title: The evolution of personality in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe personality traits and their changes in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-three MCI and 90 control subjects were asked to describe their current personality traits by the Structured Interview for the Five-Factor Model (SIFFM). For each subject, a close relative retrospectively assessed these descriptions both as to the previous and current personality traits, using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, Form R (NEO-PI-R).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-assessed MCI subjects reported significantly lower scores in the openness dimension than control subjects [F(1, 150) = 9.84, p = 0.002, ηp(2) = 0.06]. In current observer ratings, MCI subjects had higher scores on neuroticism [F(1, 137) = 7.55, p = 0.007, ηp(2) = 0.05] and lower ones on extraversion [F(1, 137) = 6.40, p = 0.013, ηp(2) = 0.04], openness [F(1, 137) = 9.93, p = 0.002, ηp(2) = 0.07], agreeableness [F(1, 137) = 10.18, p = 0.002, ηp(2) = 0.07] and conscientiousness [F(1, 137) = 25.96, p < 0.001, ηp(2) = 0.16]. Previous personality traits discriminated the groups as previous openness [odds ratio (OR) = 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.95-0.99, p = 0.014] and conscientiousness (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.98, p = 0.001) were negatively related to MCI group membership. In MCI subjects, conscientiousness [F(1, 137) = 19.20, p < 0.001, ηp(2) = 0.12] and extraversion [F(1, 137) = 22.27, p < 0.001, ηp(2) = 0.14] decreased between previous and current evaluations and neuroticism increased [F(1, 137) = 22.23, p < 0.001, ηp(2) = 0.14], whereas no significant change was found in control subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MCI subjects undergo significant personality changes. Thus, personality assessment may aid the early detection of dementia.
authors.affiliation: Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Studer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petrillo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pocnet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rossier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Gunten
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D019370:Observation; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D015415:Biomarkers; D005819:Genetic Markers