Worry, Moodiness Linked to Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s in Women
Friday, October 3, 2014 at 7:18AM
Via an October 2, 2014, Press Release from American Academy of Neurology:
MINNEAPOLIS – Women who are anxious or moody and distressed in middle age may be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life, according to a nearly 40-year-long study published in the October 1, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Most Alzheimer’s research has been devoted to factors such as education, heart and blood risk factors, head trauma, family history and genetics,” said study author Lena Johannsson, PhD, of the University of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden. “Personality may influence the individual’s risk for dementia through its effect on behavior, lifestyle or reactions to stress.”
For the study, 800 women with an average age of 46 were followed for 38 years and given personality tests that looked at their level of neuroticism and extraversion or introversion, along with memory tests. Of those, 19 percent developed dementia.
Neuroticism involves being easily distressed and personality traits such as worrying, jealousy or moodiness. People who are neurotic are more likely to express anger, guilt, envy, anxiety or depression. Introversion is described as shyness and reserve and extraversion is associated with being outgoing.
The women were also asked if they had experienced any period of stress that lasted one month or longer in their work, health, or family situation. Stress referred to feelings of irritability, tension, nervousness, fear, anxiety or sleep disturbances. Responses were categorized as zero to five, with zero representing never experiencing any period of stress, to five, experiencing constant stress during the last five years. Women who chose responses from three and five were considered to have distress.
The study found that women who scored highest on the tests for neuroticism had double the risk of developing dementia compared to those who scored lowest on the tests. However, the link depended on long-standing stress.
Being either withdrawn or outgoing did not appear to raise dementia risk alone, however, women who were both easily distressed and withdrawn had the highest risk of Alzheimer’s disease in the study. A total of 16 of the 63 women, or 25 percent, who were easily distressed and withdrawn developed Alzheimer’s disease, compared to eight out of the 64 people, or 13 percent, of those who were not easily distressed and were outgoing.
The study was supported by the Swedish Medical Research Council, the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, the Alzheimer's Association, the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation, Swedish Brain Power, Söderström - Königska Nursing Home Foundation, Gamla Tjänarinnor Foundation, Shopkeeper Hjalmar Svensson's Research Foundation, Professor Bror Gadelius Memorial Foundation the Dementia Foundation, Fredrik and Ingrid Thurings Foundation and the University of Gothenburg.
To learn more about dementia, please visit www.aan.com/patients.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of 28,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com/ or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.
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Oct. 9 - Meghann Schmidt, soprano, has performed with opera and theater companies such as Theater Latte Da, Skylark Opera, Colorado Lyric Opera, CU Opera and Top Hat Theater, and as guest artist with regional orchestras and choirs. She also participated in several concert series performed throughout Graz and Vienna, Austria. She received a BA from the University of St. Thomas and a MA from the University of Colorado.
Nov. 6 – Peter Arnstein, piano, is a pianist and composer. He has appeared as a pianist and harpsichordist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has accompanied many members of the Twin Cities’ two main orchestras and college music faculties. A winner of international competitions in both composition and piano, he has toured the Midwest as pianist and composer-in-residence for the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble and currently teaches at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music and the Evergreen School for the Arts in Edina. He has also performed several times at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.
Jan. 22 – Stephanie Thorpe, soprano, is currently a member of the voice faculty in the Department of Music at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Most recently, she performed full-time with the Carnevale di Venezia in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a winner of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Concerto Competition, and of the Nevada District National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards (NATSAA), and a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Stephanie received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Feb. 19 – Carrie Ann Krause, soprano, is an educator and performer. Most recently, she has performed as a soprano soloist at Salem Convenant Church, New Brightson, and Roseville Lutheran Church. She is in her tenth year of service to Salem Covenant Church as the children's and youth choral director. She is also a board member for Kodaly Chapter of Minnesota and is actively involved in Kodaly workshops regionally and nationally. 
March 5 – Susana Pinto & Pinar Basgoze Piano Duo has been receiving significant acclaims since their debut concert in 2009. Pianist and pedagogue Susana Pinto, a native of Portugal, has been on faculty at MacPhail Center for Music for more than 10 years. Pınar Başgőze, born and raised in Turkey, is currently on faculty at MacPhail Center for Music. She has appeared in the Balkan Music Festival at the University of St. Thomas, the Spotlight Series at MacPhail Center for Music, at Steinway Hall in New York City, and as a guest artist with the Bakken Trio and The Baroque Room ensembles.
March 5 – As a Fulbright scholar in Paris, coloratura soprano Laura Hynesspent six years abroad in France and Germany, performing repertoire ranging from baroque opera with Les Arts Florissants to "classical cabaret" on French television and radio. She has performed lead opera roles, solo recitals, and concerts throughout Europe and the US, including New York's Alice Tully Hall, the Barbican in London, and the Châtelet in Paris. Since moving back to the U.S. in 2010, Laura Hynes has performed as a soloist with the Oratorio Society, Vocal Essence, Skylark Opera, and for the Westminster Forum Series. In addition to performing, she is part of a collaborative direction team for a newly emerging baroque opera company in the Twin Cities and she maintains a private voice and coaching studio in St. Paul.
