Research Information System
EXPERIMENTAL AGING RESEARCH, vol.50, no.5, pp.678-691, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to investigate affective personality traits in Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative condition mainly characterized by episodic memory impairment.MethodThe sample included 69 participants from 3 diagnostic categories. Twenty-five participants were diagnosed with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), 26 participants were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment of the amnestic type (aMCI), and the remaining 18 participants were diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's dementia (ADD). Diagnostic labels were given as a result of detailed neurological, neuropsychological, and neuroradiological assessment. Affective personality traits were assessed via Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS).ResultsThe only significant intergroup difference was obtained for the SEEKING subscale of ANPS. Here, ADD group scored significantly lower compared to the SCI group. The results of logistic regression analysis also indicated that SEEKING score successfully predicted early-stage ADD diagnosis.ConclusionThe results suggest that a specific personality constellation characterized by reduced investment in the outside world might be associated with Alzheimer's disease, either as a risk factor or a byproduct of the neurodegenerative process initiated by AD pathology.