Trajectories of Personality Traits Preceding Dementia Diagnosis

Yoneda, Tomiko; Rush, Jonathan; Berg, Anne Ingeborg; Johansson, Boo; Piccinin, Andrea M.

doi:10.1093/geronb/gbw006

Cited by 17 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Increased neuroticism seems to be a preceding signal for dementia [ 43 , 93 ] as well as for mild cognitive impairment [ 94 , 95 ]. A study with healthy volunteers (average age 81 years) showed a link between high neuroticism and beta-amyloid deposition in subjects with subjective cognitive complaints [ 96 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These were complemented with measures for quality of life and subjective memory complaints as possible subtle consequences of Alzheimer’s pathology as these factors were associated with Alzheimer pathology biomarkers in younger cognitively healthy populations [ 67 – 70 ]. Furthermore we studied personality traits as they could either be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s dementia or directly influenced by Alzheimer’s pathology [ 41 – 43 , 71 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical activity is associated with lower cerebral beta-amyloid and cognitive function benefits from lifetime experience–a study in exceptional aging

et al. 2021

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Background Exceptional agers (85+ years) are characterized by preserved cognition presumably due to high cognitive reserve. In the current study, we examined whether personality, risk and protective factors for dementia as well as quality of life are associated with core features of Alzheimer’s disease (amyloid-deposition and hippocampal volume) as well as cognition in exceptional aging. Methods We studied 49 exceptional agers (average 87.8 years, range 84–94 years), with preserved activities of daily living and absence of dementia. All participants received a detailed clinical and neuropsychological examination. We used established questionnaires to measure lifetime experience, personality, recent physical and cognitive activity as well as quality of life. Cerebral amyloid-deposition was estimated by 18-[F]-Flutemetamol-PET and manual hippocampal volumetry was performed on 3D T1 MRI images. Results In this sample of exceptional agers with preserved activities of daily living, we found intact cognitive performance in the subjects with the highest amyloid-load in the brain, but a lower quality of life with respect to autonomy as well as higher neuroticism. Higher self-reported physical activity in the last twelve months went with a lower amyloid load. Higher self-reported leisure-time/ not work-related activity went with better executive functioning at older age. Conclusion Even in exceptional aging, high amyloid load may subtly influence personality and quality of life. Our findings support a close relationship between high physical activity and low amyloid-deposition and underscore the importance of extracurricular activities for executive functions. As executive functions are known to be a central resource for everyday functioning in fostering extracurricular activities may be effective in delaying the onset of dementia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical activity is associated with lower cerebral beta-amyloid and cognitive function benefits from lifetime experience–a study in exceptional aging

et al. 2021

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“…Contrary to expectation and a retrospective study (Donati et al, 2013), the group that developed MCI declined slightly on neuroticism, showed no change on extraversion (as compared with controls), and showed no change on conscientiousness (in the article, mean conscientiousness at t3 was mistyped as 2.3 instead of 3; Personal communication, October 2015). One prospective study found change in self-reported neuroticism but not extraversion in 86 octogenarians who received a diagnosis of dementia (Yoneda, Rush, Berg, Johansson, & Piccinin, 2016). Given that this latter study included the assessment at the time of the diagnosis, the increase in neuroticism is likely to have occurred at the time of the diagnosis.…”

Section: Personality Changes and Dementiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality and Alzheimer’s disease: An integrative review.

Terracciano

Sutin

2019

Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and

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The objective of this article is to review and integrate interrelated areas of research on personality and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prospective studies indicate that individuals who score higher on conscientiousness (more responsible and self-disciplined) and lower on neuroticism (less anxious and vulnerable to stress) have a reduced risk of developing dementia, even in the presence of AD neuropathology. Personality is also related to measures of cognitive performance and cognitive decline, with effect sizes similar to those of other clinical, lifestyle, and behavioral risk factors. These associations are unlikely to be due to reverse causality: Long-term prospective data indicate that there are no changes in personality that are an early sign of the disease during the preclinical phase of AD. With the onset and progression of dementia, however, there are large changes in personality that are reported consistently by caregivers in retrospective studies and are consistent with the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of dementia. The review also discusses potential mechanisms of the observed associations and emphasizes the need for prospective studies to elucidate the interplay of personality traits with AD neuropathology (amyloid and tau biomarkers) in modulating the risk and timing of onset of clinical dementia. The article concludes with the implications of personality research for identifying those at greater risk of AD and the potential of personality-tailored interventions aimed at the prevention and treatment of AD.

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“…Likewise, brain-imaging research indicates an age-related association between high neuroticism and smaller regional neural volume, along with greater decreases in brain volume (Jackson et al, 2011), suggesting that neuroticism may contribute to neural degeneration. The existing literature indicates that high or increasing neuroticism is associated with worse cognitive functioning (Boyle et al, 2010;Chapman et al, 2012;Crowe et al, 2006;Graham et al, 2021;Klaming et al, 2017;Meier et al, 2002), cognitive decline (Chapman et al, 2012;Luchetti et al, 2016), dementia (Aschwanden et al, 2021;Duberstein et al, 2011;Johansson et al, 2014;Terracciano et al, 2014;Yoneda et al, 2017Yoneda et al, , 2020, and risk of mortality (Graham et al, 2017;Wilson et al, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

Personality traits, cognitive states, and mortality in older adulthood.

Yoneda¹,

Graham²,

Lozinski³

et al. 2023

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

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Research suggests that personality traits are associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and mortality risk, but the timing of when traits are most important in the progression to dementia and the extent to which they are associated with years of cognitive health span are unclear. This project applied secondary data analysis to the Rush Memory and Aging Project (N = 1954; baseline M age = 80 years; 74% female) over up to 23 annual assessments. Multistate survival modeling examined the extent to which conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion, assessed using the NEO Five Factor Inventory, were associated with transitions between cognitive status categories and death. Additionally, multinomial regression models estimated cognitive health span and total survival based on standard deviation units of personality traits. Adjusting for demographics, depressive symptoms, and apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4, personality traits were most important in the transition from no cognitive impairment (NCI) to MCI. For instance, higher conscientiousness was associated with a decreased risk of transitioning from NCI to MCI, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78, 95% CI [0.72, 0.85] and higher neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of transitioning from NCI to MCI, HR = 1.12, 95% CI [1.04, 1.21]. Additional significant and nonsignificant results are discussed in the context of the existing literature. While personality traits were not associated with total longevity, individuals higher in conscientiousness and extraversion, and lower in neuroticism, had more years of cognitive health span, particularly female participants. These findings provide novel understanding of the simultaneous associations between personality traits and transitions between cognitive status categories and death, as well as cognitive health span and total longevity.

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Trajectories of Personality Traits Preceding Dementia Diagnosis

Abstract: Personality change, specifically an increase in neuroticism, may be an early indicator of dementia. Identification of early indicators of dementia may facilitate development of screening assessments and aid in early care strategies and planning.

Cited by 17 publications

References 48 publications

Physical activity is associated with lower cerebral beta-amyloid and cognitive function benefits from lifetime experience–a study in exceptional aging

Physical activity is associated with lower cerebral beta-amyloid and cognitive function benefits from lifetime experience–a study in exceptional aging

Personality and Alzheimer’s disease: An integrative review.

Personality traits, cognitive states, and mortality in older adulthood.

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