Personality Profiles Research Articles

Human-in-the-loop optimization of rocker shoes via different cost functions during walking

Personalised footwear could be used to enhance the function of the foot–ankle complex to a person’s maximum. Human-in-the-loop optimization could be used as an effective and efficient way to find a personalised optimal rocker profile (i.e., apex position and angle). The outcome of this process likely depends on the selected optimization objective and its responsiveness to the rocker parameters being tuned. This study aims to explore whether and how human-in-the-loop optimization via different cost functions (i.e., metabolic cost, collision work as measure for external mechanical work, and step distance variability as measure for gait stability) affects the optimal apex position and angle of a rocker profile differently for individuals during walking. Ten healthy individuals walked on a treadmill with experimental rocker shoes in which apex position and angle were optimized using human-in-the-loop optimization using different cost functions. We compared the obtained optimal apex parameters for the different cost functions and how these affected the selected gait related objectives. Optimal apex parameters differed substantially between participants and optimal apex positions differed between cost functions. The responsiveness to changes in apex parameters differed between cost functions. Collision work was the only cost function that resulted in a significant improvement of its performance criteria. Improvements in metabolic cost or step distance variability were not found after optimization. This study showed that cost function selection is important when human-in-the-loop optimization is used to design personalised footwear to allow conversion to an optimum that suits the individual.

Where we live matters: a comparison of chronic pain treatment between remote and non-remote regions of Quebec, Canada.

Where a person lives is a recognized socioeconomic determinant of health and influences healthcare access. This study aimed to compare the pain treatment profile of persons with chronic pain (CP) living in remote regions to those living in non-remote regions (near or in major urban centers). A cross-sectional study was performed among persons living with CP across Quebec. In a web-based questionnaire, participants were asked to report in which of the 17 administrative regions they were living (six considered "remote"). Pain treatment profile was drawn up using seven variables: use of prescribed pain medications, over-the-counter pain medications, non-pharmacological pain treatments, multimodal approach, access to a trusted healthcare professional for pain management, excessive polypharmacy (≥10 medications), and use of cannabis for pain. 1,399 participants completed the questionnaire (women: 83.4%, mean age: 50 years, living in remote regions: 23.8%). As compared to persons living in remote regions, those living in non-remote regions were more likely to report using prescribed pain medications (83.8% vs. 67.4%), a multimodal approach (81.5% vs. 75.5%), experience excessive polypharmacy (28.1% vs. 19.1%), and report using cannabis for pain (33.1% vs. 20.7%) (bivariable p < 0.05). Only the use of prescribed medications as well as cannabis remained significantly associated with the region of residence in the multivariable models. There are differences in treatment profiles of persons with CP depending on the region they live. Our results highlight the importance of considering remoteness, and not only rurality, when it comes to better understanding the determinants of pain management.

Research Plan Entrepreneurial Logical Mapping: Production and Re-engineering of a Pragmatic, Fluid and Tantalizing Academic Research Plan: A Practical Example (Extract from My 2024-2029 Research Plan)

For the young, ambitious academics and upcoming Researchers placed at any tertiary institution of higher learning, or research organizations, this position paper (research plan) is a must read master piece. Mature researchers and potential candidatures in research are also invited to consume this information. I acknowledge that while it may not be 100% tantalizing, but it is 100% worth of going through. Completing the reading and mastering some key techniques will produce researchers who work smart, organize their research and independent in thinking. This plan is a real abstract of my comprehensive plan for period 2024 through 2029. The document is my strategic research plan projected for [2024 to 2029]. The plan provides a major and rigorous diagnosis regarding the opportunity to talk about my proposed research plan-covering [Entrepreneurship, Business leadership and Corporate governance, Human and business epistemology, Project Management, logistics and Business Communication plus general management areas] within the domain of Private and Public sector sectors. The plan further describes benefits, and how it will be implemented and conducted. This publication strategy is a thought tool for the future and is in a road map delineating what, when, and how my research will be conducted and in some cases published. It does include the type of article and journal, based on the target audience, the environment in which research will be done. For my strategy to work, I have established it as early as possible, and will revise it throughout a research project’s life cycle which aligns to the five (5) year period. The form of research is multi-faceted in outlook. As both part of raising BA ISAGO university as a knowledge producer and also part of my personal profile enhancement, I have lined up a number a of structures within my strategic research paradigms-following a very strong and waterproof personal research model [The Gwakwa Knee jack Research framework ( GNJRF)] This model postulates a bi-partisan and bi-projectory approach where the research is biased towards promoting institutional values and place the university at the center of knowledge production within the global arena. To achieve this ,three key approaches (to be elucidated in the main document) will be adopted namely organizing and conducting international research conferences/symposiums and or workshops; holding classical and internal capped public lectures with a global touch; rigorous search and conducting intensive community based research; conducting intensive business based research; aggressive publications mainly touching on the business landscape with emphasis on entrepreneurship research, leadership and business management disciplinarian researches and lastly but not list embark on a series of participating n international research conferences where I will make active presentations in line with conference thematic areas

