Personality traits have been associated with the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease neuropathology, including amyloid and tau. This study examines whether personality traits are concurrently related to plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of astrogliosis, and neurofilament light (NfL), a marker of neuronal injury. Cognitively unimpaired participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (N = 786; age: 22-95) were assayed for plasma GFAP and NfL and completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, which measures 5 domains and 30 facets of personality. Neuroticism (particularly vulnerability to stress, anxiety, and depression) was associated with higher GFAP and NfL. Conscientiousness was associated with lower GFAP. Extraversion (particularly positive emotions, assertiveness, and activity) was related to lower GFAP and NfL. These associations were independent of demographic, behavioral, and health covariates and not moderated by age, sex, or apolipoprotein E genotype. The personality correlates of astrogliosis and neuronal injury tend to be similar, are found in individuals without cognitive impairment, and point to potential neurobiological underpinnings of the association between personality traits and neurodegenerative diseases.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Astrogliosis; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Neurodegeneration; Neurofilament light; Personality; Plasma biomarkers.
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