A novel approach for investigating Parkinson's Disease personality and its association with clinical and psychological aspects.

<strong>Objective:</strong> A complex relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms, personality traits and neurochemical changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been highlighted in the past several decades. In particular, a specific Parkinson personality with obsessive traits has been described. However, despite the great amount of anecdotal evidence, this aspect, together with its neurobiological, psychological and clinical correlates, are still not clearly defined. Therefore, we performed a case-control study in order to investigate the presence and rate of obsessive personality traits in PD patients within the theoretical framework of cognitive-constructivist model. Moreover, the relationship between PD personality and clinical, psychological and quality of life (QoL) aspects in PD were investigated. <strong>Methods:</strong> Fifty-one non-demented patients with probable or possible PD (not demented) were recruited at the inpatient-outpatient San Luca Hospital, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano. Control group was composed by forty-eight age- and education-matched healthy volunteers. Patients underwent a neurological investigation including Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), Modified Hoehn and Yahr and Schwab and England staging scales. The following psychological questionnaires were administered to the overall sample: Personal Meaning Questionnaire (PMQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y (STAI-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36). <strong>Results:</strong> No significant differences in personality styles were observed in PD patients and controls, with a prevalence of phobic personal meaning organization (PMO) in both groups. However, PD patients showed more anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms than controls at the psychological questionnaires, as well as poorer QoL levels. The intensity of personality traits, and in particular for the obsessive personality style, were negatively associated with QoL and positively with disease severity. No significant relationships were observed between personality and other clinical aspects, such as side of onset and disease duration. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Parkinson’s disease patients did not show a different personality profile according to the cognitive-constructivist model with respect to controls. However, in this population, a general enhancement in the tendency to codify experience by means of specific cognitive and emotional patterns was associated to disease progression and to a poorer QoL.<strong>研究目标：</strong> 近数十年来，帕金森病（Parkinson’s disease, PD）患者的神经精神症状、人格特质与神经化学变化之间的复杂关联已得到广泛关注。既往研究曾描述过一类带有强迫特质的特定帕金森人格。然而，尽管存在大量轶事证据，该人格特质及其神经生物学、心理学与临床关联仍未得到明确界定。为此，本研究开展病例对照研究，基于认知建构主义模型的理论框架，探究帕金森病患者强迫人格特质的存在情况与发生率。此外，本研究还探讨了帕金森病人格与患者临床、心理及生活质量（quality of life, QoL）相关指标之间的关联。 <strong>研究方法：</strong> 本研究从意大利IRCCS Auxologico研究所San Luca医院的门诊及住院患者中，招募了51例无痴呆的很可能或可能罹患帕金森病的患者（均无痴呆）。对照组纳入48名年龄与受教育程度相匹配的健康志愿者。对患者实施神经系统检查，包括统一帕金森病评定量表（Unified PD Rating Scale, UPDRS）、改良Hoehn-Yahr分期量表及Schwab-England活动能力分期量表。对全部研究对象施测以下心理问卷：个人意义问卷（Personal Meaning Questionnaire, PMQ）、状态-特质焦虑量表-Y型（State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y, STAI-Y）、贝克抑郁量表（Beck Depression Inventory, BDI）、症状自评量表90（Symptom Check List-90, SCL-90）以及简明健康调查量表36（Short-Form Health Survey-36, SF-36）。 <strong>研究结果：</strong> 本研究未观察到帕金森病患者与健康对照在人格类型上存在显著差异，两组均以恐惧型个人意义组织（phobic personal meaning organization, PMO）为主。然而，相较于对照组，帕金森病患者在心理问卷测评中表现出更严重的焦虑、抑郁及强迫（obsessive-compulsive, OC）症状，同时生活质量水平更低。人格特质的强度，尤其是强迫人格类型，与生活质量呈负相关，与疾病严重程度呈正相关。人格特质与其他临床指标（如发病侧别、病程）未观察到显著关联。 <strong>研究结论：</strong> 基于认知建构主义模型，相较于健康对照，帕金森病患者并未表现出独特的人格特征。然而，在本研究人群中，通过特定认知与情感模式对经验进行编码的倾向整体增强，该倾向与疾病进展及更低的生活质量相关。