[White matter hyperintensities and cognitive function in patients with late onset mania]

Bipolar disorder is characterized by affective episodes in the mania-depression spectrum. Ninety per cent of the cases have an onset before age 50. In the patients with late onset mania, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) may be seen in the MRI FLAIR sequence, although these are of uncertain significance. A case-control study was done, including patients with late onset mania attended at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, as well as healthy controls which were paired by age, sex, and academic level. Sagital FLAIR CUBE volumetric images were obtained, and later on assessed by an expert neuroradiologist, blinded to the diagnostic category. Neuropsychological measures were obtained. The patients with late onset mania showed statistically significant deficiencies (p < 0.05) in motor programming tasks, and inhibitory control tasks, according to the Frontal Assessment Battery, as well as a significant increase in the number of WMH in the right third frontal gyrus, the left first temporal gyrus, and the left second temporal gyrus. The total number of WMH and the Frontal Assessment Battery total score showed a significant inverse correlation.