[Validation of the French version of the 10-item Big Five Inventory]. / Validation française du Big Five Inventory à 10 items (BFI-10).

OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to validate the French version of the BFI-10, an ultra-short ten-item version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John et al., 1991), which allows for a reasonably accurate assessment of personality in circumstances in which more in-depth assessment is not possible. In order to reach a thorough evaluation of the external validity, we also aimed to examine the bandwidth of the BFI-10 scales with reference to the study by De Young, Quilty and Peterson (2007) who distinguished between two aspects in each of the Big Five: Assertiveness and Enthusiasm for Extraversion; Compassion and Politeness for Agreeability; Orderliness and Productiveness for Conscientiousness; Withdrawal and Volatility for Negative Emotionality, and finally Openness to Aesthetics and Openness to Ideas for Open-Mindedness. Our concern with regard to bandwidth was to examine whether the BFI-10 scales have strong enough correlations with both aspects of each domain. METHODS: Participants. Data from four samples were analysed: Sample 1 comprised 2499 undergraduate students (1654 women) who completed the full BFI in university classes; Sample 2 comprised 13,306 participants (8471 women) who filled out the BFI-10 ten items online via Internet; Sample 3 comprised 143 undergraduate students (115 women) who completed the full BFI twice with a two-week interval; Sample 4 comprised 360 undergraduate students (183 women) who filled out the BFI and NEO PI-R. INSTRUMENTS: The French version of the Big Five Inventory is a 45-item inventory, which measures the five broader domains of personality. The ultrashort Ten-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) was developed simultaneously in German and English by Rammstedt and John (2007); it comprises five two-item scales measuring the big five domains. The Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R; Costa et McCrae, 1992) is a 240-item questionnaire which assesses the big five domains and 30 lower-order facets, i.e. six facets per domain. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Factor structure and reliability of the five two-item scales were first investigated on samples 1 and 3. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted on samples 1 and 2, and discriminant validity was assessed via comparison with the NEO PI-R (sample 4). In order to examine the bandwidth of the BFI-10 two-item scales, we studied their correlation not only with the NEO PI-R domains but also with the 30 facets. RESULTS: The CFAs showed the good fit of the five-factor structure, with RMSEA=.077 (.072), CFI=.974 (.956), and SRMR=.029 (.027) in samples 1 and 2 respectively. Multigroup CFA conducted in groups 1 and 2 showed invariance across gender of factor loadings and item intercepts. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory with rs ranging from .68 (Open-Mindedness) to .86 (Extraversion and Negative Emotionality). The comparison of the two-item scales with the NEO PI-R scales showed high correlations not only with the NEO domain scales, but also with several facets: Four BFI-10 two-item scales (Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Negative Emotionality, and Open-Mindedness) were highly correlated with at least three of the six NEO facet scales in each domain. For Agreeableness, the magnitude of correlations was smaller, but the pattern of correlations was the same. All BFI-10 scales had at least moderate correlations with both aspects of each domain, with the exception of Negative Emotionality, which measured the NEO Withdrawal aspect better than Volatility. CONCLUSION: The French version of the BFI-10 demonstrated the expected five-factor structure, satisfactory reliability, and broad bandwidth. It could be a valuable tool for the assessment of personality in circumstances in which it is not possible to use a longer and more in-depth instrument, especially when personality is not the main focus of research but one of the variables to be controlled.

[Does the French Big Five Inventory evaluate facets other than the Big Five factors?] / Le Big Five Inventory français permet-il d'évaluer des facettes en plus des cinq grands facteurs ?

