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Background: There is increased attention towards elucidating genetic factors that underlie both psychiatric diseases as well as healthy psychological phenomena. Recent evidence suggests that temperamental traits, including affective temperaments, are heritable and associated with genetic polymorphisms. Genetic research examining affective temperaments using the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) may therefore elucidate the concept of a spectrum of mood disorders and the genetic relationship between affective temperaments and mood disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK3β) and Wnt signaling pathway (Wnt) gene polymorphisms and affective temperaments in non-clinical Japanese subjects, as measured by TEMPS-A. Methods: 44 healthy Japanese subjects were recruited through our university hospital and completed the TEMPS-A. We genotyped three SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) from the BDNF, GSK3βand Wnt genes in order to test the relationship between these gene variants and five affective temperaments measured by the TEMPS-A. Results: No significant difference in the frequency of alleles between affective temperaments (depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious temperament) and non affective temperaments was shown. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant differences among 5 groups (depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious temperament) in healthy subjects for all the scores of affective temperaments by TEMPS-A. Limitations: The number of subjects was relatively small. Conclusions: The variant of BDNF, GSK3β and Wnt gene polymorphism might not be related to the five temperaments of TEMPS-A and TEMPS-A score in healthy Japanese subjects. The present results suggest that BDNF, GSK3βand Wnt genes, might not have a major role in the development of personality traits. Further studies with larger sample size are warranted to evaluate the association of affective temperament and gene polymorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a well-known association between artistic creativity and cyclothymic temperament but the neural correlates of cyclothymic temperament have not yet been fully identified. Recently, we showed that the left lingual gyrus and bilateral cuneus may be associated with esthetic judgment of representational paintings, we therefore sought to investigate brain activity during esthetic judgment of paintings in relation to measures of cyclothymic temperament., Methods: Regions of interest (ROI) were set at the left lingual gyrus and bilateral cuneus using automated anatomical labeling, and percent signal changes of the ROIs were measured by marsbar toolbox. The associations between percent signal changes of the ROIs during esthetic judgments of paintings and cyclothymic temperament scores were investigated by Pearson׳s coefficient. Moreover, the associations were further analyzed using multiple regression analysis whereby cyclothymic temperament scores were a dependent factor and percent signal changes of the 3 ROIs and the other 4 temperament scores were independent factors., Results: There was a significantly negative association of cyclothymic temperament scores with the percent signal changes of the left lingual gyrus during esthetic judgments of paintings, but not with those of bilateral cuneus. Even after adjustment using multiple regression analysis, this finding remained unchanged., Limitations: The number of subjects was relatively small and the task was limited to appreciation of paintings., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that cyclothymic temperament may be associated with the left lingual gyrus., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Affective temperaments such as cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments have been regarded as potential antecedents of bipolar disorder but the neural substrates underlying these temperaments have not been identified. The aim of this study is to determine whether these temperaments are associated with specific neural substrates in regional brain morphology in healthy subjects., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional neuroimaging study of 60 healthy subjects (30 males and 30 females) with affective temperaments. All participants underwent the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to screen for the past and present psychiatric disorder. The scores of cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments were measured by the Temperament Scale of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire. We analyzed the association between voxel-based morphometry of the brain and these affective temperaments., Results: Subjects classified as having high cyclothymic scores had a significantly larger gray matter volume of the left medial frontal gyrus (MFG) than low cyclothymic subjects. High hyperthymic males also had significantly larger gray matter volume of the left MFG than low hyperthymic males, but there was no difference in females. Subjects with both high cyclothymic and high hyperthymic temperaments demonstrated significantly larger gray matter volume of the left MFG than their counterparts. Region of interest analysis revealed that peaks of these clusters showed a significant positive correlation of the regional volume with temperament scores., Limitations: The subjects were relatively young and the number was relatively small. Due to the nature of a cross-sectional research design, we could not determine the causal relationship between temperament and the volume changes., Conclusions: These findings suggest that cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments in healthy subjects may have their morphological basis in the left MFG., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: It is well-known that Type A behavior pattern is characterized by hard-driving, competitive behavior and time urgency. Also, people with hyperthymic temperament are known to have high energy levels and are full of plans. It is therefore hypothesized that hyperthymic temperament is associated with rapid processing and fast reaction time in making decisions., Methods: Using data from our previous experimental studies (N=58) examining brightness judgment and brightness preference, reaction time (RT) was investigated in relation to hyperthymic temperament scores and fMRI signal changes of the left inferior orbitofrontal cortex during brightness judgment., Results: RT for brightness judgment was significantly shorter than RT for brightness preference. Significant associations were found between RT for brightness preference and hyperthymic temperament scores, and RT for brightness preference and fMRI signal changes of the left inferior orbitofrontal cortex whilst performing brightness preference task. Multiple regression analysis revealed that RT for brightness preference task was significantly and negatively associated with hyperthymic temperament scores, and significantly and positively associated with fMRI signal changes of the left inferior orbitofrontal cortex., Limitations: It is uncertain