This document summarizes research on the relationship between temperament and major depressive disorder. It finds that individuals diagnosed with major depression tend to score higher on traits like neuroticism and lower on traits like self-confidence and extraversion compared to healthy controls. Certain temperament traits like behavioral inhibition and reduced behavioral activation have also been linked to depression. The document also discusses how neurotransmitter systems like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine may underlie both temperament and depressive symptoms. Anti-depressant medications are thought to work by modulating these neurotransmitter systems.

1. Temperament and Mood Disorders in
Adulthood: Major Depression
 William Sulis, M.D., FRCPC, Ph.D., Ph.D.
 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience,
 McMaster University, Canada
 European Psychiatric Association, Florence, Italy, 2017
 Trofimova I, Sulis W. (2016) A study of the coupling of FET temperament traits with
Major Depression. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 103389psyg201601848.

2. Motivation
 Temperament, Personality Disorders and Mental Illness appear
to lie along a continuum
Temperament  Personality Disorders  Mental Illness
 This may be due to their sharing underlying neurobiological
systems or possibly due to unidirectional or bidirectional causal
relationships.
 The coupling of temperament and mental illness thus provides
an opportunity to explore their biological roots and causal
relationships

3. DSM Criteria for Depression and
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Depressed mood
Markedly diminished interest or pleasure
Significant weight loss
Sleep disturbance
Psychomotor agitation or retardation
Fatigue
Feelings of worthlessness
Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
Symptoms related to temperament in red

4. Previous Studies of Temperament,
Depression and Generalized Anxiety
Depression
Emotionality Traits
Elevated Harm Avoidance
Elevated Neuroticism
Elevated Negative Affect
Elevated Depressive Affective
Temperament
Non-emotionality traits
Elevated Behavioral Inhibition
Decreased Self-Directedness.
Decreased Extraversion
Decreased Behavioral Activation
Inconsistent findings related to other
traits

5. • Functional
aspects:
• Behav.
orientation to…
(NE+...)
• Speed of
integration
• (DA+…)
• Energetic
aspects
• (5-HT+…)
• Probabilisti
c/ intellectual
aspects
• ... to learning
probabilities, PRO
• NE-DA
• Plasticity,
• PL
• DA+5-HT
• Intellectual
Endurance, ERI
• 5-HT+NE, ACh
• Social-
verbal
• to others:
Empathy-Autism,
EMP
• NE, OXY, VSP
• Social Tempo,
• TMS
• DA+PRL,OXY,
• Social
Endurance, ERS
• 5-HT, NP, OXY
• Physical-
motor
• Determinist
ic aspects
• …to
sensations,
• SS
• NE, αAR,
Cortisol?
• Motor Tempo,
• TMM
• DA+PRL, NP
• Motor
Endurance ERM,
• 5-HT-ACh, GH
• Emotional
amplifier
Neuroticism, NEU
KOPr→NE-HPA
KOPr > MOPr
Impulsivity, IMP
DOPr→(DA, MOPr
BDNF, CREB)
Confidence, SLF
MOPr→(5-HT, DA)
MOPr > KOPr
Rusalov V.M., Trofimova I.N. (2007). Structure of temperament and its measurement. PSP Psychological Services Press: Toronto, Canada
Trofimova, I. (2015) Functional specialization of neurotransmitter systems converges with a taxonomy for non-emotionality traits of adult
temperament. Submitted to Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Trofimova, I. & Robbins, T.W. (2015) Temperament and arousal systems: a new synthesis of differential psychology and functional neurochemistry.
Submitted to Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
Temperament and Neurochemistry

6. Neurochemistry of Depressive Symptoms
Fatigue
Acetylcholine
Noradrenaline
Dopamine
Histamine
Orexin
Cytokines or chemokines
Opoid receptor protein systems
Psychomotor retardation
Dopamine
Noradrenaline
GABA
Mu and Delta opioid receptor proteins
Impulsivity
Dopamine
Delta opioid receptor proteins
Plasticity
Dopamine
GABA
Worthlessness
Mu opioid receptor proteins

