A coordinated analysis of the associations among personality traits, cognitive decline, and dementia in older adulthood.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Graham EK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8168939 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
A coordinated analysis of the associations among personality traits, cognitive decline, and dementia in older adulthood.
Graham Eileen K EK James Bryan D BD Jackson Kathryn L KL Willroth Emily C EC Luo Jing J Beam Christopher R CR Pedersen Nancy L NL Reynolds Chandra A CA Katz Mindy M Lipton Richard B RB Boyle Patricia P Wilson Robert R Bennett David A DA Mroczek Daniel K DK
Journal of research in personality 20210423
There are individual differences in the rates of cognitive decline across later adulthood. Personality traits are among the factors that may account for these differences. The current project investigated whether personality traits were associated with trajectories of cognitive decline, and whether the associations were different before and after dementia diagnosis. The data was analyzed using linear mixed effects regression. Across study aims is a focus on replicability and generalizability. Ea ...[more]
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Project description:Research suggests that personality traits are associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and mortality risk, but the timing of when traits are most important in the progression to dementia and the extent to which they are associated with years of cognitive health span are unclear. This project applied secondary data analysis to the Rush Memory and Aging Project (N = 1954; baseline Mage = 80 years; 74% female) over up to 23 annual assessments. Multistate survival modeling examined the extent to which conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion, assessed using the NEO Five Factor Inventory, were associated with transitions between cognitive status categories and death. Additionally, multinomial regression models estimated cognitive health span and total survival based on standard deviation units of personality traits. Adjusting for demographics, depressive symptoms, and apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4, personality traits were most important in the transition from no cognitive impairment (NCI) to MCI. For instance, higher conscientiousness was associated with a decreased risk of transitioning from NCI to MCI, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78, 95% CI [0.72, 0.85] and higher neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of transitioning from NCI to MCI, HR = 1.12, 95% CI [1.04, 1.21]. Additional significant and nonsignificant results are discussed in the context of the existing literature. While personality traits were not associated with total longevity, individuals higher in conscientiousness and extraversion, and lower in neuroticism, had more years of cognitive health span, particularly female participants. These findings provide novel understanding of the simultaneous associations between personality traits and transitions between cognitive status categories and death, as well as cognitive health span and total longevity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC9550879 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThe goal of this paper was to examine associations between personality traits and resilience to neuropathologic burden.MethodUsing data from the Religious Orders Study and the Rush Memory and Aging Project, we identified a total of 1,375 participants with personality, cognitive, and post-mortem neuropathology data. We regressed cognition onto pathology and extracted the residuals as an indicator of cognitive resilience. We then modeled the effect of Big Five personality traits on cognitive resilience, adjusting for demographics, APOE status, medical comorbidities, and cognitive activity. The analytic plan was preregistered prior to data access or analysis, and all scripts and outputs are available online.ResultsHigher neuroticism was associated with greater vulnerability to pathology. Results from exploratory analyses suggest that higher conscientiousness was associated with less cognitive decline relative to the amount of pathology, or greater resilience. Education and cognitive activity did not moderate these associations.DiscussionPersonality may have a pathoplastic effect on neuropathology, as low neuroticism and high conscientiousness are associated with better function despite neuropathologic burden.
| S-EPMC8574296 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo examine whether long-term exposure to agricultural work is associated with dementia prevalence and the rate of cognitive change in older adulthood.MethodWe employed data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014). Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether a longest-held job in the agricultural sector was associated with differences in dementia prevalence. We examined if hearing impairment, depression, and physical health indicators mediated the relationship between agricultural work and cognitive functioning. Subgroup analyses were done by age, retirement status, job tenure, and cognitive domain. We employed growth curve models to investigate implications of agricultural work on age trajectories of cognitive functioning.ResultsLongest-held job in agriculture, fishing, and forestry (AFF) was associated with 46% greater odds of having dementia. The relationship between AFF exposure and cognitive functioning was not mediated by hearing impairment, depression, or physical health indicators. Results were stronger among younger and retired older adults as well as those with extensive job tenure. AFF exposure was associated with lower scores in working memory and attention and processing speed. Growth curve models indicated that while agricultural work exposure was associated with lower initial levels of cognitive functioning, over time, the pattern reversed with individuals in non-AFF jobs, showing more accelerated cognitive decline.DiscussionConsistent with European studies, results from the United States also demonstrate a higher prevalence of dementia among agricultural workers. The cognitive reserve framework may explain the seemingly paradoxical result on age patterning of cognitive performance across older adults with different work histories.