How Consideration of Future Consequences, Prior Gain or Loss, Personal Risk Profile, and Justification Affect Risk–Payoff Preferences

This study examines (1) how risk–payoff preference can be affected by differences in consideration of future consequences (CFC), prior gain/loss, and personal risk profile, and (2) whether one’s risk–payoff preference may vary with justification prompts. Using an experimental design with 366 undergraduate business students, participants are tasked to make risk–payoff choices in two scenarios, with the combined risk–payoff outcomes serving as the dependent variable. In addition, participants are assessed on their personal risk profiles and also complete the 14-item CFC scale to gauge the propensity to take into account future consequences of their behaviors. Findings show that one who scores low (high) in CFC will prefer lower (higher) risk and payoff. Further, for an individual who scores high in CFC and has a prior gain (loss), he/she will be more inclined to prefer lower (higher) risk and payoff, though this effect is moderated by one’s risk profile. Finally, justification prompts help to reduce one’s propensity toward high risk–payoff, irrespective of prior gain/loss and risk profile considerations. With regard to consumers’ financial choices, particularly in a volatile economic environment, the findings here indicate that prompting for strategic justifications before making decisions can help lower one’s overall propensity toward high risk–payoff choices.

Blockchain and public service delivery: a lifetime cross-referenced model for e-government

ABSTRACT The article presents the results of field studies, analysing the perspectives of blockchain developers on decentralised service delivery and elaborating on unique algorithms for lifetime ledgers to reliably and safely record e-government transactions in an intrinsically cross-referenced manner. New interesting technological niches of service delivery and emerging models of related data management in the industry were proposed and further elaborated such as the generation of unique lifetime personal data profiles, blockchain-driven cross-referencing of e-government metadata, parallel maintenance of serviceable ledgers for data identifiers and phenomena of blockchain ‘black holes’ to ensure reliable protection of important public, corporate and civic information.

Majors unleashed: unravelling students’ personality profiles across academic disciplines

AbstractThis study utilized Latent Profile Analysis to examine the correlation between personality and academic major choice among 1825 Greek university students, using the Five Factor Model (FFM) at the facet level. Four distinct personality profiles—resilients, overcontrollers, undercontrollers, and ordinaries—were identified. Female students predominantly chose Humanities, aligning with the overcontrollers profile while males leaned towards Sciences and Health Sciencesassociated with ordinaries, undercontrollers, and resilients profiles. Additionally, major choice varied, with Humanities and Sciences often linked to ordinaries, Health Sciences to resilients, and Economics/Information and Communication Technology to undercontrollers. This study emphasizes personalized interventions based on individual personality profiles for informed academic major choices.

Comparison of personality traits of two anti‐oppression groups: Vegans and anarchists

AbstractVeganism and anarchism are burgeoning worldwide, yet very few studies have examined the psychological characteristics of people belonging to these two anti‐oppression groups. The present study investigated whether vegans and anarchists, on the one hand, and activists and non‐activists belonging to these two groups, on the other hand, exhibit distinct personality profiles. To this end, a sample of 180 adults who self‐identify as vegans or anarchists completed an online socio‐demographic questionnaire, the HEXACO Personality Inventory, and the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen. A discriminant function analysis showed that anarchists are more likely than vegans to self‐identify as belonging to a gender other than female or male, or to identify with no gender at all. Further, the proportion of men was larger in the anarchist group than in the vegan group. In terms of personality traits, vegans scored higher on the Conscientiousness, Emotionality, and Honesty–Humility dimensions than anarchists did. Anarchists scored higher than vegans on Openness to Experience and Psychopathy. Activists and non‐activists were not distinguished based on gender or personality traits. While the dynamics of power and oppression toward humans and toward animals share common factors, the present results suggest that veganism and anarchism attract anti‐oppression advocates with distinct personality profiles.

