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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
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Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
Personality changes in Alzheimer's disease.
E Talassi1, G Cipriani, A Bianchetti
1Department of Medicine, Istituto Clinico S. Anna, Hospital, Brescia, Italy.
Aging & Mental Health
|September 21, 2007
Summary
Personality changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients significantly worsen after diagnosis, shifting towards negative traits. This contrasts with stable personality in healthy controls, highlighting AD's impact on personality.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Systematic investigation of personality changes in dementia is limited.
- Caregivers frequently report personality modifications throughout dementia progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically assess personality changes in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- To compare personality shifts in AD patients with a control group.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Italian version of Brooks and McKinaly's Personality Inventory (PI).
- Assessed 52 probable AD patients and 15 control subjects before and after dementia manifestation.
- Analyzed personality traits and total PI scores in relation to demographic, cognitive, and functional characteristics.
Main Results:
- AD patients showed a significant shift towards negative personality characteristics post-onset (p < 0.001).
- Total mean PI scores significantly decreased in AD patients, indicating personality worsening.
- Control subjects exhibited no significant personality changes before and after retirement.
Conclusions:
- Personality modifications are a consistent aspect of AD phenomenology, predominantly in a negative direction.
- Changes are influenced by cognitive, functional, and behavioral severity, not demographics or disease duration.
- Further research is needed to understand the nature of these changes and the utility of PI in dementia studies.
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