You are all cordially invited to a talk by Dr Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan on February 3rd 2022, at 3pm.

"An Investigation of Personality Characteristics and Their Relationship with Resting State Connectivity in Alzheimer’s Disease" - Dr Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan*

3 February 2022, Thursday
@15.00 via Zoom
Hosted by Boğaziçi Uni. Department of Psychology

Click for the Zoom details
Passcode: 794751

*Dr Ezgi Soncu Büyükişcan is an assistant professor at Yeditepe University, Department of Psychology.

Abstract

This study aims at investigating self and personality-related characteristics in Alzheimer’s disease and their relationship with resting state functional connectivity. The sample consisted of 80 participants. Thirty-two participants were diagnosed with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), 31 participants were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment of the amnestic type (aMCI), and the remaining 17 participants were diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). Diagnostic labels were given as a result of detailed neurological, neuropsychological, and neuroradiological assessments. Personality characteristics were assessed via Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data was obtained with Philips 3 Tesla MRI scanner located in Istanbul University Hulusi Behçet Life Sciences Unit. Significant intergroup differences were observed with respect to SEEKING subscale of ANPS. Among the TAT variables, the groups also differed from each other on the basis of the amount of reminders they required and their ability to provide sufficient content. With regard to resting state connectivity measures, the groups significantly differed in terms of default mode network and executive control network connectivity. In addition, significant correlations were obtained between personality measures and resting state connectivity scores among the three groups. Finally, the implications of the study will be discussed together with its limitations and future recommendations.