The power of personality in discriminating between healthy aging and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease

This study examined differences in personality in the earliest stages of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) relative to healthy aging, and the power of personality in discriminating healthy aging from early-stage DAT. Four groups of participants (middle-aged controls, older controls, persons with very mild DAT, and persons with mild DAT) and their families were administered Costa and McCrae’s NEO Five-Factor Inventory. On the basis of both self-report and informant report, there was an increase in neuroticism and a decrease in conscientiousness in persons with very mild DAT relative to healthy individuals without it, and in persons with mild DAT relative to those with very mild DAT. Moreover, informant reports of neuroticism and conscientiousness capture sub-stantial unique variance in discriminating healthy aging and very mild DAT, above and beyond standard neuropsychological tests. Discussion focuses on the importance of personality traits as a noncognitive indicator of early-stage DAT. T HERE has been considerable interest in the ability todiagnose dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) in the earliest possible stage of the disease. This early diagnosis is critical to families and clinicians in planning the management of the disease in terms of possible drug treatment and behavioral interventions. The diagnosis of early-stage DAT i