Meta-analyses of personality change from the preclinical to the clinical stages of dementia.

ABSTRACT: Personality changes are a clinical criterion for dementia diagnosis, yet their progression across disease stages remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analyses examined change in the five major personality traits across the preclinical, transitional, and clinical dementia stages. We conducted pre-registered searches of three databases from their inception to November 2024. The standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 % CIs were combined in random-effects meta-analyses. Prospective studies based on self-reports of personality (13 studies; N = 6895) found subtle changes in the preclinical and transitional stages (SMD = 0-0.2), which became more pronounced (SMD = 0.3-0.5) in the clinical stage. Retrospective studies based on informant ratings (26 studies; N = 1069) found smaller

SUBMITTER: Terracciano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12358811 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature