Predictive role of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness in conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with a 10-15% annual conversion rate. This study aimed to explore the role of the personality traits Conscientiousness and Neuroticism in predicting conversion from MCI to AD, and worsening dementia severity.

This retrospective, longitudinal study enrolled 69 older adults diagnosed with MCI. At the baseline assessment, the outcomes of interest were Folstein Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), Lawton Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale (LB-IADL), and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB).

Lower baseline Conscientiousness significantly predicted conversion from MCI to probable AD (OR =0.945, p = 0.043). Higher baseline Conscientiousness was also associated with better cognitive performance at follow-up, as indicated by higher MMSE scores (B = 0.158, p = 0.001) and lower CDR-SB scores (B = -0.083, p = 0.008). In contrast, higher baseline Neuroticism significantly predicted poorer functional outcomes, reflected by higher LB-IADL scores at follow-up (B = 0.296, p = 0.006).

This study replicates prior findings by indicating that Conscientiousness and Neuroticism predict disease course in a clinic sample, using measures of disease transition, cognitive worsening and decline in instrumental ADLs. Conscientiousness is a brief measure that can be applied routinely in the real-world clinic setting.