title: The premorbid personality of patients with Parkinson's disease: evidence with the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.
abstract: The premorbid personality traits of 102 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 57 age-matched healthy controls were studied by the recently developed Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. We found significantly fewer (p < 0.05) of a group of traits called "novelty seeking" (NS), but no changes in "harm avoidance" (HA) and "reward dependence" (RD), in PD patients, for the period approximately 5-10 years before the onset of the disease, compared to controls. Individuals who are lower than average in NS and average in HA and RD are described as reflective, rigid, loyal, stoic, slow-tempered, frugal, orderly, and persistent Since NS is thought to be directly related to central dopaminergic reactivity, the premorbid expression of these behaviors may be the reflection of neurochemical deficits (hypodopaminergic tone) accompanying the presymptomatic phase of PD.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Neurology CCS, ul. Dr Subotića 6, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Kostić
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lečić
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kovačević
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filipović
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sternic