Personality Has Significant Impact , on Brain Health, , New Study Finds.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Victoria and published in the 'Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.'.
It found a connection between traits of personality and the development of mild impairment of brain function.
Personality traits reflect relatively enduring patterns of thinking and behaving, , Dr. Tomiko Yoneda, Lead Author, via CNN.
... which may cumulatively affect engagement in healthy and unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns across the lifespan, Dr. Tomiko Yoneda, Lead Author, via CNN.
The accumulation of lifelong experiences may then contribute to susceptibility of particular diseases or disorders, Dr. Tomiko Yoneda, Lead Author, via CNN.
... such as mild cognitive impairment, or contribute to individual differences in the ability to withstand age-related neurological changes, Dr. Tomiko Yoneda, Lead Author, via CNN.
Medical professionals reacted to the study, saying that it remains unclear whether personality leads to impaired cognition, .
... or if a genetic predisposition to cognitive impairment may be expressed through personality.
Specific traits may increase risk due to a lifetime of behaviors that predispose a person to developing cognitive decline or Alzheimer's disease, , Dr. Richard Isaacson, Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic, via CNN.
... or there could be more of a direct biological role related to early disease pathology, Dr. Richard Isaacson, Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic, via CNN.
Health professionals point to neurotic tendencies as an example of uncertainty over which comes first.
Neuroticism is specifically one trait that comes to mind, and past meta-analyses have also show this.
Rumination and worry is linked to smaller brain volumes, Dr. Richard Isaacson, Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic, via CNN.
It's unclear if the stress/neuroinflammation pathway drives this.
A biomarker doesn't really exist for this so it's hard to prove, Dr. Richard Isaacson, Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic, via CNN.
However, this study is the latest of recent research to find a clear link between cognitive health and personality
