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Association between a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism of the estrogen receptor alpha gene and personality traits in women

Molecular Psychiatry volume 8, pages 118–122 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Estrogens are known to play a key role in the regulation of various aspects of behavior. In order to study the potential contribution of genetic variation in the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha to specific personality traits, we investigated a repeat polymorphism in the ER alpha gene in 172 42-year-old women who had been assessed using the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP). Based on the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the length of a repeat polymorphism and gene function,1 the alleles were divided into two groups: short and long. In order to elucidate the possible influence of the ER alpha gene on the different aspects of personality measured by means of the KSP, the possible association between this gene and four different factors (‘neuroticism’, ‘psychoticism’, ‘non-conformity’, and ‘extraversion’) was analysed. ‘Neuroticism’, ‘psychoticism’, and ‘non-conformity’ all appeared to be associated with the ER alpha gene. After correction for multiple comparisons by means of permutation analysis, the associations with the factor ‘non-conformity’—including the subscales ‘indirect aggression’ and ‘irritability’—and the factor ‘psychoticism’—including the subscale ‘suspicion’—remained significant. The results suggest that the studied dinucleotide repeat polymorphism of the ER alpha gene may contribute to specific components of personality.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (Grants No. 8668 and 251), Lundberg's Foundation, Wallenberg's Foundation, Thuring's Foundation, and Lundbeck's Foundation. We thank Dr Lisa Ekselius and J Petter Gustavsson for valuable comments regarding the Karolinska Scales of Personality, and Inger Oscarsson, Gunilla Bourghardt, and Anna Nilsson for skillful technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    L Westberg, J Melke, M Jansson & E Eriksson

  2. Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    M Landén

  3. Department of Mathematical Statistics, and Department of Clinical Genetics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    S Nilsson

  4. Institute of Heart and Lung Disease, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    F Baghaei, R Rosmond, G Holm & P Björntorp

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  1. L Westberg
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Correspondence to L Westberg.

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Westberg, L., Melke, J., Landén, M. et al. Association between a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism of the estrogen receptor alpha gene and personality traits in women. Mol Psychiatry 8, 118–122 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001192

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