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Attentional bias and general orienting processes in bipolar disorder
Ellen M M Jongen1, Fren T Y Smulders, Saskia M G Ranson
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. E.Jongen@psychology.unimaas.nl <E.Jongen@psychology.unimaas.nl>
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|November 17, 2006
Summary
Bipolar disorder patients exhibit attentional biases, avoiding negative and positive words, especially when depressed. This mood-state-dependent bias may influence mood state transitions in bipolar disorder.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Attentional biases for emotional stimuli are implicated in mood disorders.
- Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood state transitions and emotional dysregulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attentional biases and orienting processes in bipolar disorder.
- To examine how mood state (euthymic vs. mildly depressed) affects attention to emotional stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a modified dot-probe task with spatial cueing.
- Compared bipolar patients in euthymic and mildly depressed states with non-psychiatric controls.
Main Results:
- Depressed mood correlated with difficulty disengaging attention.
- Mildly depressed bipolar patients avoided depression-related and positive words compared to controls.
- Bias away from positive words was a trait effect, while bias away from negative words was mood-dependent.
Conclusions:
- Attentional biases towards emotional stimuli are linked to mood state transitions in bipolar disorder.
- These findings suggest a role for attention in the pathophysiology and maintenance of bipolar disorder.
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