Influence of Mindfulness on Game Addiction-Mediating Role of Emotional Control

In the past few decades, online games have become immensely popular among the younger generation thus leading to online game addiction. Previous researches acknowledge that mindfulness or present-focused awareness may reduce addiction. Moreover, addiction is found to have an impact on the propensity to respond to the situations in the environment in a way that is acceptable to all the people (emotional control). The present study attempts to study the influence of mindfulness and emotional control on game addiction. For this, 187 college students were selected through the Simple Random Sampling method. Personal Profile Sheet, The Online Game Addiction Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and The Emotional Control Questionnaire, with four dimensions of Rehearsal, Emotional Inhibition, Aggression Control and Benign control were used to collect the data. The study found a significant gender difference in the level of game addiction where boys being more addicted to online games than girls. Mindfulness shows a significant negative influence over Game Addiction. Among the four dimensions of emotional control, the two dimensions viz., rehearsal and benign control show mediation effect between mindfulness and game addiction. However, the mediating role of emotional inhibition and aggression control was not significantly demonstrative.

First person profile: Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD: Dr Le Beau's fascination with cancer cytogenetics has contributed to vast improvements in the treatment of certain cancers based on genetic subgroups.

This news section offers Cancer readers timely information on events, public policy analysis, topical issues, and personalities. In this issue, the life‐long fascination with cancer cytogenetics of Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD, has contributed to vast improvements in the treatment of certain cancers based on genetic subgroups. In addition, two studies show benefits for patients with resectable non‐small cell lung cancer by adding perioperative durvalumab to chemotherapy and through using amivantamab in treatment‐naive patients and in patients who experience relapse.

Emotional intelligence across the personality spectrum: A study of university students' personality profiles

This study investigated the associations between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and the Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits in a sample of 2041 Greek university students using an online anonymous questionnaire. Latent mean differences across gender on the TEI and FFM were explored. The results revealed that women scored higher in agreeableness and neuroticism, while men scored higher in use of emotion and regulation of emotion than women. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to form subgroups of students based on their scores on the FFM personality traits. The results showed positive associations between TEI dimensions, namely appraisal of one's own emotions, appraisal of others' emotions, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion, and all FFM traits except for neuroticism. LPA revealed four clusters of students, anti-resilients, undercontrollers, resilients, and averages. A comparison of mean differences among the profiles was performed, emphasizing the resilients' higher scores in all TEI dimensions, and undercontrollers' lower scores in the appraisal of one's own emotions and the use of emotion. Logistic regression was performed to determine whether gender was a covariate in relation to the four clusters. The implications of these findings and possible interventions to enhance students' EI are discussed.

Exploring the link between pediatric headaches and environmental noise exposure

BackgroundHeadaches are the most common neurologic symptoms in the pediatric population. Most primary headache in children and adolescents focuses on associated factors, including noise. Auditory discomfort is related to recognizing the pain. We aimed to analyze the headache profile of pediatric populations and the connection between noise exposure and head pain in children and adolescents.MethodsWe reviewed retrospectively medical records of the pediatric population with headaches in Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital from January 2022 to April 2023. Personal headache profiling from self-questionnaires and environmental noise data from the National Noise Information System (NNIS) were used to analyze each variable, and chi-square tests and linear regression models by SAS were used to analyze the statistical correlation.ResultsOf the 224 participants, 125 were clinically diagnosed with headaches. Of the 104 pubertal subjects, 56.7% were diagnosed with headaches, compared to 60% in the prepubertal group. Both daytime and nighttime noise was significantly higher in the diagnosed headache group than in the non-diagnosed group. Headache duration increased by daytime and nighttime noise with statistical significance in age-adjusted models.ConclusionWe found that noise exposure is correlated to headaches in children and adolescents. Daytime and nighttime environmental noise exposure was significantly associated with the duration of headaches through our data. Therefore, we assume that noise exposure is vitally relevant to prolonged headaches in the pediatric population. Further research is needed to improve our data.

Is there a difference in the education of generations across time?

An interesting reading tends to be a summary of the dominant characteristics of each generation, which can be found in scientific and vocational publications as well as in media with popularization texts. Very often, we also identify among them our own characteristics and qualities, or those of our peers, children, and possibly other descendants. It is natural that the development of science and technology has a significant role in shaping the personality profile of the members of each generation during the historical development of society (for example, from the “lost” generation to the “alpha” generation). This factor influences the content, methodological and didactic aspects of the teaching process, i.e. what and how to teach. The authors of the paper have worked on several aspects of the preparation of teaching materials and their use in school physics, often with overlap with other science subjects. One of these aspects is, for example, the need to influence the emotional side of the student in learning processes, which is an important prerequisite for more permanent “inscriptions” of information in the student’s memory. For this process to work, knowledge of the dominant characteristics of the target group of students and the environment in which they grow up is essential.

