P. Svanborg et al., Associations between plasma glucose and DSM-III-R cluster B personality traits in psychiatric outpatients, NEUROPSYCHB, 41(2), 2000, pp. 79-87
Associations between personality traits, measured with the Karolinska Scale
s of Personality, the Impulsiveness subscale from the Impulsiveness, Ventur
esomeness and Empathy (IVE) Inventory, and with self-assessed personality t
raits and disorders (SCID-II Screen Questionnaire), and plasma insulin, glu
cagon and glucose, respectively, were explored in a sample of 101 psychiatr
ic outpatients of both sexes. No relationships between the peptide hormones
and personality measures were found. However, fasting glucose values, whic
h were all essentially within the normal biological variation, were signifi
cantly related to several personality measures. For males, a low blood gluc
ose was associated with low stable general level of functioning, with high
IVE Impulsiveness, and with self-assessed histrionic and narcissistic trait
s. High number of self-assessed personality traits for all cluster B person
ality disorders was strongly associated with high IVE Impulsiveness. The re
sults of the present study support the generalizability of earlier findings
from alcoholic impulsive offenders: in males, low blood glucose is associa
ted with an extrovert and impulsive, acting-out behavior that includes the
breaking of societal norms and rules. In contrast, for females a positive r
elationship between fasting glucose and self-assessed histrionic personalit
y traits was found. Because no association between global level of function
ing and glucose was found in women, these personality traits may not necess
arily be maladaptive, as was the case for males. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karg
er AG, Basel.