Cardio-Pulmonary Capacity, Personality Traits And Their Effect On Cerebral White Matter

As the number of individuals diagnosed with mental disorder rises each year, it is critical to find strategies to prevent disease progression that are low cost and easy to adhere to. This work intended to evaluate whether personality traits can act as participatory motives and be linked to physical activity engagement. Moreover, is it possible that these personality traits are associated with the type of activity one chooses to engage in? Also, we assessed if individual differences in personality traits were related to structural variation in white matter of the brain. Healthy male and female adult subject were recruited. Cardiopulmonary fitness was assessed by measuring VO2 max and white matter volume was measured by a novel technique called Myelin Water Fraction [MWF]. Personality traits were assessed using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory [NEO-PI-R]. IISTH and SLF showed significant relationship between VO2 max and MWF. Also, a robust negative correlation between VO2 max and neuroticism and a strong positive correlation between VO2 max and Extraversion were observed. Mediation Analyses revealed no significant effect of VO2 max on extraversion, neuroticism, and MWF. However, there was some intriguing direct effect of personality on white matter integrity. For instance, neuroticism showed a negative relationship with white matter, and extraversion revealed a positive association with white matter. This work helps to advance our understanding of how physical activity impacts the white matter. First, we established that physical fitness has beneficial effects on white matter integrity. Second, it was determined that personality traits can act as participatory motives and be linked with the type of activity one chooses to engage in. In other words, some personalities are commonly associated with higher aerobic capacity. And, finally, it was determined that individual differences in personality traits are related to structural variation in white matter of the brain. Understanding these biological relationships will help address diseases that are caused, or worsened, by white matter deterioration.