Memory Loss Isn’t the Only Sign of Dementia

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In a study published last year, researchers found that people with dementia experienced slight drops in extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness before they showed any signs of cognitive impairment. Those personality changes accelerated as more dementia symptoms emerged, said Angelina Sutin, a professor of behavioral sciences and social medicine at Florida State University, who led the study.

While the research was conducted using a standardized personality test, there are a few changes in everyday behavior that you can watch out for. A decrease in extroversion, for example, may look like a person becoming more withdrawn, or a narrowing of their social circle.

It may be easier to tell that someone is “not going out as frequently anymore than to recognize how much their memory has declined,” Dr. Sutin said.

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