whether the findings of RT (around 1s) can be extrapolated to routine life (around 24h) and whether RT for brightness preference can be generalized to a variety of daily activities., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that hyperthymic temperament is associated with rapid processing. Further studies are required to overcome the above limitations., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hyperthymic temperament has been generally accepted as one of premorbid temperament of bipolar disorders. Although several studies indicate that subjects with hyperthymic temperament receive more illuminance, our recent study suggests that the threshold of brightness and darkness judgment is not different between more and less hyperthymic subjects, and that hyperthymic temperament may be associated with left inferior orbitofrontal cortex, which has been reported to be associated with bipolar disorder. Therefore, at the next stage, it can be hypothesized that hyperthymic subjects may prefer brightness (i.e., heliotropism) and thereby seek illuminance, and that percent signal changes of left inferior orbitofrontal cortex during the preference task may be associated with hyperthymic temperament scores., Methods: We compared brightness preference and un-preference between more and less hyperthymic subjects, and investigated percent signal changes of left inferior orbitofrontal cortex during brightness preference judgment, brightness un-preference judgment, and control task by using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)., Results: There were significant differences in brightness preference judgment and un-preference judgment, showing that more hyperthymic subjects preferred brighter illuminace levels and un-preferred darker illuminance levels than less hyperthymic subjects. Moreover, fMRI signal changes of left inferior orbitofrontal cortex was significantly and negatively associated with hyperthymic temperament scores., Limitations: It is unknown why left but not right inferior orbitofrontal cortex was associated with hyperthymic temperament scores., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that more hyperthymic subjects may prefer brightness and un-prefer darkness than less hyperthymic subjects (i.e., heliotropism), and reconfirm that hyperthymic temperament may be associated with left inferior orbitofrontal cortex, which have been reported to be associated with bipolar disorders., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hyperthymic temperament has been generally accepted as one of premorbid temperament of bipolar disorders. Since recent several studies indicate an association between illuminance and hyperthymic temperament, it can be hypothesized that more hyperthymic temperament subjects have a different threshold of brightness or darkness perception in comparison with less hyperthymic temperament subjects., Methods: We compared the threshold of brightness and darkness judgment between more and less hyperthymic subjects, and by simultaneously using fMRI we compared activations of whole brain between these subjects by two sample t-test. Furthermore, the association between the activations and hyperthymic temperament scores was analyzed., Results: Although there was no significant difference in the threshold of brightness or darkness judgment between more and less hyperthymic subjects, there was a significant difference in activations of the regions including left superior temporal gyrus, left inferior orbitofrontal cortex, left triangular inferior frontal gyrus and left insula between these subjects. Moreover, there was a significantly positive association between a cluster containing left inferior orbitofrontal cortex and hyperthymic temperament scores. The common activated region of these two analyses (categorical and continuous ones) was determined as left inferior orbitofrontal cortex., Limitations: Limitation of the present study is a lack of brightness and darkness preference experiment between more and less hyperthymic subjects., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that the threshold of brightness and darkness judgment is not different between more and less hyperthymic subjects, and that hyperthymic temperament may be associated with left inferior orbitofrontal cortex, which has been reported to be associated with bipolar disorder., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: It is generally accepted that a range of factors affect adherence to psychotropic medications. In the present study, we focused on the influence of affective temperaments (i.e., depressive, hyperthymic, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperaments) on treatment adherence., Methods: Thirty-eight psychiatric consecutive inpatients were instructed to perform Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire version (TEMPS-A) for affective temperaments, Drug attitude inventory-10 (DAI-10) for concordance and persistence, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for compliance., Results: VAS scores for dose compliance were significantly and negatively associated with irritable temperament scores whereas DAI-10 scores were significantly and positively associated with male gender, depressive temperament scores and hyperthymic temperament scores., Limitations: The main limitations of the study were the relatively small number of subjects and the lack of objective method of adherence., Conclusions: These findings suggest that patients with irritable temperament may be poor in their compliance with treatment, and that more education may be required for patients with irritable temperament in order to maintain good compliance. In contrast, men and patients with depressive or hyperthymic temperament have a relatively positive attitude towards medication., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Type A behavior pattern (TABP) has been regarded as a putative risk factor for coronary heart disease and recent studies from our group suggest that TABP individuals, identified via the Bortner scale whose validity had been confirmed by structured interviews, may have a greater tendency towards hyperthymic temperament, shorter sleep time and shorter snooze time. Since the Bortner scale was developed in USA and may reflect western culture, it is necessary to reconfirm our findings using a Japanese questionnaire such as Coronary-prone Type Scale for Japanese (CTS) and Kwansei Gakuin's daily life questionnaire (KG questionnaire)., Methods: Fifty healthy subjects were assessed for TABP using the Bortner scale, as well as the CTS and KG questionnaires. Hyperthymic temperament was assessed via the Japanese standardized version of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-auto questionnaire (TEMPS-A), while sleep time and snooze time were measured by actigraphy., Results: Both CTS and KG questionnaire scores were significantly and positively associated with the Bortner scale scores. Although CTS and KG scores were significantly and positively associated with hyperthymic temperament scores, none were associated with sleep time or snooze time., Limitations: The number of subjects was relatively small., Conclusions: