Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;85(4):1807-1817. doi: 10.3233/JAD-215062.
Several studies postulated that personality is an independent determinant of cognitive trajectories in old age.
This study explores the impact of personality on widely used Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular imaging markers.
We examined the association between personality and three classical AD imaging markers (centiloid-based-amyloid load, MRI volumetry in hippocampus, and media temporal lobe atrophy), and two vascular MRI parameters (Fazekas score and number of cortical microbleeds) assessed at baseline and upon a 54-month-follow-up. Personality was assessed with the Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Personality Inventory-Revised. Regression models were used to identify predictors of imaging markers including sex, personality factors, presence of APOE ɛ4 allele and cognitive evolution over time.
Cortical GM volumes were negatively associated with higher levels of Conscientiousness both at baseline and follow-up. In contrast, higher scores of Openness were related to better preservation of left hippocampal volumes in these two time points and negatively associated with medial temporal atrophy at baseline. Amyloid load was not affected by personality factors. Cases with higher Extraversion scores displayed higher numbers of cortical microbleeds at baseline.
Personality impact on brain morphometry is detected only in some among the routinely used imaging markers. The most robust associations concern the positive role of high levels of Conscientiousness and Openness on AD-signature MRI markers. Higher extraversion levels are associated with increased vulnerability to cortical microbleeds pointing to the fact that the socially favorable traits may have a detrimental effect on brain integrity in old age.
几项研究假设人格是老年认知轨迹的独立决定因素。
本研究探讨人格对广泛使用的阿尔茨海默病（AD）和血管成像标志物的影响。
我们研究了人格与三种经典 AD 成像标志物（基于 centiloid 的淀粉样蛋白负荷、海马 MRI 容积和颞叶中部萎缩）之间的关联，以及在基线和 54 个月随访时评估的两种血管 MRI 参数（Fazekas 评分和皮质微出血数量）。人格使用神经症外向性开放性人格量表修订版进行评估。回归模型用于识别包括性别、人格因素、APOE ɛ4 等位基因和随时间变化的认知演变在内的成像标志物的预测因子。
皮质 GM 体积与基线和随访时的更高水平的尽责性呈负相关。相比之下，更高的开放性评分与这两个时间点左海马体积更好的保留有关，并与基线时的颞叶中部萎缩呈负相关。淀粉样蛋白负荷不受人格因素的影响。具有更高外向性评分的病例在基线时皮质微出血的数量更高。
人格对大脑形态的影响仅在一些常规使用的成像标志物中检测到。最显著的关联涉及高水平的尽责性和开放性对 AD 特征性 MRI 标志物的积极作用。更高的外向性水平与皮质微出血的易感性增加有关，这表明在老年时期，具有社会吸引力的特质可能对大脑完整性产生不利影响。
