Personality Changes Don’t Precede Clinical Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

Summary: Despite popular belief, researchers have found no evidence that personality changes appear prior to the onset of dementia.

Source: Jama Psychiatry.

For a long time the scientists and physicians have been debating whether personality and behavioral changes might appear just before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Now, the findings of a new and comprehensive study reports that there is no evidence to support the idea that personality changes set about before the clinical onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.

The researchers examined the personality and clinical analysis data obtained between 1980 and July 2016 from more than 2,000 individuals who initially displayed no cognitive impairment. About 18 percent of study subjects later developed MCI or dementia.

What the researchers found is that the course of personality traits did not differ between those who would later develop dementia and those who did not.

While personality change was not an early sign before onset of dementia, this study provides further support that personality traits (including high levels of neuroticism and low levels of conscientiousness) are risk factors for dementia.

For physicians and loved ones, personality changes remain an important criteria to consider while taking care of those who have already experienced the clinical onset of MCI or dementia. Increasing apathy, irritability, mood changes and other behavioral symptoms affect the quality of life for both patients and their caregivers.