Personality traits linked to hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease

Date:
October 12, 2021
Source:
Florida State University
Summary:
New research found that changes in the brain associated with
Alzheimer's disease are often visible early on in individuals
with personality traits associated with the condition. The study
focused on two traits previously linked to the risk of dementia:
neuroticism, which measures a predisposition for negative emotions,
and conscientiousness, which measures the tendency to be careful,
organized, goal-directed and responsible.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
New research from the Florida State University College of Medicine found
that changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease are often
visible early on in individuals with personality traits associated with
the condition.


==========================================================================
The study focused on two traits previously linked to the risk of dementia: neuroticism, which measures a predisposition for negative emotions, and conscientiousness, which measures the tendency to be careful, organized,
goal- directed and responsible.

"We have done studies showing who's at risk of developing dementia, but
those other studies were looking at the clinical diagnosis," said Antonio Terracciano, professor of geriatrics at the College of Medicine. "Here,
we are looking at the neuropathology; that is, the lesions in the brain
that tell us about the underlying pathological change. This study shows
that even before clinical dementia, personality predicts the accumulation
of pathology associated with dementia." The findings, published as an article-in-press online with Biological Psychiatry and also available
through FSU's open access research repository, combine data from the
Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) and previously published
work in a meta-analysis that summarized 12 studies on personality and Alzheimer's neuropathology. The studies combined included more than 3,000 participants. Combining results across studies provides more robust
estimates of the associations between personality and neuropathology
than a single individual study can typically provide.

In both the BLSA and meta-analysis, the researchers found more amyloid
and tau deposits (the proteins responsible for the plaques and tangles
that characterize Alzheimer's disease) in participants who scored higher
in neuroticism and lower in conscientiousness.

The team also found associations to be stronger in studies of cognitively normal people compared to studies that included people with cognitive
problems.

The findings suggest that personality can help protect against Alzheimer's
and other neurological diseases by delaying or preventing the emergence
of neuropathology for those strong in conscientiousness and low in
neuroticism.

"Such protection against neuropathology may derive from a lifetime
difference in people's emotions and behaviors," Terracciano said. "For
example, past research has shown that low neuroticism helps with managing stress and reduces the risk of common mental health disorders. Similarly,
high conscientiousness is consistently related to healthy lifestyles,
like physical activity. Over time, more adaptive personality traits can
better support metabolic and immunological functions, and ultimately
prevent or delay the neurodegeneration process." The BLSA is a
scientific study of human aging conducted by the National Institute
on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that
began in 1958. Personality was measured using a five-factor personality
test, the most common personality assessment tool. At the time of their enrollment in the BLSA neuroimaging sub-study, all participants were
free of dementia or other severe medical conditions.

Advances in brain scan technology used to assess in vivo amyloid and
tau neuropathology made it possible for researchers to complete this work.

"Until recently, researchers measured amyloid and tau in the brain
through autopsy -- after people died," Terracciano said. "In recent years, advances in medical imaging have made it possible to assess neuropathology
when people are still alive, even before they show any symptoms." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Florida_State_University. Original
written by Doug Carlson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Antonio Terracciano, Murat Bilgel, Damaris Aschwanden, Martina
Luchetti,
Yannick Stephan, Abhay R. Moghekar, Dean F. Wong, Luigi Ferrucci,
Angelina R. Sutin, Susan M. Resnick. Personality associations with
amyloid and tau: Results from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study
of Aging and meta-analysis.. Biological Psychiatry, 2021; DOI:
10.1016/ j.biopsych.2021.08.021 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211012185709.htm

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