Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the biological background of the five-factor model using near-infrared spectroscopy and cognitive tasks.
Methods: Twenty right-handed healthy volunteers participated in this study. Their personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, and changes in oxyhemoglobin concentration ([oxy-Hb]) were measured during cognitive tasks using a wireless near-infrared spectroscopy.
Results: The average [oxy-Hb] in the right prefrontal area had a significant positive correlation with the agreeableness score during the Stroop test at incongruent stimulus block. For the verbal fluency task, there were no significant correlations of bilateral [oxy-Hb] changes with any items.
Conclusion: Higher agreeableness scores may involve less suppression to the default mode network related to resting state brain function. Keeping selective attention during the Stroop test may require more power of concentration than retrieving words during the verbal fluency task.
Keywords: Stroop test; near-infrared spectroscopy; oxyhemoglobin; personality assessment; prefrontal cortex.
© 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.