Home › Research › Brain scans and imaging
Locus coeruleus catecholamines link neuroticism and vulnerability to tau pathology in aging
Jourdan H Parent, Claire J Ciampa, Theresa M Harrison, Jenna N Adams, Kailin Zhuang, Matthew J Betts, Anne Maass, Joseph R Winer et al.. NeuroImage, 2022-09-30
Topic: Plasma and spinal-fluid biomarkers
Higher neuroticism is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is implicated in disordered stress responses. The locus coeruleus (LC)-catecholamine system is activated during perceived threat and is a centerpiece of developing models of the pathophysiology of AD, as it is the first brain region to develop abnormal tau. We examined relationships among the "Big 5" personality traits, LC catecholamine synthesis capacity measured with [18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine PET, and tau burden measured with [18F]Flortaucipir PET in cognitively normal older adults (n = 47). β-amyloid (Aβ) status was determined using [11C]Pittsburgh compound B PET (n = 14 Aβ positive). Lower LC catecholamine synthesis capacity was associated with higher neuroticism, more depressive symptoms as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale, and higher amygdala tau-PET binding. Exploratory analyses with other personality traits revealed that low trait conscientiousness was also related to both lower LC catecholamine synthesis capacity, and more depressive symptoms. A significant indirect path linked both high neuroticism and low conscientiousness to greater amygdala tau burden via their mutual association with low LC catecholamine synthesis capacity. Together, these findings reveal LC catecholamine synthesis capacity to be a promising marker of affective health and pathology burden in aging, and identifies candidate neurobiological mechanisms for the effect of personality on increased vulnerability to dementia.
Key findings
- Lower LC catecholamine synthesis capacity was associated with higher neuroticism, more depressive symptoms as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale, and higher amygdala tau-PET binding.
- Exploratory analyses with other personality traits revealed that low trait conscientiousness was also related to both lower LC catecholamine synthesis capacity, and more depressive symptoms.
- A significant indirect path linked both high neuroticism and low conscientiousness to greater amygdala tau burden via their mutual association with low LC catecholamine synthesis capacity.
- Together, these findings reveal LC catecholamine synthesis capacity to be a promising marker of affective health and pathology burden in aging, and identifies candidate neurobiological mechanisms for the effect of personality on increased vulnerability to dementia.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
Study details
- Participants47
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 27 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 48 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (NeuroImage) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 47 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 36191755) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 27 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 27 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 48 out of 100. |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Parent, J. H., Ciampa, C. J., Harrison, T. M., Adams, J. N., Zhuang, K., Betts, M. J., et al. (2022). Locus coeruleus catecholamines link neuroticism and vulnerability to tau pathology in aging. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119658
Vancouver
Parent JH, Ciampa CJ, Harrison TM, Adams JN, Zhuang K, Betts MJ, et al. Locus coeruleus catecholamines link neuroticism and vulnerability to tau pathology in aging. NeuroImage. 2022. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119658. PMID: 36191755.
BibTeX
@article{parent2022-36191755,
author = {Parent, Jourdan H and Ciampa, Claire J and Harrison, Theresa M and Adams, Jenna N and Zhuang, Kailin and Betts, Matthew J and Maass, Anne and Winer, Joseph R and others},
title = {{Locus coeruleus catecholamines link neuroticism and vulnerability to tau pathology in aging}},
journal = {NeuroImage},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119658},
pmid = {36191755},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119658}
}
Related studies in Brain scans and imaging
Also tagged “late-life-depression”
139 studies in the library carry the topic tag “late-life-depression”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 139 tagged studies.