| S-EPMC8849525 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFive-factor model (FFM) personality traits have been associated consistently with risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Less is known about how these traits are associated with functioning in specific domains of cognitive function in older adulthood.MethodsParticipants (N = 2865) were drawn from the 2016 Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol sub-study of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Participants completed a battery of cognitive tasks that measured performance in five domains: Memory (eight tasks), speed-attention-executive (five tasks), visuospatial ability (three tasks), fluency (one task), and numeric reasoning (one task). Participants completed an FFM personality measure as part of the regular HRS assessment in either 2014 or 2016. Linear regression was used to examine the association between the traits and each cognitive task and composite scores for the five domains, controlling for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education. We also tested whether the associations were moderated by these sociodemographic factors or mental status.ResultsNeuroticism was associated with worse performance on all of the cognitive tasks. Conscientiousness was associated with better performance across all five cognitive domains, although not necessarily with every task. Openness and Agreeableness were associated with better performance in all domains, except for numeric reasoning. Extraversion was associated with better speed-attention-executive and fluency. There was no robust evidence that the association between personality and cognition was moderated by sociodemographic characteristics or global cognitive function.ConclusionsPersonality traits have pervasive associations with functioning across five cognitive domains. Consistent with the literature on personality and risk of ADRD, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were associated with cognitive performance in the expected direction in all domains. Extraversion was the only trait that showed domain-specific associations. The present research supports models of personality and health in the context of cognition and suggests that personality is associated with intermediate markers of cognitive health.
| S-EPMC6896269 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionLower cognitive functioning in old age has been associated with personality traits or systemic inflammatory markers. Associations have also been found between personality traits and inflammatory markers. However, no study has explored the inter-relationships between these three components simultaneously. The present study aims to better understand the inter-relationships among personality traits, inflammatory markers, and cognitive performance in elderly individuals without dementia.MethodsThis study utilizes a network analysis approach, a statistical method that allows visualization of the data's unique pairwise associations. We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 720 elderly individuals without dementia, using data from Colaus|PsyColaus, a population-based study conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Revised NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI-R) was used to assess personality traits, and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as peripheral inflammatory markers. Cognitive domains were investigated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Verbal Fluency Test, the Stroop Test, the DO40, and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding (FCSR) test.ResultsOpenness was associated with verbal fluency and Agreeableness with immediate free recall. In contrast, no association between inflammatory markers and personality traits or cognition was identified.DiscussionIn elderly individuals without dementia, a high level of Openness or Agreeableness was associated with executive functioning/semantic memory and episodic memory, respectively.
| S-EPMC10166137 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveEmerging evidence suggests low vision may be a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. We examined effects of baseline visual acuity (VA) on level of, and change in, cognitive test performance over 9 years.MethodA population-based sample of 1,621 participants (average age 77 years) completed a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation and VA testing at baseline and reassessed at nine subsequent annual visits. Linear regression modeled the association between baseline VA and concurrent cognitive test performance. Joint modeling of a longitudinal sub-model and a survival sub-model to adjust for attrition were used to examine associations between baseline VA and repeated cognitive test performance over time.ResultsBetter baseline VA was associated cross-sectionally with younger age, male sex, greater than high school education, and higher baseline neuropsychological test scores on both vision-dependent (B coefficient range -0.163 to -0.375, p = .006 to <.001) and vision-independent tests (-0.187 to -0.215, p = .003 to .002). In longitudinal modeling, better baseline VA was associated with slower decline in vision-dependent tests (B coefficient range -0.092 to 0.111, p = .005 to <.001) and vision-independent tests (-0.107 to 0.067, p = .007 to <.001).ConclusionsHigher VA is associated with higher concurrent cognitive abilities and slower rates of decline over 9 years in both vision-dependent and vision-independent tests of memory, language, and executive functioning. Findings are consistent with emerging literature supporting vision impairment in aging as a potentially modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. Clinicians should encourage patient utilization of vision assessment and correction with the added aim of protecting cognition.
