Mashkov, V.L.
Moscow Theater of Oleg Tabakov, Moscow Theater “Sovremennik”
Kotenko, K.V.
Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery
Reshetova, I.V.
Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery
Kobelyatskaya, A.A.
Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery
Badimova, A.V.
Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery
Moskalev, A.A.
Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery
Abstract
Background.
Structural magnetic resonance imaging provides quantitative measures of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. However, the reproducibility of associations between these measures and psychological characteristics remains limited. Acting is a relevant research context because it combines verbal associative creativity, life-purpose orientations, emotional regulation, and stress resilience — precisely those domains for which structural correlates remain the least stable. This is precisely why comparing regional morphometric indices with the psychological characteristics of performers makes it possible not only to test specific hypotheses regarding ‘brain-behaviour’ links but also to assess the stability of such links in a sample where professional demands on the psyche are most intensely concentrated.
Objective. The aim is to compare regional morphometric MRI measures and psychological characteristics relevant to the professional activity of actors.
Study Participants.
The analysis included 88 actors with complete MRI data: 51 men and 37 women, mean age 35.48±15.60 years.
Methods. A cross-sectional exploratory study of a de-identified database was conducted. Bilateral cortical thickness was assessed for the caudal and rostral anterior cingulate, insular, medial orbitofrontal, inferior frontal, inferior parietal, superior temporal cortices, and temporal poles, as well as relative volumes of the amygdalae, hippocampi, and nucleus accumbens. The psychological battery included the Spiritual Growth domain of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II), originality and uniqueness indices of the Mednick Remote Associates Test, PSS-10, HADS, and the activity and mood scales of the Well-being–Activity–Mood questionnaire (WAM). Robust linear models were adjusted for age, sex, and, for regional cortical thickness, mean cortical thickness; multiple comparisons were corrected using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure. Subcortical volumes were normalised to total cortical grey matter volume as an exploratory measure.
Results. None of the 16 theoretically justified “psychological–MRI” pairs, examined in an exploratory framework, reached significance after correction for multiple comparisons. In the extended exploratory matrix of 88 models, four associations had a nominal p < 0.05, but none survived FDR correction (all q > 0.83), and their number and distribution were consistent with those expected by chance.
Conclusions. In this sample and at this level of statistical power, no stable associations were found between structural MRI measures and the psychological characteristics of actors. This result should not be interpreted as evidence for the absence of such associations; nominal effects may be treated only as hypotheses for independent testing. Future studies should be preregistered and longitudinal, include comparable control groups, standardised personality inventories, multimodal neuroimaging, and independent replication.
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To cite this article:
Mashkov, V.L., Kotenko, K.V., Reshetova, I.V. , Kobelyatskaya, A.A., Badimova, A.V., Moskalev, A.A..
Structural MRI Measures and Psychological Characteristics of Actors: An Exploratory Study. // National Psychological Journal
2026. 4. Pages178–188. doi: 10.11621/npj.2026.0412
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