RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan.
RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 15;8(1):16841. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35065-4.
Aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens, has been reported to be involved in several brain functions, including synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and regulation of sexual and emotional behaviours in rodents, pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders in humans. Aromatase has been reported to be involved in aggressive behaviours in genetically modified mice and in personality traits by genotyping studies on humans. However, no study has investigated the relationship between aromatase in living brains and personality traits including aggression. We performed a positron emission tomography (PET) study in 21 healthy subjects using C-cetrozole, which has high selectivity and affinity for aromatase. Before performing PET scans, subjects answered the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and Temperament and Character Inventory to measure their aggression and personality traits, respectively. A strong accumulation of C-cetrozole was detected in the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and medulla. Females showed associations between aromatase levels in subcortical regions, such as the amygdala and supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus, and personality traits such as aggression, novelty seeking, and self-transcendence. In contrast, males exhibited associations between aromatase levels in the cortices and harm avoidance, persistence, and self-transcendence. The association of aromatase levels in the thalamus with cooperativeness was common to both sexes. The present study suggests that there might exist associations between aromatase in the brain and personality traits. Some of these associations may differ between sexes, while others are likely common to both.
芳香酶是一种将雄激素转化为雌激素的酶，已被报道参与多种大脑功能，包括突触可塑性、神经发生、神经保护以及调节啮齿动物的性行为和情绪行为、阿尔茨海默病和自闭症谱系障碍的病理生理学。芳香酶已被报道参与基因修饰小鼠的攻击行为以及人类基因分型研究中的人格特征。然而，尚无研究调查活体大脑中的芳香酶与包括攻击行为在内的人格特征之间的关系。我们在 21 名健康受试者中进行了正电子发射断层扫描（PET）研究，使用 C-他莫昔芬，其对芳香酶具有高选择性和亲和力。在进行 PET 扫描之前，受试者回答了 Buss-Perry 攻击问卷和气质与性格量表，分别测量他们的攻击行为和人格特征。在丘脑、下丘脑、杏仁核和延髓中检测到 C-他莫昔芬的强烈积累。女性表现出皮质下区域（如杏仁核和下丘脑视上核）芳香酶水平与攻击、新奇寻求和自我超越等人格特征之间的关联。相比之下，男性表现出皮质芳香酶水平与回避、坚持和自我超越之间的关联。丘脑芳香酶水平与合作性之间的关联对两性都很常见。本研究表明，大脑中的芳香酶可能与人格特征存在关联。其中一些关联可能在性别之间存在差异，而另一些则可能对两性都很常见。
