If you are a conscientious person; you have a tendency to be thorough, determined and self-disciplined, you may have a lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared to a person who has a low level of conscientiousness, according to an article in Archives of General Psychiatry (JAMA/Archives).
Conscientiousness is also known as will, work and dependability – it refers to an individual’s tendency to control impulses and be goal directed, explain the authors. It may be important for maintaining general good health.
Robert S. Wilson, Ph.D., Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and team, in 1994, started examining 997 Catholic nuns, priests and monks who did not have dementia – they were all elderly. They were all checked for their medical history, had neurologic examinations and underwent cognitive testing. A 12-item inventory was used to measure conscientiousness – the participants had to rate agreement with each item, such as “I am a productive person who always gets the job done,” on a scale of 1 to 5. Annual follow-up examinations were carried out until the end of 2006 – 7.9 evaluations were carried out per person on average.
The average conscientiousness score of the 997 participants was 34 out of a maximum of 48. Through a maximum period of 12 years of follow-up, 176 people developed Alzheimer’s disease. Those who had scored at least 40 points in conscientiousness had an 89% lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared to those who scored 28 points or less. Even after controlling for known Alzheimer’s disease factors the figures did not change significantly.
The researchers also found that conscientiousness was also linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline and a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment (which may precede Alzheimer’s disease).
Brain autopsies of 324 individuals who had died during the studies were analyzed by the researchers. In these patients, conscientiousness was not associated to any of the hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s disease, such as brain plaques or tangles. Nevertheless, conscientiousness did seem to modify the association of these brain changes with a person’s cognitive abilities before death.
The authors suggest that there may be many ways by which conscientiousness may guard against Alzheimer’s disease. Conscientious people have a greater chance of succeeding educationally and occupationally; both factors which reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, conscientiousness has been associated with resilience and to coping actively with difficulties. The authors noted “These factors might lessen the adverse consequences of negative life events and chronic psychological distress, which have been associated with risk of dementia in old age.”
The writers continued “In conclusion, level of conscientiousness is associated with incidence of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease but not with the pathologic hallmarks of these conditions. Understanding the mechanisms linking conscientiousness to maintenance of cognition in old age may suggest novel strategies for delaying the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(10):1204-1212
Written by: Christian Nordqvist