The findings suggest that Japanese questionnaires such as CTS and KG questionnaires are valid as measures of TABP. Moreover, the association between TABP and hyperthymic temperament was reconfirmed by both CTS and KG questionnaires, whereas the association between TABP and sleep pattern was not. As such, the present findings provide supportive evidence about the usefulness of CTS and KG questionnaires., (Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Growing evidence points to an association of daily light exposure and both mood and mood disorders. In recent studies, we demonstrated that higher illuminance of daytime may be positively associated with hyperthymic temperament while lower illuminance of daytime may be positively associated with cyclothymic temperament. However, it is not possible to determine whether hyperthymic or cyclothymic temperament induces higher or lower illuminance via heliotropism or non-heliotropism or whether higher or lower illuminance induces hyperthymic or cyclothymic temperament via light effects., Methods: In order to elucidate these questions, we sought to compare bipolar temperaments between residents who live in regions with varying levels of sunshine. Japan has 4 large islands -Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Sapporo in Hokkaido and Oita in Kyushu located at 43° and 33° of latitude differ significantly in mean yearly sunshine. We investigated the data of 189 subjects (94 from Sapporo and 95 from Oita) including their data of Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-auto questionnaire version (TEMPS-A)., Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed that latitude (Sapporo or Oita) effect predicted significant variance of hyperthymic temperament, but not of the other temperaments., Limitations: The limitation of the present study was that there was a small but significant difference in age between the subjects of Sapporo and those of Oita. Therefore, we included age in the multiple regression analysis. Second, there were several climate factors other than sunshine which were significantly different between Sapporo and Oita. We cannot exclude these effects completely. Finally, we did not consider other factors such as psychosocial factors which might have affected bipolar temperaments., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that relatively lower latitude (potentially via more sunshine) may induce hyperthymic temperament., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The effect of modified-electroconvulsive therapy (m-ECT) on central serotonergic function has not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of the present study is to investigate this effect via the neuroendocrine challenge test., Methods: Sixteen inpatients (9 men and 7 women) with major depressive disorder who were receiving m-ECT at our university hospital were recruited. A neuroendocrine challenge test to estimate central serotonergic function was performed both before and after m-ECT treatment., Results: On the whole, depressive symptoms significantly improved, but the improvement was not associated with changes in serotonergic function., Limitations: The study was open-labeled and performed with a small number of subjects and no control group., Conclusion: Serotonergic function may not be associated with the antidepressant effects of ECT., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Type A behavior pattern (TABP) has traditionally been reported to be associated with coronary heart disease and, more recently, several researchers have examined its association with depression and bipolar disorder. According to Akiskal and Pinto (1999), there are 2 subtypes of bipolar spectrum which are not associated with manic or hypomanic state. These are bipolar II1/2 (depression in those who have cyclothymic temperament) and bipolar IV (depression in those who have hyperthymic temperament). Our hypothesis is that individuals with hyperthymic temperament may have a tendency towards TABP., Objectives: The purposes of the present study are to investigate the association between TABP and hyperthymic temperament and to determine other biological factors associated with TABP., Methods: Fifty healthy subjects were assessed for TABP and hyperthymic temperament by self-rating scales, daily activity, sleep time and illuminance by actigraphy, and central serotonergic function via the neuroendocrine challenge test. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were also measured., Results: Stepwise regression analysis indicated that hyperthymic temperament score was positively associated with TABP scores and both sleep time and snooze time were negatively associated with TABP scores. BDNF levels were not associated with TABP scores., Conclusions: These findings suggest that individuals with hyperthymic temperament may have a tendency towards TABP, and TABP persons may have short sleep time and short snooze time. Although further studies are required to investigate the association between TABP and affective disorders, the present findings clearly indicate the association between TABP and hyperthymic temperament, which may be associated with bipolar IV disorder. Taking TABP as a risk factor of cardiovascular events into consideration, this association between TABP and bipolar IV disorder may account for the well-known cardiovascular mortality in bipolar disorder., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The concept of soft bipolar spectrum has not been fully confirmed. The aim of the present study is to investigate the validity of bipolar II1/2 and IV concept., Methods: The subjects were 46 consecutive outpatients. The individual temperament of each patient was recorded using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A). The operational definition of bipolar II1/2 was those who had depression with cyclothymic temperament and that of bipolar IV was those who had depression with hyperthymic temperament. Finally, drug responses were investigated., Results: DSM-IV-TR diagnoses were bipolar I (N=1), bipolar II (N=9), major depressive disorder (N=34) and depressive disorder not otherwise specified (N=2). Excluding one bipolar I patient, who had both cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments, patients with bipolar II1/2 (N=32) and IV (N=13) as well as bipolar II (N=9) were classified into the soft bipolar spectrum, although there was considerable overlap. The categorization of soft bipolar spectrum and unipolar depression significantly predicted depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperaments. Moreover, soft bipolar spectrum patients with lithium treatment were significantly more in remission than those without lithium treatment. In addition, more of those with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had a significant tendency to lower remission than those without SSRIs., Limitations: This is a cross-sectional study with a relatively small number of subjects., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments may predict bipolarity, and the validity of bipolar II1/2 and IV concept is supported., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)