INTRODUCTION: The Big Five Inventory (BFI) developed by John et al. (1991) is one of the most widely accepted tools for assessing dimensions of personality. It comprises 44 items that assess five broad dimensions of personality (the Big Five Factors): Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to experience. Based on correlations with the facets described in the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R), another Big Five assessment tool with 240 items and 6 facets per dimension, Soto and John (2009) showed that the dimensions in the BFI could be divided into two facets each (ten facets altogether). These results are in line with those of DeYoung et al. (2007), who ran factorial analyses with all the NEO PI-R facets and the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) and identified ten intermediate factors (between facets and dimensions) which they called "aspects" (two per dimension). The goal of the present study is to investigate the ten facets described by Soto and John in a French sample, using the French version of the BFI (BFI-Fr), which has good psychometric properties, and to check whether the pattern of correlations of these facets with the NEO PI-R match those of the American version. METHOD: We created three groups. The first comprised 360 students from the Institut libre d'éducation physique supérieure (ILEPS) and Tours University (psychology undergraduates). Participants (mean age 21.1 years±2.30; 58% women) completed the BFI-Fr and the NEO PI-R. The second comprised 142 psychology students from Tours University (mean age 20.6 years±1.78; 81% women); they completed the BFI-Fr twice, two weeks apart (test and retest). The third comprised 252 psychology students from Paris-Nanterre University (mean age 23 years±4.2; 89% women) who described a total of 405 people they knew well (mean age 35.2±10.8; 49% women) using the peer-report format of the BFI-Fr. RESULTS: In the self-report format, eight of Soto and John's ten aspects had acceptable internal consistency (based on Guildford's (1954) internal consistency criteria, due to the small number of items), with Cronbach's α between 0.60 and 0.86 and test-retest correlations between 0.71 and 0.89, showing satisfactory temporal stability. We found a single facet for Extraversion (Assertiveness), two for Agreeableness (Altruism and Compliance), two for Conscientiousness (Self-Discipline and Order), one for Neuroticism (Anxiety), and two for Openness to Experience (Openness to aesthetics and Openness to ideas). Based on their convergence with the corresponding facets in the NEO PI-R, these eight facets showed satisfactory external validity. With regard to the peer-report format, the Activity facet of Extraversion, which did not have sufficient internal consistency in the self-report format, had acceptable properties (i.e. 9 out of 10 facets). Only the Depression facet of Neuroticism still had insufficient internal consistency. In this study, we proposed an improvement of two facets (Activity and Compliance) and added one facet specific to the French version (Emotional Instability) in place of the Depression facet. DISCUSSION: We showed that the BFI-Fr can be used to assess nine of the ten facets described by Soto and John. We also identified an Emotional Instability facet, replacing the Depression facet of Neuroticism. DeYoung et al. (2007) considered that anxiety and depression are indissociable and can be represented by a Neuroticism aspect they labeled Withdrawal. They suggested a second aspect of this dimension they called Volatility (with the N2 Angry Hostility facet of the NEO PI-R as main marker and the N5 Impulsiveness and N3 Depression as secondary markers). The Emotional Instability facet we found corresponds closely to the N2 Angry Hostility facet of the NEO PI-R and appears to be a satisfactory marker of DeYoung et al.'s (2007) Volatility aspect. Although this study has limitations, particularly related to the samples (students), the BFI-Fr facets (derived from those defined by Soto and John in the BFI or proposed as improvements on the original facets) match the corresponding NEO PI-R facets and can also be seen as main markers of the aspects defined by DeYoung et al.

From Phineas Gage and Monsieur Leborgne to H.M.: Revisiting Disconnection Syndromes.

On the 50th anniversary of Norman Geschwind's seminal paper entitled 'Disconnexion syndrome in animal and man', we pay tribute to his ideas by applying contemporary tractography methods to understand white matter disconnection in 3 classic cases that made history in behavioral neurology. We first documented the locus and extent of the brain lesion from the computerized tomography of Phineas Gage's skull and the magnetic resonance images of Louis Victor Leborgne's brain, Broca's first patient, and Henry Gustave Molaison. We then applied the reconstructed lesions to an atlas of white matter connections obtained from diffusion tractography of 129 healthy adults. Our results showed that in all 3 patients, disruption extended to connections projecting to areas distant from the lesion. We confirmed that the damaged tracts link areas that in contemporary neuroscience are considered functionally engaged for tasks related to emotion and decision-making (Gage), language production (Leborgne), and declarative memory (Molaison). Our findings suggest that even historic cases should be reappraised within a disconnection framework whose principles were plainly established by the associationist schools in the last 2 centuries.

Exploratory study toward development of the French version of the questionnaire on personality traits (QPT/VKP-4) in an elderly population in comparison to young adults.

This research is an exploratory study toward development of the French version of the Questionnaire on Personality Traits (QPT/VKP-4). The goal was to assess its association with the Big Five Inventory (BIG-5) and to explore the personality characteristics of the elderly compared to young adults. The 241 participants included 83 elderly people and 158 young adults. Borderline and anxious personality disorders were less frequent in elderly women than in young women, and depressive personality disorder was less frequent in elderly men. Dimension scores were higher for Conscientiousness in the elderly, Agreeableness in elderly women, and Extraversion in elderly men. Statistically significant correlations were found between personality dimension scores using the VKP-4 and the BIG-5.

Paul Broca's historic cases: high resolution MR imaging of the brains of Leborgne and Lelong.