Italian Association of Epidemiology: How has the demographic, educational, and occupational profile of members changed in recent years

In recent years, the number of members of the Italian Association of Epidemiology (AIE) has increased considerably, and their profile has undergone many changes. The aim of this work is to describe the characteristics of the members, with particular attention to those who have been continuously enrolled. To evaluate these characteristics, the data from membership forms submitted to the Association and information available on the new website in the personal profile area (period 2016-2024) were used. The characteristics considered were: gender, age, education, and job position of the member, Region, and type of affiliated institution. Members with at least three registrations during the period considered, including at least one in the last three years (2022-2024), are considered continuous members.In 2024, AIE counts 557 members, of whom 340 (61.0%) are female and 182 (32.7%) are under 35 years old. This data confirms the growing trend observed since 2015, when the number of members was just above 300, considering that each year there is a quota of new members amounting to about 30%. A total of 382 members can be considered continuous. Over 90% of these members work in 8 Regions (Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Tuscany, Veneto, Puglia, and Sicily), while the other regions are scarcely or not represented at all. Over time, and with the arrival of new members, the Association is shifting towards the academic world, while the proportion of professionals working in public health institutions has decreased. Members are overall highly educated; however, while older cohorts have predominantly a medical and biological education, younger cohorts increasingly have statistical/mathematical education. Seventy percent of the members have a permanent contract, 5% have a fixed-term contract, and 13% have an atypical contract. Precarious contracts tend to be lower among medical graduates and remain higher in other health professions and non-health-related degrees.AIE is dealing with a period of dynamism and openness, marked by the increase in the number of the members and the transformation of their occupational and educational profile. It is crucial to support and promote the ongoing positive changes, such as the wider geographic representativeness and the entry of new recruits, also facilitated by multiple activities carried out by AIE, including congresses, working groups, webinars, training courses, and collaborations with other scientific societies. At the same time, it might be useful to open a discussion on the meaning and consequences of the increase of academic members and the reduction, at least in relative terms, of individuals coming from public health. Finally, it will be necessary to approach some critical issues, such as the still poor multidisciplinarity and the persistence of job insecurity, especially among graduates in educational pathways that still do not fit into the professional profiles recognized by the NHS.

The Socialization Of Terrorism In Canada

The academic and institutional battlefield is littered with the best intentions of those attempting to bring a universally recognized definition to the term ‘terrorism’. The concept of ‘where you sit is where you stand’ certainly applies to such endeavors. In addition to considering how best to integrate such fundamental questions as who, what, where, why and how in a definition of the term, attempts have been confounded and complicated by where definitional efforts have been centered within a particular community. Do you adopt a social science or quasi-scientific approach? From a jurisprudence and law enforcement perspective? Terrorist financing? Intent and motivation? Psychological drivers and personal profiles of individual terrorists? Organizational structures? Cultural and anthropological approaches? Rationality and mental health? Historical considerations? Critical study interpretations? All this has made for terrorism being a contested concept over the decades. As observed by Schmid and Jongman, and as we shall explore, “The nature of terrorism is not inherent in the violent act itself. One and the same act can be terrorist or not, depending on the intention and circumstances.” But how terrorism is defined by whatever community is not a trivial issue. Definitions carry political and policy consequences that govern the counterterrorism space and how threats and risks are articulated going forward. How the threat environment endures is often just as much an outcome of how a state elects to respond to the threat, as it is the agenda of terrorist entities. And terrorism charges cannot be prosecuted if there is not at least some notion of how motivations, intentions and acts are defined in statutes. Received: 01-05-2024 Revised: 01-14-2024

