Researchers Identify Personality Traits That May Boost AD Risk

Individuals who in midlife tend to be neurotic and stressed are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in late life, according to a study published online Oct. 1, 2014 in Neurology. Researchers compared data on the personalities, stress levels, and memory performance over 40 years of 800 adult female participants in a long-running study, as they moved from middle age to older age. They found that those participants who faced long-term stress and demonstrated a cluster of traits defined as neurotic (e.g., moodiness, anxiety, and jealousy) faced twice the risk of developing AD as did those without this profile.

The findings of the study, which is the first to associate personality traits with AD risk, are thought to apply to men as well as women, the researchers said. Participants who were classified as neurotic were found to be easily distressed and more likely to express feelings such as anger, worry, guilt, envy, and depression. When these participants reported consistently high levels of stress during the previous five years—with symptoms such as irritability, fearfulness, tension, and sleep problems—their AD risk dramatically increased. Participants who were both neurotic and tended to be shy or introverted had the greatest risk for AD in later life, with a 25 percent risk of developing the disease compared to a 13 percent risk among people who were outgoing or extroverted and were not easily distressed. The lead author recommended further studies to find out if interventions such as medications or lifestyle changes could lower AD risk in people with neurotic personality styles.

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