Personality alterations in dementia of the Alzheimer type

S. Petry, J. L. Cummings, M. A. Hill and J. Shapira
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine.

Personality alterations in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) are common but have received little systematic or quantitative investigation. In this study, changes in personality in patients with DAT were compared with those of nondemented retirees using a personality inventory. The inventory used information obtained from each subject's spouse. No personality changes were identified in the control subjects when pre- and post-retirement inventory scores were compared, whereas patients with DAT had highly significant alterations on 12 of the 18 inventory items. The results demonstrate that patients with DAT become more passive, more coarse, and less spontaneous as a result of the disease. Personality changes are a consistent part of the clinical syndrome of DAT and occur early in the course of the disease.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Personality traits distinguishing dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer disease
Galvin et al.
Neurology 2007;68:1895-1901.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Personality Change Precedes Clinical Diagnosis of Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
Balsis et al.
J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci. 2005;60:P98-P101.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Caregiver-Administered Neuropsychiatric Inventory (CGA-NPI)
Kang et al.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2004;17:32-35.
ABSTRACT  

HSP70-2 (HSPA1B) is Associated with Noncognitive Symptoms in Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease
Clarimon et al.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2003;16:146-150.
ABSTRACT  

Informant Reports of Changes in Personality Predict Dementia in a Population-Based Study of Elderly African Americans and Yoruba
Smith-Gamble et al.
AJGP 2002;10:724-732.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Behavioral Change in Persons With Dementia: Relationships With Mental and Physical Health of Caregivers
Hooker et al.
J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci. 2002;57:P453-460.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Affective behavioural disturbances in Alzheimer's disease and ischaemic vascular disease
Hargrave et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2000;68:41-46.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Passive behaviors in Alzheimer' disease: A descriptive analysis
Colling
AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMEN 1999;14:27-40.
ABSTRACT  

The Cholinergic Hypothesis of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease
Cummings and Back
AJGP 1998;6:64S-78.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Neuroleptic Treatment of Agitation and Psychosis in Dementia
Devanand and Levy
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1995;8:S18-S27.
ABSTRACT  

Historical changes in the subjective experience of Alzheimer's disease: The role of anxiety
Shorter
AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMEN 1991;6:35-39.
ABSTRACT  

Personality Alterations in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type: A Three-Year Follow-up Study
Petry et al.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1989;2:203-207.
ABSTRACT