In 1861, the French surgeon, Pierre Paul Broca, described two patients who had lost the ability to speak after injury to the posterior inferior frontal gyrus of the brain. Since that time, an infinite number of clinical and functional imaging studies have relied on this brain-behaviour relationship as their anchor for the localization of speech functions. Clinical studies of Broca's aphasia often assume that the deficits in these patients are due entirely to dysfunction in Broca's area, thereby attributing all aspects of the disorder to this one brain region. Moreover, functional imaging studies often rely on activation in Broca's area as verification that tasks have successfully tapped speech centres. Despite these strong assumptions, the range of locations ascribed to Broca's area varies broadly across studies. In addition, recent findings with language-impaired patients have suggested that other regions also play a role in speech production, some of which are medial to the area originally described by Broca on the lateral surface of the brain. Given the historical significance of Broca's original patients and the increasing reliance on Broca's area as a major speech centre, we thought it important to re-inspect these brains to determine the precise location of their lesions as well as other possible areas of damage. Here we describe the results of high resolution magnetic resonance imaging of the preserved brains of Broca's two historic patients. We found that both patients' lesions extended significantly into medial regions of the brain, in addition to the surface lesions observed by Broca. Results also indicate inconsistencies between the area originally identified by Broca and what is now called Broca's area, a finding with significant ramifications for both lesion and functional neuroimaging studies of this well-known brain area.

[3D modeling in the field of morphology: methods, interest and results]. / La modelisation tridimensionnelle en morphologie: méthodes, intérêt et résultats.

The aim of this paper is to show the major role played by the new computerized imaging tools available today in the fields of morphology and anatomy. For anatomical studies or educational purpose, they enhance the classical techniques. The 3D reconstruction, already used in daily clinical practice, will be the basis for computation of validated volumetric protocols enhancing our diagnosis and prognosis means. It is also a fantastic educational tool: the interactivity makes it simple, efficient, attractive and easily accessible and diffusable. For the research, mathematical modeling of embryogenesis and morphogenesis using finite elements method will open new ways for biomecanics and a dynamic quantification approach.

[3D reconstruction of anterior internal vertebral venous plexus of a human fetus: a feasibility study]. / Reconstruction tridimensionnelle des plexus veineux vertébraux internes et antérieurs d'un foetus humain: étude de faisabilité.

Anterior internal vertebral venous plexus have been studied extensively due to their clinical importance in diseases of the spine and obstruction of the inferior vena cava. The aim of this feasibility study was to reconstruct in 3D the lower thoracic area of the anterior epidural space of a 69 mm (crown-rump) human fetus from the Rouvière Collection, circa 1927. Forty slices (spaced by 40 microm) at the level of the tenth and eleventh thoracic vertebrae, and their lower adjacent intervertebral discs, were reconstructed in 3D using the commercial software SURFdriver. In a preliminary study, we had found that the structures of the epidural space are already formed at this stage of development, and that they are comparable to the adult stage (2002). Reconstruction of the microscopic slices in 3D allowed to better visualize spatially the structures of the venous plexus and their anatomical relationships. This technique could be used as a complement to the classically used histological studies.

Reduced platelet serotonin in depression.

Platelet serotonin levels were measured in several psychiatric disorders to determine whether they distinguish among major depressive disorder (one or more depressive episodes and no manic episodes), dysthymic disorder (depressive neurosis), and schizophrenic and paranoid disorders. Serotonin levels in 141 subjects were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Serotonin (5HT) levels in control subjects were significantly lower in males than in females. A marked reduction in 5HT levels, as compared to controls, was found in male and female patients with major depressive disorder, but not in dysthymic disorder. A slight but significant reduction in serotonin levels was found in female schizophrenic patients. The reduction in serotonin levels found in major depressive disorder could not be attributed to chronic antidepressant treatment. Liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection used in the present study permits a large-scale investigation.

The origin of the azygos venous system, as deduced from an anatomical and radiological study employing a corrosion technique.