| S-EPMC9834646 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We investigated the association between five factor model personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and risk of dementia, cognitive impairment not dementia (CIND), and conversion from CIND to dementia in a large national cohort. Participants from the Health and Retirement Study (N > 10,000) completed a personality scale in 2006-2008 and their cognitive status was tracked for up to 8 years using the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICSm). Adjusting for age, sex, education, race, and ethnicity, lower conscientiousness and agreeableness and higher neuroticism were independently associated with increased risk of dementia. These associations remained significant after adjusting for other risk factors for dementia, including income, wealth, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and blood biomarkers. These associations were not modified by age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education, suggesting that the associations of personality with risk of dementia were similar across demographic groups. Neuroticism and conscientiousness were also associated with risk of CIND. Low conscientiousness predicted conversion from CIND to dementia. Using brief assessments of personality and cognition, we found robust evidence that personality is associated with risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in a large national sample.
| S-EPMC5374012 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of overall peripheral inflammatory levels on cognitive function, we explored the relationship between established biomarkers of peripheral inflammation (circulating C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]) and cognitive decline by performing a review of observational studies and creating an updated summary.MethodsWe included literatures exploring the relationship between peripheral levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α and subsequent cognitive decline, published until July 2022, by searching the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials, CNKI, and VIP databases. We used random-effects models to pool the odds ratios (ORs) for the risks of subsequent cognitive decline in older adults with high levels of peripheral inflammation. We initially screened out 501 literatures, of which only 17 were ultimately eligible. Overall, there were 19,516 older individuals included in our meta-analysis, and 2134 of them experienced subsequent cognitive change.ResultsIndividuals with high levels of peripheral inflammation may have 14% more chance to develop subsequent cognitive decline than those with low levels (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03-1.27; p < 0.00001). In the subgroup analysis, the incidence of cognitive decline was higher in individuals with high levels of IL-6. This study further demonstrates the link between systemic inflammation and cognitive status.InterpretationDetecting CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in peripheral blood is necessary, as they may become effective indicators for forthcoming cognitive performance.
| S-EPMC10109353 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesPersonality traits are associated with risk of dementia; less is known about their association with the trajectory of cognitive functioning. This research examines the association between the 5 major dimensions of personality and cognitive function and decline in older adulthood and includes a meta-analysis of published studies.MethodPersonality traits, objective and subjective memory, and cognitive status were collected in a large national sample (N = 13,987) with a 4-year follow-up period. For each trait, the meta-analysis pooled results from up to 5 prospective studies to examine personality and change in global cognition.ResultsHigher Neuroticism was associated with worse performance on all cognitive measures and greater decline in memory, whereas higher Conscientiousness and Openness were associated with better memory performance concurrently and less decline over time. All traits were associated with subjective memory. Higher Conscientiousness and lower Extraversion were associated with better cognitive status and less decline. Although modest, these associations were generally larger than that of hypertension, diabetes, history of psychological treatment, obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity. The meta-analysis supported the association between Neuroticism and Conscientiousness and cognitive decline.DiscussionPersonality is associated with cognitive decline in older adults, with effects comparable to established clinical and lifestyle risk factors.
| S-EPMC4903032 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundEpidemiologic studies have provided inconclusive evidence for a protective effect of caffeine consumption on risk of dementia and cognitive decline.ObjectiveTo summarize literature on the association between caffeine and 1) the risk of dementia and/or cognitive decline, and 2) cognitive performance in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, and 3) to examine the effect of study characteristics by categorizing studies based on caffeine source, quantity and other possible confounders.MethodsWe performed a systematic review of caffeine effects by assessing overall study outcomes; positive, negative or no effect. Our literature search identified 61 eligible studies performed between 1990 and 2020.ResultsFor studies analyzing the association between caffeine and the risk of dementia and/or cognitive decline, 16/57 (28%) studies including a total of 40,707/153,070 (27%) subjects reported positive study outcomes, and 30/57 (53%) studies including 71,219/153,070 (47%) subjects showed positive results that were dependent on study characteristics. Caffeine effects were more often positive when consumed in moderate quantities (100-400 mg/d), consumed in coffee or green tea, and in women. Furthermore, four studies evaluated the relationship between caffeine consumption and cognitive function in cognitively impaired individuals and the majority (3/4 [75% ]) of studies including 272/289 subjects (94%) reported positive outcomes.ConclusionThis review suggests that caffeine consumption, especially moderate quantities consumed through coffee or green tea and in women, may reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, and may ameliorate cognitive decline in cognitively impaired individuals.
| S-EPMC7836063 | biostudies-literature