Effects of Temperament and Character on the Specialty Interests of Medical Students

OBJECTIVES: In the previous studies, it has been suggested that temperament and character may affect specialty choice in medical students. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of temperament and character on specialty interests in medical students. METHODS: A total 132 third-year medical students initially participated in this study. Among these participants, 128 students had filled out both demographic and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaires. Socio-demographic data, specialty interests and Cloninger's TCI scores were obtained. The specialty interests were categorized into surgical, medical and other departments. RESULTS: Among 128 students, 88 (68.7%), 29 (22.7%) and 22 (8.6%) students chose medical, surgical and other departments, respectively. Students choosing surgery departments showed lower Harm Avoidance scores (F = 4.39, df = 1, p = 0.04) and higher Self-Directedness scores (F = 4.30, df = 1, p = 0.04) than those who chose medical departments. There was no significant differences in Novelty Seeking, Reward dependence, Persistence, Cooperativeness, Self-Transcendence scores between groups. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has demonstrated the relationship between TCI scores and specialty interests of medical students in Korea. The current study suggests that temperament and character influence specialty interests in medical students. These findings could have implications for medical education research and career counseling.

Right Amygdalar Laterobasal Subregional Differences in Healthy Adults with Different Novelty Seeking Tendencies

OBJECTIVES: Novelty seeking (NS) represents a dopaminergically modulated tendency toward frequent exploratory activity. Considering the reports showing the relationship between exploratory activity and amygdalar function and structure, and the fact that amygdala is one of the key structures that constitute the dopaminergic pathway in the brain, amygdala might be closely related to NS tendencies. Amygdalar subregional analysis method, which has the enhanced sensitivity compared to the volumteric approach would be appropriate in investigating the subtle differences of amygdalar structures among healthy individuals. The aim of the current study was to examine whether amygdalar subregional morphometric characteristics are associated with the NS tendencies in healthy adults using the amygdalar subregional analysis method. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy adults (12 males, 14 females ; mean age 29.8 +/- 6.2 years) were screened for eligibility. All subjects completed the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and underwent high-resolution brain magnetic resonance imaging. Individuals were divided into 2 groups according to NS scores of the TCI. RESULTS: Individuals of the high NS group had significantly larger laterobasal subregions in right amygdala, after adjustment with the brain parenchymal volumes. Sensitivity analyses for each potential confounding factor such as age, education years and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores demonstrated consistent results. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that NS differences are associated with the laterobasal subregion of the amygdala.

Right Caudate Volumetric Differences in Young Healthy Adults with Different Dopamine DRD2/ANKK1 Taq 1a Polymorphisms

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess variations in caudate volume according to dopamin receptor D2/ankyin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (DRD2/ANKK1) Taq 1a polymorphisms in young healthy adults and to evaluate the relationship between caudate volumes and psychiatric symptoms as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. METHODS: Genetic information regarding DRD2/ANKK1 Taq 1a and T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance images were acquired from 30 young healthy adults. Automatic segmentation of caudate was performed using the FreeSurfer program. RESULTS: Individuals with A2 homozygotes of DRD2/ANKK1 Taq 1a polymorphisms (n = 10) had greater right caudate volumes compared to those with A1 allele (s)(18.4% greater ; p = 0.019). Right caudate volumes were negatively associated with total scores of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (beta=-0.50 ; p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the possibility that DRD2/ANKK1 Taq 1a polymorphisms may underlie the psychiatric symptoms by influencing the structure of the right caudate.