Neurology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Correspondence:
Submit a response
Right arrow Correspondence:
View responses
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Correspondence are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wilson, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Bennett, D. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wilson, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Bennett, D. A.
Related Collections
Right arrow Alzheimer's disease
Right arrow All epidemiology
Right arrow Risk factors in epidemiology
NEUROLOGY 2003;61:1479-1485
© 2003 American Academy of Neurology

Proneness to psychological distress is associated with risk of Alzheimer’s disease

R. S. Wilson, PhD, D. A. Evans, MD, J. L. Bienias, ScD, C. F. Mendes de Leon, PhD, J. A. Schneider, MD and D. A. Bennett, MD

From the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Rush Institute for Healthy Aging and Departments of Neurological Sciences (Drs. Wilson, Evans, and Bennett), Internal Medicine (Drs. Evans, Bienias, Mendes de Leon, and Schneider), and Psychology (Dr. Wilson), Rush–Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. R.S. Wilson, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, 1645 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 675, Chicago, IL 60612; e-mail: rwilson{at}rush.edu

Background: Chronic stress is associated with hippocampal damage and impaired memory in animals and humans.

Objective: To examine this relationship with clinical and pathologic data from the Religious Orders Study.

Methods: Older Catholic clergy members underwent annual clinical evaluations, which included clinical classification of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and detailed cognitive function testing from which composite measures of global cognition and specific cognitive functions were derived. At the baseline evaluation, participants completed a measure of the tendency to experience psychological distress, a stable personality trait that served as an indicator of susceptibility to negative emotional states across the life span. More than 90% of participants who died underwent a uniform postmortem examination of the brain from which summary measures of AD pathology were derived. The association of distress proneness with incident AD and cognitive decline and with measures of AD pathology was examined in analyses adjusted for selected demographic and clinical variables.

Results: During a mean of 4.9 years of follow-up, 140 persons developed AD. Those high in distress proneness (90th percentile) had twice the risk of developing AD than those low in distress proneness (10th percentile). Distress proneness was related to decline in episodic memory but not in other cognitive domains, with a >10-fold increase in episodic memory decline in those high in distress proneness compared with those low in the trait. Among those who died, however, distress proneness was not related to common measures of AD pathology.

Conclusion: Proneness to experience psychological distress is a risk factor for AD, an effect independent of AD pathologic markers such as cortical plaques and tangles.


Received April 24, 2003. Accepted in final form July 31, 2003.