ОСОБЕННОСТИ МОТИВАЦИИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ПОМОГАЮЩИХ СПЕЦИАЛИСТОВ

The motivation of employees is reflected in their behavior in the workplace and affects the results of the organization as a whole, if we are talking about helping specialists, then on the effectiveness of providing psychological assistance to the population. Understanding the factors that contribute to motivation can help administrators better manage their organization in terms of staff performance, staff turnover, etc. The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of professional motivation of helping professionals with different work experience. The sample was made up of psychologists working in centers of psychological, pedagogical and social assistance in Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. A total of 60 people took part in the study, of which 30 people had work experience of up to 10 years and 30 had work experience of more than 10 years. The following methods were used in the study: the “Motivational Personality Profile” method by S. Ritchie and P. Martin, the method for diagnosing the socio-psychological attitudes of an individual in the motivational-need sphere by O.F. Potemkina, the “Diagnostics of the motivational structure of personality” method by V.E. Milman, a questionnaire for diagnosing the motives of professional activity of specialists by T.N. Frantseva. The study was conducted using an online service for creating feedback forms, online tests and surveys - Google Forms. When processing the results statically, methods of descriptive statistics and the nonparametric statistical criterion U-Mann Whitney and the correlation coefficient r-Spearman were used. Statistical data processing was carried out using the STATISTICA 10 software package. The study found that helping professionals with less than 10 years of experience are motivated to earn money, good working conditions and clear regulations are important to them, interaction with other people at work is situationally important, for them, work as such is not very important; power and influence are little expressed in the structure of their professional motivation. Helping specialists with more than 10 years of experience are focused on the activity itself, self-realization, self-improvement and obtaining public recognition; they do not need clear work regulations; receiving remuneration is not the leading motive for their activity.

The Underlying Structure of Preventive Behaviors and Related Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Network Analysis.

Various strategies against COVID-19 have been adopted in different countries, with vaccination and mask-wearing being widely used as self-preventive interventions. However, the underlying structure of these behaviors and related factors remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the network structure of preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and their underlying factors, incorporating age and sex in the network. We used a multi-center sample of 20,863 adults who were vaccinated against COVID-19 in China between April 1, 2021, and June 1, 2021. Networks were estimated using unregularized partial correlation models. We also estimated the accuracy and stability of the network. The preventive behaviors related to network factors revealed that self-initiated vaccination was more connected with cognition factors, and mask-wearing was more connected with personal profiles. The two clusters were linked through information-seeking and political beliefs. Moreover, self-initiated vaccination was negatively connected with vaccine hesitancy and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines and positively connected with trust in the vaccines, pandemic-related altruism, political beliefs, and being married. Mask-wearing was negatively connected with being a professional/white collar worker and higher education level and positively connected with regular physical examination, self-rated health, migration, being married, and better family relationships. Incorporation of age and sex into the network revealed relevant associations between age and mask-wearing and age and self-initiated vaccination. The network was highly accurately estimated. The subset bootstrap showed that the order of node strength centrality, betweenness, and closeness were all stable. The correlation stability coefficient (CS-coefficient) also showed the stability of this estimate, with 0.75 for node strength, 0.75 for betweenness, and 0.67 for closeness. The internal structures of vaccination and mask-wearing behaviors were quite different, the latter of which were mainly affected by socioeconomic status and health-related behaviors and the former by knowledge about vaccines and political beliefs. Information-seeking and family relationships were the bridge factors connecting these two self-preventive behavior clusters, suggesting the direction of future efforts.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence with Human Psychology

This research paper delves into the intriguing intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and human psychology, exploring the multifaceted ways in which these domains converge and influence each other. The study encompasses various applications of AI technologies in understanding, simulating, and augmenting human psychological processes, aiming to shed light on the transformative potential and ethical considerations of such integration. The first section investigates the role of AI in emotion recognition, where machine learning algorithms discern human emotions through facial expressions, voice modulation, and physiological signals. Examining the applications in mental health, human-computer interaction, and sentiment analysis, this research assesses the impact on individual well-being and the broader societal implications. The second thematic area delves into personalized learning using AI, exploring how adaptive educational content can cater to diverse learning styles, preferences, and cognitive abilities. The study evaluates the effectiveness of personalized learning in enhancing student engagement and academic achievement, with implications for reshaping educational paradigms. The third focus of this research centers on the intersection of AI-driven chatbots and mental health support. Analyzing the development and deployment of AI chatbots in providing assistance for mental health issues, the study evaluates the efficacy of these tools in reducing stigma and improving accessibility to mental health resources. Ethical considerations constitute a significant aspect of this research, with an examination of the responsible use of AI in psychometrics, personality profiling, and predictive modeling. Privacy concerns, bias mitigation, and the ethical implications of employing AI in sensitive psychological domains are critically assessed. The paper also explores the collaborative potential of AI in creative endeavors, investigating how AI tools enhance human creativity in areas such as art, music, and writing. The psychological impact on creators and the implications for the future of creative industries are thoroughly examined. Throughout the research, the ethical implications of AI are a recurrent theme, as responsible deployment and consideration of biases in AI algorithms are paramount. The study concludes with a reflection on the evolving landscape of AI in conjunction with human psychology, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical guidelines, and ongoing research to navigate the intricate nuances of this dynamic relationship.

