Visual p300 and the self-directedness scale of the Temperament and Character Inventory

Reduced amplitude of the P300 event-related br ain potential has been assoc iated with several psychopathological conditions and is thought to represen t brain dysfunction in such conditions. Predisposition to personality disor ders and psychopathology in general is also associated with low scores on t he self-directedness (SD) scale of the Temperament and Character Inventory. The present preliminary study investigated the relationship between amplit udes of P300 elicited try rare target Stimuli in a visual oddball task and SD scores in 58 healthy participants. P300 was found to be significantly re duced in subjects with low SD, as supported by correlational analysis and b y comparison of groups formed on the basis of SD scores. This finding may b e relevant to prior findings indicating reduced P300 amplitudes in a variet y of psychopathological conditions and suggests that a common vulnerability factor, reflected in the low SD personality scores, may contribute to the P300 reduction in psychiatric populations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Irelan d Ltd. All rights reserved.