Visuomotor processing and emotional intelligence in euthymic bipolar disorder: Insights from joystick tracking and...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by deficits in visuomotor processing (VMP) and emotional intelligence (EI).
• The relationship between VMP and EI in BD remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the interplay between VMP and EI in euthymic BD patients and healthy controls (HCs).

Main Methods:

• VMP was assessed using a joystick-based tracking task measuring accuracy and learning.
• EI was evaluated with the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT).
• Participants included 84 euthymic BD patients and 73 HCs.

Main Results:

• BD patients demonstrated significantly lower visuomotor accuracy and slower motor learning than HCs.
• BD patients exhibited impairments in strategic EI but not experiential EI.
• A positive correlation between VMP and EI was found in BD patients, particularly in strategic EI components.

Conclusions:

• A neurocognitive-emotional interplay exists in BD, linking VMP deficits with EI impairments.
• Understanding this association can inform interventions to improve motor and social-cognitive functions in BD patients.