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Personality May Influence Dementia Risk

January 19, 2009 — A new study suggests there is a link between a person's outlook and lifestyle and their risk of developing dementia. According to work published in the January 20 issue of Neurology, people who are social, active, and not easily stressed may be less likely to experience mental deterioration later in life.

"The good news is lifestyle factors can be modified, as opposed to genetic factors, which cannot be controlled," lead author Hui-Xin Wang, PhD, from the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden, said in a news release. "But these are early results, so how exactly mental attitude influences risk for dementia is not clear."

The good news is lifestyle factors can be modified, as opposed to genetic factors, which cannot be controlled.

Previous studies have shown that chronic distress can affect parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus, possibly leading to dementia. "But our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia even further," Dr. Wang explained.

The population-based cohort study included 506 older people who did not have dementia when first examined. Patients were from the Swedish Kungsholmen Project.

Investigators assessed personality traits using the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The questionnaire determined how often each person regularly participated in leisure or organizational activities and the richness of their social network. Participants were followed for 6 years. During that time, 144 developed dementia, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III-R criteria.

The researchers found that people who were not socially active but were calm and relaxed had about a 50% lower risk of developing dementia than people who were isolated and prone to distress. The dementia risk was also about 50% lower for people who were outgoing and calm than for those who were outgoing and prone to distress.

Risk for Dementia

"Clinicians should encourage older people to be sociable, active, optimistic, and calm," Dr. Wang told Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery. "People should have a rich social network and participate in mental, physical, or social activities."

Dr. Wang added that her group was not surprised by these findings. "People with low neuroticism have a more stable mood and better capacity to handle stressful situations without anxiety. Individuals who score high on extraversion usually have more optimistic outlooks on life in general and may be better equipped to cope with stressful events and are therefore less prone to depression."

For these reasons, Dr. Wang said, the researchers anticipated that the stress-dementia hypotheses might be a factor in this study, and the combination of low neuroticism and high extraversion would lead to less stress and a lower risk for dementia.

These findings have significant public-health and clinical implications because the negative effects of certain personality characteristics on dementia are likely to be stress-related and could be buffered by an active and socially integrated lifestyle.

It is estimated that 1 in 7 Americans 71 years and older has some form of dementia. The number of Americans nearing that age is expected to double by the year 2030.

The researchers have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Neurology. 2009;72:253-259.

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