Certain Personality Traits May Affect Risk of 'Pre-Dementia'

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined five personality traits and their association with pre-dementia conditions known as motoric cognitive risk (MCR) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) syndromes, reports Medical Xpress . Those traits included neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness. Among 524 subjects 65 and older who were followed for a median of three years, 38 developed MCR and 69 developed MCI. Openness was linked to a 6 percent reduced risk of developing MCR, whereas neuroticism was associated with a 6 percent higher risk of non-amnestic MCI. None of the personality traits had a connection with MCI overall or with amnestic MCI. "While more studies are needed, our results provide evidence that personality traits play an independent role in the risk for or protection against specific pre-dementia syndromes," said Emmeline Ayers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "From a clinical perspective, these findings emphasize the importance of accounting for aspects of personality when assessing for dementia risk."