Association analysis of the OPRM1 polymorphism gene and personality traits among a cohort of professional athletes

In sports research, genetic studies linked to the traits of the temperament, in addition to medical examinations and other physiological and biochemical tests, would enrich the scope of possibilities and successes that a competitor can accomplish. This could be beneficial for the protection of both mental and physical health. The study group comprised 391 male volunteers. Out of these, 222 sports subjects and 186 were non-addicted. The temperament and character questionnaire (TCI-R) was used to determine personality traits such as novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward addiction and perseverance, as well as self-direction, cooperation and self-transcendence. Genotyping OPRM1 rs1799971 was carried out with the real-time PCR method. In the present study polymorphic variants of selected genotypes were associated with self-direction - A/A genotypes in the study group. Higher values were observed compared to the control group (p = 0.045). Similarly, the A/G genotype occurred statistically significantly more frequently in the study group compared to the control group. The G/G genetic variant was less common in the study group compared to the controls. Conclusions: The study reveals the validity of analysing connections between personality traits and selected gene polymorphisms in athletes, a relatively new field. The presence of the OPRM1 rs1799971 AA genotype is associated with higher self-management scores, indicating genetic predispositions in the study group for better results in sports.