Two personality traits, neuroticism and conscientiousness, were connected to the signature buildup of Alzheimer's disease hallmarks of amyloid and tau in the brain, according to a team of researchers led by NIA-supported scientists.
“There are aspects of neuroticism and conscientiousness that might directly impact the risk of dementia. Traits like neuroticism shape our emotional life, the way we cope with stress and deal with our feelings. Conscientiousness is defined by our level of grit, persistence, and planful attitudes.”
Researchers found brain changes associated with Alzheimer's are visible early on in people with certain personality traits. Those who scored high for neuroticism and low in conscientiousness were at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's.
The study found that high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are associated with a negative impact on cognitive health.
The five personality traits included in this model are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism.
The results indicate that low conscientiousness, high neuroticism, and low agreeableness are significantly, and independently, related with higher risk of incident dementia.
When looking at individual symptoms in dementia patients, the most prevalent BPSD are apathy, depression, irritability, agitation and anxiety, while the rarest are euphoria, hallucinations, and disinhibition. The most clinically significant symptoms are depression, apathy, and anxiety.
This is known as sundowning and these behaviour changes can become worse after a move or a change in routine. The person with dementia may become more demanding, restless, upset, suspicious, disoriented and even see, hear or believe things that aren't real, especially at night.
Research suggests that narcissists are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The link between narcissism and Alzheimer's disease isn't completely clear, but it may be caused by the long-term effects of narcissistic personality disorder on the brain.
The traits of calmness and maturity were also associated with a lower risk of dementia later. Not associated with a dementia diagnosis were personality traits like social sensitivity, sociability and leadership.
Nevertheless, taken together the evidence is far from robust. Intriguingly, studies show conscientiousness10 and neuroticism11,13–15 to be associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias but not with their pathologic hallmarks such as plaques, tangles, infarcts or Lewy bodies in the brain.
Dr. Petersen says, “Many times, when people develop Alzheimer's disease, their personality traits sort of become exaggerated. So if they're a genuinely nice person and have been quite affable throughout most of their life, that continues into the disease process.”
A new study shows people who worry more, lack self-discipline and are introverted are more likely to develop cognitive decline earlier in life. It also applies to a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Aggression is one of a number of behaviours – often called 'behaviours that challenge' – that can result from dementia. These behaviours can be just as challenging for the person as for those supporting them. Others include agitation and restlessness, walking about, and being sexually inappropriate.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
Avoid asking too many open-ended questions about the past, as it could be stressful for a person with dementia if they can't remember the answer. While it might seem polite to ask somebody about their day, it's better to focus on what's happening in the present.
Dementia can affect a person's personality and habits, which may lead to changes in behaviour. For example, they may no longer be able to do things they enjoy or follow their interests without help, or they may experience symptoms of depression.
Common personality and behavior changes you may see include: Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily. Acting depressed or not interested in things. Hiding things or believing other people are hiding things.
The physical progression of dementia will present as anxiety, compulsive acts and lost social skills, which are all characteristics of certain personality disorders.
This article reported a meta-analysis of the relationships between social network site use and the Big Five (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) as well as the Big Two (plasticity and stability) personality meta-traits.