Increased reward-oriented impulsivity in older bipolar patients: A preliminary study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Gerontology

Background:

• Impulsivity is a core feature of bipolar disorder (BD), persisting across mood states.
• The trajectory of impulsivity across the lifespan in BD remains largely uncharacterized.
• Understanding age-related changes in impulsivity is crucial for managing BD in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare impulsive behaviors in older euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls (HC).
• To assess whether impulsivity remains stable or fluctuates with age in individuals with BD.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study comparing 28 older euthymic BD patients (mean age ~56) with 15 healthy controls (mean age ~55).
• Utilized self-rating scales (Barratt Impulsivity Scale - BIS) and neuropsychological tests (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batter - CANTAB) to measure impulsivity.
• Employed multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) controlling for age to compare impulsivity measures.

Main Results:

• Bipolar disorder patients exhibited deficits in decision-making, increased risk-taking, and greater delay aversion compared to healthy controls.
• Measures of response inhibition, sustained cognitive control, and overall BIS scores were similar between the BD and HC groups.
• These findings highlight specific domains of impulsivity affected in older BD patients.

Conclusions:

• Aspects of impulsivity related to reward-based decision-making persist into late adulthood in individuals with bipolar disorder.
• Further large-scale, longitudinal research is necessary to understand the age-related evolution of impulsivity in BD.
• Exploring the link between impulsivity and illness progression in elderly BD patients is warranted.