TOPLINE:
, whereas those who score highly for neuroticism and have a negative outlook may be at increased risk, new research suggests.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers examined the link between the “big five” personality traits (conscientiousness, extraversion, openness to experience, neuroticism, and agreeableness) and subjective well-being (positive and negative affect and life satisfaction) and clinical symptoms of dementia (cognitive test performance) and neuropathology at autopsy.
- Data for the meta-analysis came from eight longitudinal studies with 44,531 adults (aged 49-81 years at baseline; 26%-61% women) followed for up to 21 years, during which 1703 incident cases of dementia occurred.
- Bayesian multilevel models tested whether personality traits and subjective well-being differentially predicted neuropsychological and neuropathologic characteristics of dementia.
TAKEAWAY:
- High neuroticism, negative affect, and low conscientiousness were risk factors for dementia, whereas conscientiousness, extraversion, and positive affect were protective.
- Across all analyses, there was directional consistency in estimates across samples, which is noteworthy given between-study differences in sociodemographic and design characteristics.
- No consistent associations were found between psychological factors and neuropathology.
- However, individuals higher in conscientiousness who did not receive a clinical diagnosis tended to have a lower Braak stage at autopsy, suggesting the possibility that conscientiousness is related to cognitive resilience.
IN PRACTICE:
“These results replicate and extend evidence that personality traits may assist in early identification and dementia-care planning strategies, as well as risk stratification for dementia diagnosis. Moreover, our findings provide further support for recommendations to incorporate psychological trait measures into clinical screening or diagnosis criteria,” the authors write. SOURCE:
The study, with first author Emorie Beck, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, was published online on November 29, 2023, in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
LIMITATIONS:
Access to autopsy data was limited. The findings may not generalize across racial groups. The analysis did not examine dynamic associations between changing personality and cognition and neuropathology over time.
DISCLOSURES:
The study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.