Research Highlights Link Between Personality Traits and Alzheimer’s Disease

(Newswire.net — June 29, 2022) Orlando, FL — Studies looking into the various aspects of Alzheimer’s disease continue to pile up over the years. It is worth keeping in mind that this condition has been linked with certain factors.

A study was carried out by researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine.

In this research, it has been found that changes in the brain linked with Alzheimer’s disease are often noticeable early on in people with personality traits associated with the condition. 

Such a study focused on two traits previously correlated with the risk of dementia. One is neuroticism which measures a predisposition for negative emotions. The other one is called conscientiousness, which measures the propensity to be careful, organized, goal-directed, and responsible.

“We have done studies showing who’s at risk of developing dementia, but those other studies were looking at the clinical diagnosis,” said Antonio Terracciano, professor of geriatrics at the College of Medicine. 

“Here, we are looking at the neuropathology; that is, the lesions in the brain that tell us about the underlying pathological change. This study shows that even before clinical dementia, personality predicts the accumulation of pathology associated with dementia.”

The findings of this interesting research were published in Biological Psychiatry. 

Such results combined data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) and previously published work in a meta-analysis, which summed up 12 studies on personality and Alzheimer’s neuropathology. 

The studies combined included over 3,000 participants. It is worth noting that combining results across studies offers more robust estimates of the links between personality and neuropathology than a single individual study can provide.

The results of this research suggest that personality aids in offering protection against Alzheimer’s and some other neurological diseases. This is through delaying or preventing the emergence of neuropathology for those strong in conscientiousness and low in neuroticism.

“Such protection against neuropathology may derive from a lifetime difference in people’s emotions and behaviors,” Terracciano said. 

The number of studies looking into the various aspects of brain health and how it can be susceptible to neurological diseases continue to grow. It is worth keeping in mind that there are many ways to increase brain health protection. 

It is vital to get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and follow a healthful diet. There are also certain remedies like the use of a medicinal mushroom called lion’s mane that may be helpful. This remedy has been found to exhibit brain health benefits.

Today, it is widely reported to through the use of supplements like Divine Bounty Lion’s Mane. (http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Lions-Mane-Mushroom-Capsules/dp/B07LGR1KN7).