Molecular Genetics of Human Personality Traits for Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Substance-Related Disorders

The investigation of personality genetics had received much attention since the three seminal reports showing an association between genes and personality traits in the general population. Accumulating evidences suggested that personality traits have significant genetic components. Although currently available data are not enough for proof, more and more genetic variants associated with personality traits are being discovered. In this paper, we review related studies of gene polymorphisms and human personality traits for psychiatric, behavioral, and substance-related disorders. First, we briefly describe the commonly-used self-reported temperament measures that define personality dimensions. Then, we summarize the characteristics of the candidate genes for personality traits, and investigate gene variants which have been suggested to be linked with personality traits for individuals with psychiatric, behavioral, and substance-related disorders.