Science has not yet arrived at a complete understanding of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. However, recent findings have confirmed the association between personality and neuropathology, in that certain personality traits can increase Alzheimer’s risk.
The results of the study conducted by Terracciano et al. show that individuals with higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness have increased amounts of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. These two proteins, toxic to the brain, are involved in the Alzheimer’s process, the disease that is the fifth leading cause of death among adults aged 65 or older.
