title: Personality characteristics and motor skills attributed to occupations in Parkinson disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has previously been speculated that a distinct premorbid personality characterized by introversion, rigidity, and over cautiousness might be associated with Parkinson disease (PD). Only 1 previous study has assessed personality before PD onset, and other data collected retrospectively do not exclude reverse causation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We relied on the longest held job reported in an interview to infer personality traits and motor skills for 355 incident PD patients and 335 population controls enrolled in a PD study in California.
  
  
  METHODS
  Jobs were coded according to the 1980 US Census Occupational Code and assigned scores for various demands, skills, and aptitudes required by the job.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the occupational temperament or interest factors required, expected, or exhibited by workers were related to statistically significantly higher odds of having PD per unit increase in scores, whereas there was some suggestion of differences when the extremes were examined. Analyses of physical aptitude factors showed that PD cases were less likely to have worked in jobs that involved certain motor skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study uses a novel approach to assess personality traits using occupational characteristics. Most job attributes thought to reflect conservativeness; risk taking, stress resistance, and flexibility were not associated with PD in a linear manner. Thus, these occupation-derived traits do not seem to support the existence of a distinct parkinsonian personality. However, the negative associations with jobs requiring certain motor skills are intriguing, and may suggest very early premotor features or a lack of continuous motor training as a risk factor for PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Gatto
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bordelon
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatz
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ritz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D009790:Occupations / Q000145:classification*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013694:Temperament / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology