs (p < 0.05). Of nine neuroticism-associated variants, the T allele at rs4653663 related to lower neuroticism was only significantly associated with lower neuroticism in patients with SCZ (beta = -0.27, p = 3.88 x 10(-3)) and in combined subjects (beta = -0.15,p = 0.026). Furthermore, of other personality traits, the genetic variant was significantly associated with higher agreeableness in combined subjects (beta = 0.17, p = 9.41 x 10(-3)), higher conscientiousness in patients with SCZ (beta = 0.21, p = 0.031) and lower conscientiousness in HCs (beta = -0.20, p = 0.034), and nominally associated with higher extraversion in patients with SCZ (beta = 0.18, p = 0.056) and in combined subjects (beta = 0.13, p = 0.051). These outcomes were not affected by clinical variables. We suggest that genome-wide neuroticism-associated variant could be associated with neuroticism as well as other personality traits in schizophrenia. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study suggests that neuroticism-associated genetic variants may be linked to neuroticism and other personality traits in schizophrenia patients, with these associations unaffected by clinical variables.