[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 26(2) of 
Psychology and Aging (see record 2011-05802-001). This article contains an error 
in the Discussion, under the Implications, Caveats, Future Directions heading. 
The third paragraph includes the sentences that should have been removed. The 
corrected paragraph appears in the correction.] We conducted secondary analyses 
to determine the relationship between longstanding personality traits and risk 
for Alzheimer's disease (AD) among 767 participants 72 years of age or older who 
were followed for more than 6 years. Personality was assessed with the NEO-FFI. 
We hypothesized that elevated Neuroticism, lower Openness, and lower 
Conscientiousness would be independently associated with risk of AD. Hypotheses 
were supported. The finding that AD risk is associated with elevated Neuroticism 
and lower Conscientiousness can be added to the accumulating literature 
documenting the pathogenic effects of these two traits. The link between lower 
Openness and AD risk is consistent with recent findings on cognitive activity 
and AD risk. Findings have implications for prevention research and for the 
conceptualization of the etiology of AD.