The real impact of genetic factors on personality is still unknown, even if in literature about 50% of variance in personality traits are considered genet- ically determined. The determination of the genetic vari- ance in personality traits could promote psychological well- being and the prevention of psychopathologies, because there are many experimental evidences showing that men- tal illness is associated to personality. Numerous studies have showed that Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and serotonin
transporter (5-HTT) are genes whose variants are associ- ated with personality traits. This aim of this study is the investigation of the association between personality traits and 5-HTTLPR/rs255315-HTT promoter variant, COMT Val158Met and BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphisms. Methods: The sample was composed by 132 healthy fe- male students. Genomic DNA was extracted from buc- cal swab, while personality was assessed with Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R). Linear discriminant analysis was used to analyze how per- sonality characteristics can differentiate individuals in relation to their genetic polymorphisms.
