One would assume that being cautious and avoiding the specific risks associated with contracting Parkinsons disease would decrease the probability of actually suffering from the disease at a later date. However, that’s not the case with Parkinson’s disease, according to a newly published study by the University of South Florida.

In the study, researchers discovered that people who avoid risks and display cautious personality traits are more likely to develop Parkinson’s than those who take risks, such as speeding or riding in a roller coaster.

These specific personality traits may be a predictor of individuals that are at greater risk of contracting Parkinson’s as early as 30 years before the symptoms begin to actually become apparent.

A Set of Personality Traits for Parkinson’s Disease?

For over 100 years, terms such as “punctual,” “risk-averse,” “cautious” and “industrious” have been used to describe Parkinson’s patients. In the past, studies linking Parkinson’s disease with a cautious personality relied on doctors assessing patients with regards to their personalities prior to the appearance of any symptoms. A typical question might involve the doctor asking the patient if he or she took risks at a younger age.

Dr. Kelly Sullivan, a neurology researcher at the University of South Florida, said that these studies were inconclusive because they relied on self-reported data. Worse still, the definition of a “risk” varies from patient to patient, and remembering personality traits from years ago may be just as difficult and subjective.

Breaking Down the Study

Dr. Sullivan’s study differed from past efforts in that it relied on patients to report both their past and current personalities. During the study, the researchers surveyed a total of 188 adults – 99 of whom were healthy, and 89 of whom had Parkinson’s. The survey questions were designed to determine whether the participants engaged in certain activities such as wearing a seatbelt, driving above the speed limit and riding roller coasters. The participants were asked to specify whether they engaged in these activities before and after the age of 35.

After analyzing the survey responses, the researchers determined that Parkinson’s patients were more likely to demonstrate neuroticism, or a tendency to frequently experience negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, guilt, envy and anger, in comparison to the healthy patients. They were also more likely to avoid activities that they perceived as harmful.

Surprisingly, the researchers also determined that a given patient’s aversion to risk remained constant over time, and did not change as the patient aged.

In a previous study by Dr. Sullivan and the other researchers, female Parkinson’s patients were up to 60% more likely to report living a routine lifestyle (e.g. going to bed, getting up, eating dinner, completing chores on a fairly defined schedule) during young adulthood.

Parkinson’s Disease and Dopamine

Dopamine is a brain chemical responsible for controlling muscle movement. When a person develops Parkinson’s disease, the brain cells that manufacture dopamine begin to die off. As more of these brain cells disappear, the patient experiences muscle tremors and difficulty with coordination, movement and walking.

In addition to muscle control, dopamine is responsible for creating feelings of risk, reward and pleasure. According to Dr. Sullivan, dopamine levels spike when you engage in an exhilarating experience, such as skydiving or riding a roller coaster. This results in a feeling of excitement and reward.

In individuals with lower dopamine levels, these same types of experiences fail to produce this exhilarating feeling. Any sensation of reward will likely be outweighed by the feeling of imminent risk and danger.

Dr. Sullivan said that although Parkinson’s symptoms usually don’t appear until approximately 70% of dopamine-manufacturing brain cells have died, it seems likely that cellular death could be ongoing for several years before Parkinson’s is detected. Dr. Sullivan believes it possible that certain personality traits may actually be an extremely early manifestation of Parkinson’s disease. She admits, however, that more research will be needed in order to confirm this notion.

Recent studies, including one from the U.S. and another from the U.K., have indicated that eating berries is an excellent way of lowering Parkinson’s risk.

Parkinson’s Disease: The Bottom Line

Researchers from the University of South Florida have completed a study indicating that a cautious, risk-averse personality may be an early predictor of Parkinson’s disease.

The full text of the study will appear at a later date in the medical journal Neurology.