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Do cognitive complaints in euthymic bipolar patients reflect objective cognitive impairment?
A Martínez-Arán1, E Vieta, F Colom
1Bipolar Disorders Program, Clinical Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, and Stanley Medical Research Institute Center, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|August 10, 2005
Summary
Bipolar patients aware of cognitive deficits often have more severe illness and poorer neuropsychological performance. Routine cognitive assessment is crucial for all bipolar patients, irrespective of their self-awareness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Bipolar disorder is frequently associated with subjective cognitive complaints, including attention and memory disturbances.
- The relationship between self-reported cognitive issues and objective neuropsychological deficits in bipolar disorder requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between subjective cognitive complaints and objective neuropsychological impairments in euthymic bipolar patients.
- To compare cognitive performance between bipolar patients with and without subjective complaints and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Sixty euthymic bipolar patients and thirty healthy controls were assessed.
- A neuropsychological test battery evaluated cognitive functions.
- A structured clinical interview identified subjective cognitive complaints.
Main Results:
- Subjective cognitive complaints in bipolar patients correlated with a higher number of episodes (especially mixed), longer illness duration, and earlier age of onset.
- Bipolar patients reporting cognitive deficits exhibited lower performance in attention, memory, and executive function tests compared to controls.
- Even bipolar patients without subjective complaints showed some neuropsychological deficits compared to healthy controls.
Conclusions:
- Awareness of cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder is linked to greater illness chronicity, more prior episodes, and earlier onset.
- Bipolar patients with good cognitive insight demonstrated poorer neuropsychological and social-occupational functioning.
- Cognitive status in bipolar disorder warrants routine assessment, independent of patient-reported awareness of deficits.