Personality Change in the Preclinical Phase of Alzheimer Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Changes in behavior and personality are 1 criterion for the diagnosis of dementia. It is unclear, however, whether such changes begin before the clinical onset of the disease.

Objective

To determine whether increases in neuroticism, declines in conscientiousness, and changes in other personality traits occur before the onset of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Design, setting, and participants

A cohort of 2046 community-dwelling older adults who volunteered to participate in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were included. The study examined personality and clinical assessments obtained between 1980 and July 13, 2016, from participants with no cognitive impairment at first assessment who were followed up for as long as 36 years (mean [SD], 12.

SUBMITTER: Terracciano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5710607 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature