Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is, apart from the well-known motor symptoms, also characterized by neuropsychological and emotional disturbances. However, patients also often present with a personality profile of low Novelty Seeking and high Harm Avoidance. This profile can be identified as the disease emerges, which raises the question whether these traits correlate with more fundamental neuropsychological and emotional disturbances. This study determined the neuropsychological and emotional correlates of Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance and two other personality traits that are often considered in PD, i.e. Reward Dependence and Persistence.Forty-three patients and 25 healthy participants were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory, a symptoms of depression questionnaire and neuropsychological tests.PD patients showed a higher Harm Avoidance than healthy participants, which was predicted by symptoms of depression. Groups did not differ regarding Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence and Persistence. While cognitive flexibility was a predictor of Reward Dependence, Persistence was predicted by divergent thinking and inhibition. Novelty Seeking was not predicted by cognition or emotion.In conclusion, cognition and emotion are selectively related to personality traits in PD. Whereas Harm Avoidance covaries with emotional symptoms, Persistence and Reward Dependence are related to cognition. Alterations in personality, cognition and emotion in PD are thus not independent from each other.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms, such as depression and cognitive impairments in the domains of executive functions, memory and psychomotor speed [1,2,3,4,5]
An association was found between symptoms of depression in PD and Harm Avoidance but not with Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence and Persistence
The present sample of PD patients scored significantly higher on Harm Avoidance and reported significantly more symptoms of depression than healthy control participants, with a clinical but mild depression being present in 19% of patients
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms, such as depression and cognitive impairments in the domains of executive functions, memory and psychomotor speed [1,2,3,4,5]. Poletti and Bonuccelli [6] published an overview of the research examining personality traits in patients with PD and concluded that, in contrast to what was previously expected, there is no robust support for a characteristic premorbid personality profile in patients with PD. This lack of support is caused by the fact that it is difficult to assess premorbid personality traits with current test instruments. Poletti and Bonuccelli did report that once PD emerges patients show two typical personality traits [6]. PD patients have often been described as “low Novelty Seekers”, i.e. they prefer to stay with familiar routines, are orderly, disciplined, reserved and controlled, have a preference for saving and spending according to bud-
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