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Attention deficits in bipolar disorder: a comparison based on the Continuous Performance Test
Pablo Najt1, David Glahn, Carrie E Bearden
1South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Neuroscience Letters
|April 13, 2005
Summary
Bipolar disorder patients exhibit attentional deficits on the Continuous Performance Test (CPT-IP), regardless of mood state. These attention problems may represent a trait associated with bipolar illness, requiring further longitudinal study.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Attentional deficits are frequently observed in bipolar disorder (BD).
- The Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs (CPT-IP) may identify trait-related attentional abnormalities in BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attentional deficits in bipolar disorder patients using the CPT-IP.
- To determine the relationship between CPT-IP performance and the clinical state (mania/depression) in bipolar disorder.
Main Methods:
- Administered the CPT-IP to 27 patients with bipolar disorder (Type I and II) and 25 healthy controls.
- Assessed attentional function through measures of hits, response speed, discrimination, and bias.
- Correlated CPT-IP performance with severity of manic and depressive symptoms.
Main Results:
- Bipolar disorder patients demonstrated significantly poorer performance on the CPT-IP compared to healthy subjects.
- Patients exhibited fewer hits, slower response times, and impaired discrimination and bias.
- No significant correlation was found between CPT-IP measures and the severity of mood symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Attentional dysfunction appears to be a stable trait deficit associated with bipolar disorder.
- CPT-IP performance is impaired in bipolar disorder, independent of current mood state.
- Longitudinal studies are recommended to confirm these findings and explore performance fluctuations.