The aim of this study is not only to describe the origin of the human azygos venous system by performing a 3-D reconstruction of a CT scan but also to evaluate the value of the techniques employed in investigating the topographical anatomy of a venous system in the body. Following perfusion with saline to wash away the blood, we injected an ALTUFIX/MINIUM mixture into the azygos vein of a cadaver. The head and trunk were subsequently corroded with hydrochloric acid (HCl). A CT scan of the trunk was obtained both before and after corrosion. According to the spatial resolution of the CT scan, the thinnest identifiable detail was measurable as 0.5 mm. The vertebral lumbar venous system was described, specifying the nomenclature of the lumbar veins (the lumbar veins being designated according to the vertebral body along which they run). On the right side, the lumbar veins at L2 and at L3 formed the lateral root of the azygos vein. On the left side, the vein at L2 formed the reno-azygo-lumbar arch (of Lejars). The lumbar veins, and the origin of the azygos system, were described and compared with previous studies. The 3-D reconstruction showed the importance of veins associated with the posterior paravertebral muscles. This description poses the problem of the metamerisation of the veins, but further evidence is required. Comparisons of the CT scans, 3-D reconstructions, and the ALTUFIX models of the veins obtained from the corrosion technique allowed verification of the 3-D reconstruction and correction of the errors inherent in a computer reconstruction. It is concluded that the description, and understanding, of such a complex system as the vertebral venous system is more valid when the results obtained using different techniques are compared.

[Serotoninergic depression--hypothesis or reality?]. / Dépression sérotoninergique--hypothèse ou réalité?

Could we use the term "serotoninergic depression"? To answer this question various tests that seem to confirm the serotoninergic hypothesis of depression are described and their respective value ascertained. The measure of 5 HIAA (5 hydroxy indole acetic acid) in the cerebrospinal fluid has made it possible to isolate a population of depressed people with a low rate of this main metabolite of serotonin. This test seems to be linked with the frequency and the severity of attempts to commit suicide. The tryptophane, the direct serotonin's precursor, is reduced among some depressed people, for whom it could be used as a therapy. Blood platelet is used as a peripheral model of serotoninergic neuron; present research highlight among depressed people, decrease of serotonin uptake, of binding of tritiated imipramine, of monoamine oxidase, and of serum serotonin levels. Results analysis has been made difficult because of a lack of homogeneous methodologies: classification systems of depressions differ and the composition of test groups do not take into account physiological factors. In spite of these difficulties, we can try to describe the "serotoninergic depression" and consider this notion as a model for research.

[Cholinergic hypothesis of depression]. / Hypothèse cholinergique de la dépression.

Is acetylcholine implicated in depressive disorders? Biochemical methods studying the cholinergic system are not well set up. Only indirect elements could confirm the cholinergic hypothesis of affective disorders. Cholinergic agonists induce depressive symptomatology. Moreover, a central, cholinergic dysfunction could be an explanation of sleep disturbances and of neuroendocrine abnormalities seen in affective disorders. These observations could be applied in two ways: a more precise choice of antidepressive drugs, and the use of new tests developed to detect population with high depression risk.

[Microscopic vascular study of the colon with the corrosion casting technique]. / Etude vasculaire microscopique du colon par la technique d'injection-corrosion.

The aim of this study is, firstly, to assess the accuracy of vascular casts obtained at various times after death and secondly to describe the mucosal microvascular architecture of the cat colon. Two injections were realized, the first one on a non-embalmed human corpse, 12 days after the death, and the other one on a cat, immediately following euthanasia. Results show that this second cast seems finer and more detailed than the cast stemming from the human corpse; indeed, the finest vessels obtained are about 6 microns while they are about 15 microns on the human corpse. This could be explained by a post-mortem obstruction of microvessels, that prevented the passage of the injected product or by an insufficient amount of product injected. Finally, the vascular cast of the cat colic mucosa presents a regular honeycomb-like network that bounds the colonic mucosal glands, a finding consistent with the results reported previously.

[The lumbar vein at L2 and the reno-azygo-lumbar arch: anatomic and radiologic studies]. / La veine lombaire en L2 et l'arc réno-azygo-lombaire: étude anatomique et radiologique.

The lumbar vein at L2 was described by C. Gillot and B. Singer (1974). On the right side, after drawing off the 12th intercostal vein, it forms the lateral root of the azygos vein. Its way is as a frame, transverse going along the body of the 2nd lumbar vertebra, then upward along the spine after having integrated the veins of the L2-L3 intervertebral foramen. In its typical form, the vein is at L2 but it can be at L1 or L3. It takes the name of lateral root of the azygos vein only after receiving the 12th intercostal vein. Because of its diameter (5 mm), it forms a cavo-caval anastomosis via the azygos vein. The renal azygo-lumbar arch of Lejars is the equivalent on the left side of the right vein at L2. This arch contributes to the formation of the lateral root of the hemi-azygos vein. The right vein at L2 and the reno-azygo-lumbar arch were studied by dissections and by radiologic protocols. The radiologic studies (CT, MRI, 3D reconstructions) were carried out after injections of gelatin-gadolinium-minimum and altufix-minimum mixtures. The results showed the numerous variations of origin of the azygos system. The use of multiple and complementary technics are very helpful to describe these variations.