See also page 1468




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Menopause IntHome page
O. T Wolf and B. M Kudielka
Stress, health and ageing: a focus on postmenopausal women
Menopause Int, September 1, 2008; 14(3): 129 - 133.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Arch Gen PsychiatryHome page
R. S. Wilson, S. E. Arnold, T. L. Beck, J. L. Bienias, and D. A. Bennett
Change in Depressive Symptoms During the Prodromal Phase of Alzheimer Disease
Arch Gen Psychiatry, April 1, 2008; 65(4): 439 - 445.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
J. M. Duchek, D. A. Balota, M. Storandt, and R. Larsen
The Power of Personality in Discriminating Between Healthy Aging and Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., November 1, 2007; 62(6): P353 - P361.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
K. F. S. Bell, D. A. Bennett, and A. C. Cuello
Paradoxical Upregulation of Glutamatergic Presynaptic Boutons during Mild Cognitive Impairment
J. Neurosci., October 3, 2007; 27(40): 10810 - 10817.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Arch Gen PsychiatryHome page
R. S. Wilson, J. A. Schneider, S. E. Arnold, J. L. Bienias, and D. A. Bennett
Conscientiousness and the Incidence of Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Arch Gen Psychiatry, October 1, 2007; 64(10): 1204 - 1212.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Trauma Violence AbuseHome page
M. W. Meagher, R. R. Johnson, E. G. Vichaya, E. E. Young, S. Lunt, and C. J. Welsh
Social Conflict Exacerbates an Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis
Trauma Violence Abuse, July 1, 2007; 8(3): 314 - 330.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
J.-E. Kang, J. R. Cirrito, H. Dong, J. G. Csernansky, and D. M. Holtzman
Acute stress increases interstitial fluid amyloid-beta via corticotropin-releasing factor and neuronal activity
PNAS, June 19, 2007; 104(25): 10673 - 10678.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
R. A. Rissman, K.-F. Lee, W. Vale, and P. E. Sawchenko
Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptors Differentially Regulate Stress-Induced Tau Phosphorylation
J. Neurosci., June 13, 2007; 27(24): 6552 - 6562.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NeurologyHome page
R. S. Wilson, J. A. Schneider, P. A. Boyle, S. E. Arnold, Y. Tang, and D. A. Bennett
Chronic distress and incidence of mild cognitive impairment
Neurology, June 12, 2007; 68(24): 2085 - 2092.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMENHome page
M. Y. S. Contreras, P. A. O. Vargas, L. R. Ramos, and R. A. Velandia
Depressive Symptoms Associated With Hereditary Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Description
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, January 1, 2007; 21(6): 411 - 415.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
Psychosom. Med.Home page
R. S. Wilson, S. E. Arnold, J. A. Schneider, Y. Li, and D. A. Bennett
Chronic Distress, Age-Related Neuropathology, and Late-Life Dementia
Psychosom Med, January 1, 2007; 69(1): 47 - 53.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Arch NeurolHome page
N. T. Aggarwal, R. S. Wilson, T. L. Beck, J. L. Bienias, and D. A. Bennett
Motor Dysfunction in Mild Cognitive Impairment and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease
Arch Neurol, December 1, 2006; 63(12): 1763 - 1769.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
AJGPHome page
G. W. Small, D. H. S. Silverman, P. Siddarth, L. M. Ercoli, K. J. Miller, H. Lavretsky, B. C. Wright, S. Y. Bookheimer, J. R. Barrio, and M. E. Phelps
Effects of a 14-Day Healthy Longevity Lifestyle Program on Cognition and Brain Function.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, June 1, 2006; 14(6): 538 - 545.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
AJGPHome page
R. S. Wilson, K. R. Krueger, S. E. Arnold, L. L. Barnes, C. F. Mendes de Leon, J. L. Bienias, and D. A. Bennett
Childhood Adversity and Psychosocial Adjustment in Old Age
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, April 1, 2006; 14(4): 307 - 315.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am J EpidemiolHome page
J. S. Saczynski, L. A. Pfeifer, K. Masaki, E. S. C. Korf, D. Laurin, L. White, and L. J. Launer
The Effect of Social Engagement on Incident Dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study
Am. J. Epidemiol., March 1, 2006; 163(5): 433 - 440.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
N T Aggarwal, R S Wilson, T L Beck, J L Bienias, and D A Bennett
Mild cognitive impairment in different functional domains and incident Alzheimer's disease
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, November 1, 2005; 76(11): 1479 - 1484.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Psychosom. Med.Home page
R. S. Wilson, K. R. Krueger, L. Gu, J. L. Bienias, C. F. Mendes de Leon, and D. A. Evans
Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Mortality in a Defined Population of Older Persons
Psychosom Med, November 1, 2005; 67(6): 841 - 845.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J Geriatr Psychiatry NeurolHome page
T. Fritsch, K. A. Smyth, S. M. Debanne, G. J. Petot, and R. P. Friedland
Participation in Novelty-Seeking Leisure Activities and Alzheimer's Disease
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, September 1, 2005; 18(3): 134 - 141.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
AJGPHome page
H. E. Cannon-Spoor, J. A. Levy, G. S. Zubenko, W. W. Zubenko, R. M. Cohen, N. Mirza, K. Putnam, and T. Sunderland
Effects of Previous Major Depressive Illness on Cognition in Alzheimer Disease Patients
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, April 1, 2005; 13(4): 312 - 318.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Arch NeurolHome page
Z. Arvanitakis, R. S. Wilson, and D. A. Bennett
Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer Disease--Reply
Arch Neurol, February 1, 2005; 62(2): 330 - 331.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NeurologyHome page
R. S. Wilson, L. L. Barnes, D. A. Bennett, Y. Li, J. L. Bienias, C. F. M. de Leon, and D. A. Evans
Proneness to psychological distress and risk of Alzheimer disease in a biracial community
Neurology, January 25, 2005; 64(2): 380 - 382.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NeurologyHome page
J. P. Kelly, C. M. Filley, R. S. Wilson, and D. A. Bennett
Proneness to psychological distress is associated with risk of Alzheimer's disease
Neurology, September 14, 2004; 63(5): 941 - 941.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NeuroscientistHome page
Perspectives on Neuroscience and Behavior
Neuroscientist, June 1, 2004; 10(3): 186 - 187.
[PDF]


Home page
J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
R. S. Wilson, C. F. Mendes de Leon, J. L. Bienias, D. A. Evans, and D. A. Bennett
Personality and Mortality in Old Age
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2004; 59(3): P110 - P116.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
BMJHome page
Minerva
BMJ, January 10, 2004; 328(7431): 116 - 116.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Sci Aging Knowl EnvironHome page
R. J. Davenport
Fear Factor
Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ., December 17, 2003; 2003(50): nw171 - 171.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
Sci Aging Knowl EnvironHome page
Other Noteworthy Papers This Week
Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ., December 10, 2003; 2003(49): nw165 - 165.
[Full Text]

Correspondence:

Read all Correspondence

Proneness to psychological distress is associated with risk of Alzheimer’s disease
James P. Kelly, et al.
Neurology Online, 4 Mar 2004 [Full text]
Reply to Kelly et al
Robert S. Wilson, et al.
Neurology Online, 4 Mar 2004 [Full text]



HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2003 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.