Predicting discriminative personality profile of haters from digital texts

The rate of malicious behavior in online social media is increasing daily. The increase in malignant social behaviors, especially those involving hate speech, makes it necessary to identify haters from digital texts as quickly and accurately as possible. Recently, many studies have been conducted to identify such behaviors; however, profiling the haters’ personality has not been paid sufficient attention. Retrieving the personality profiles of suspected haters from digital texts is one of the most effective ways to distinguish them from others. This study proposes a novel hatebase-aided personality recognition model that gives more successful results than plain recognition models and predicts the discriminative personality traits of online haters. The proposed model contains the combination of two effective sub-models; a deep neural network model, and a fine-tuned BERT model. While the deep neural network model trained with hate indicators provides an interpretable relation between personality and hate indicators, the fine-tuned BERT model provides relationships between text semantics and personality. Combining these sub-models, the proposed model gives hatebase-related personality recognition results. This study evaluates two popular personality models: the Big Five and the MBTI. According to experiments, compared with other users, online haters are less agreeable regarding the Big Five and fewer thinkers regarding the MBTI.

Sources of Variance in Human Tear Proteomic Samples: Statistical Evaluation, Quality Control, Normalization, and Biological Insight.

Human tear fluid contains numerous compounds, which are present in highly variable amounts owing to the dynamic and multipurpose functions of tears. A better understanding of the level and sources of variance is essential for determining the functions of the different tear components and the limitations of tear samples as a potential biomarker source. In this study, a quantitative proteomic method was used to analyze variations in the tear protein profiles of healthy volunteers. High day-to-day and inter-eye personal variances were observed in the tear volumes, protein content, and composition of the tear samples. Several normalization and outlier exclusion approaches were evaluated to decrease variances. Despite the intrapersonal variances, statistically significant differences and cluster analysis revealed that proteome profile and immunoglobulin composition of tear fluid present personal characteristics. Using correlation analysis, we could identify several correlating protein clusters, mainly related to the source of the proteins. Our study is the first attempt to achieve more insight into the biochemical background of human tears by statistical evaluation of the experimentally observed dynamic behavior of the tear proteome. As a pilot study for determination of personal protein profiles of the tear fluids of individual patients, it contributes to the application of this noninvasively collectible body fluid in personal medicine.

Association of Poor Oral Health With Neuroimaging Markers of White Matter Injury in Middle-Aged Participants in the UK Biobank.

Poor oral health is a modifiable risk factor that is associated with clinically observed cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between oral and brain health is not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that poor oral health is associated with worse neuroimaging brain health profiles in middle-aged persons without stroke or dementia. We performed a 2-stage cross-sectional neuroimaging study using UK Biobank data. First, we tested for association between self-reported poor oral health and MRI neuroimaging markers of brain health. Second, we used Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to test for association between genetically determined poor oral health and the same neuroimaging markers. Poor oral health was defined as the presence of dentures or loose teeth. As instruments for the MR analysis, we used 116 independent DNA sequence variants linked to increased composite risk of dentures or teeth that are decayed, missing, or filled. Neuroimaging markers of brain health included white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume and aggregate measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), 2 metrics indicative of white matter tract disintegrity obtained through diffusion tensor imaging across 48 brain regions. We included 40,175 persons (mean age 55 years, female sex 53%) enrolled from 2006 to 2010, who underwent a dedicated research brain MRI between 2014 and 2016. Among participants, 5,470 (14%) had poor oral health. Poor oral health was associated with a 9% increase in WMH volume (β = 0.09, SD = 0.014, p < 0.001), 10% change in aggregate FA score (β = 0.10, SD = 0.013, p < 0.001), and 5% change in aggregate MD score (β = 0.05, SD = 0.013, p < 0.001). Genetically determined poor oral health was associated with a 30% increase in WMH volume (β = 0.30, SD = 0.06, p < 0.001), 43% change in aggregate FA score (β = 0.43, SD = 0.06, p < 0.001), and 10% change in aggregate MD score (β = 0.10, SD = 0.03, p < 0.01). Among middle age Britons without stroke or dementia, poor oral health was associated with worse neuroimaging brain health profiles. Genetic analyses confirmed these associations, supporting a potentially causal association. Because the neuroimaging markers evaluated in this study precede and are established risk factors of stroke and dementia, our results suggest that oral health, an easily modifiable process, may be a promising target for very early interventions focused on improving brain health.