7. Neurochemistry of Anti-Depressants
 Upregulation of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors and
altered activity
 Enhancement of GABA activity (Valproate)
 Reuptake blockade of serotonin (SSRIs)
 Reuptake blockade of noradrenaline (Some TCAs, Maprotiline)
 Blockade of α2 noradrenergic autoreceptors (Mirtazepine)
 Non-selective enhancement of Noradrenaline/Serotonin
(Venlafaxine/MAOIs)
 Enhancement of Noradrenaline/Dopamine (Bupropion)
 Downregulation of 5-HT2A receptors (Trazodone)
 Alteration of 5-HT1A receptors involved in neurogenesis
 Enhancement of CREB and BDNF through increases in serotonin and
noradrenaline
Taylor et.al. (2005) Mechanisms of action of antidepressants: from neurotransmitter systems to signaling pathways. Cell Signal 17(5)
549-557

8. Method: Depression Diagnosis
 3 age groups: 25-45, 46-65, 65-84
 123 patients were diagnosed with a Major Depressive disorder
within the DSM-IV on the basis of:
 Beck Depression Inventory (scores of 16 or higher)
 Geriatric Depression Scale
 Cornell Depression Scale
 Hamilton Depression Scale
 DSM-IV structured clinical interview
 File review
 246 normal controls without diagnosis of anxiety or depression

9. Age-Sex Differences in Temperament in
Healthy Controls
 Healthy men report higher
Motor Endurance, Motor Tempo, Sensation
Seeking, Sensitivity to Probability
 Healthy women report higher
Social-Verbal Endurance, Social-Verbal Tempo
 Age is associated with a decline in
Motor Tempo, Social-Verbal Tempo, Sensation
Seeking

10. Depression and Temperament
• Functi
onal
aspects:
• Energetic
aspects
• Dyn
amical
aspects
• Behav.ori
entation to
• Physic
al aspects
• Motor
Endurance,
ERM
• Mot
or
Tempo,T
MM
• .. to
sensations,
SS
• Social-
verbal
aspects
• Social
Endurance,
ERS
• Soc
ial
Tempo,
TMS
• ..to
others–
Empathy,EM
P
• Mental
aspects
• Intellectua
l
Endurance,ERI
• Pla
sticity,
PL
• .. to
probabilities,
PRO
• Emotio
nality
• Self-
confidence,
SLF
• Imp
ulsivity,
IMP
• Neurotici
sm, NEU
Red – increase
Blue - decrease

11. Sex and Age Differences
 Healthy women do not differ from men in
reported mean levels of Neuroticism and Self
Confidence
 In fact, healthy women ages 25-45 reported the
lowest levels of Neuroticism among healthy
women and men.
 The decrease in Self Confidence was most
significant in anxious women age 17-24
 No significant age differences were noted

12. References:
Rusalov V.M., Trofimova I.N. (2007). Structure of temperament and its measurement. PSP Psychological Services Press: Toronto,
Canada (STQ manual, free for researchers or for work on its adaptation)
Trofimova (2009) Exploration of the benefits of an activity-specific test of temperament. Psychological Reports, 105, 643-658.
Trofimova, I. (2010). An investigation into differences between the structure of temperament and the structure of personality.
American Journal of Psychology. 123, 4, 467-480.
Trofimova, I. (2010). Exploration of the activity-specific model of temperament in four cultures. International Journal of Psychology and
Psychological Therapy. 10, 1, 79-95.
Trofimova, I. (2010) Questioning the “general arousal” models. Open Behavioral Science and Psychology, 4, 1-8.
Trofimova, I. & Sulis W. (2010). An investigation of temperament in adults with comorbid depression and anxiety. Advances in
Bioscience and Biotechnology, 1(3), 190-199. DOI: 10.4236/abb.2010.13027
Trofimova, I. & Sulis W. (2011). Is temperament activity-specific? Validation of the Structure of Temperament Questionnaire –
Compact. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 11(3), 389-400.
Trofimova, I. (2015b) Functional specialization of neurotransmitter systems converges with a taxonomy for non-emotionality traits of
adult temperament. Submitted to Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Trofimova, I. & Robbins, T.W. (2015) Temperament and arousal systems: a new synthesis of differential psychology and functional
neurochemistry. Submitted to Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
Trofimova, I. & Sulis W. (2016). An investigation of coupling of temperament traits with anxiety symptoms gives new insights for
diagnostic criteria. Frontiers in Psychology 2016 7:338 DOI:103389psyg201600338
Trofimova, I. & Sulis W. (2016). Universality of the coupling of temperament traits with depression across the adult age spectrum.
Frontiers in Psychology DOI: 103389psyg201601848