RESUMO
The heritability of human personality traits is by now well established. However, since the first reports on associations between specific genetic variants and personality traits, only modest progress has been made in identifying loci that robustly support these associations. The aim of this study was to provide a summary of literature data on association studies focused on the genetic modulation of personality, according to the Cloninger, Eysenck and Costa and McCrae models. PubMed was searched for papers investigating the association between any gene variant and personality traits, which were grouped into five clusters: (a) anxiety, (b) impulsivity, (c) determination-activity, (d) socialization and (e) spirituality, in healthy individuals, populations and psychiatric patients. A total of 369 studies were included. No clear consensus on the role of any individual gene variant in personality modulation emerged, although SLC6A4 haplotypes and the DRD4 rs1800955 promoter variant seemed to be more reliably related to anxiety and impulsivity-related traits, respectively. Because conflicting results emerged from the literature, plausibly as a result of the combined influence of many loci of small effects on personality, larger sample sizes and more narrow and specific phenotype will be the minimum requirements for future genetic studies on personality. Moreover, gene × gene and gene × environment interaction studies deserve further attention.
Assuntos
Personalidade/genética , Ansiedade/genética , Ansiedade/psicologia , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/genética , Catecol O-Metiltransferase/genética , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Dopamina/genética , Estudo de Associação Genômica Ampla , Humanos , Comportamento Impulsivo/genética , Comportamento Impulsivo/psicologia , Monoaminoxidase/genética , Transtornos da Personalidade/genética , Transtornos Psicóticos/genética , Transtornos Psicóticos/psicologia , Receptores Dopaminérgicos/genética , Receptores de Serotonina/genética , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Serotonina/genética , Socialização , EspiritualidadeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effects of pet therapy on cognitive function, mood and perceived quality of life on elderly inpatients (mean age 84.7 years; 95.2% women) affected by dementia, depression and psychosis. METHODS: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and 15-items Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were administered to 10 patients (pet group) and 11 controls (control group) together with a self-perceived quality-of-life questionnaire, before and after a pet therapy intervention that lasted 6 weeks. MMSE and GDS mean scores were compared between and within groups by Student's t-test. RESULTS: Both the pet group and control group improved on GDS and MMSE. Within the pet group, GDS symptoms decreased by 50% (from 5.9 to 2.7, P= 0.013), whereas mean MMSE score increased by 4.5 (P= 0.060). The between group comparison showed a positive effect of pet therapy intervention on GDS (P= 0.070). Most of the participants reported an improvement of their perceived quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Pet therapy is efficient in improving depressive symptoms and cognitive function in residents of long-term care facilities with mental illness.