Cognitive impairment in euthymic bipolar patients with and without prior alcohol dependence. A preliminary study.
BACKGROUND
Few studies of the neurocognitive performance of patients with bipolar disorder have been performed while patients are in the euthymic state.


METHODS
Twenty-five euthymic bipolar patients (12 with and 13 without a history of alcohol dependence) were compared with 22 normal control subjects on a neuropsychological test battery assessing a range of cognitive domains. The relationship between subjects' neurocognitive performance and the course-of-illness variables (lifetime episodes and duration of mania, depression, or both), as well as current lithium level, was determined.


RESULTS
The results indicated differences across the groups, with the bipolar patients with and without alcohol dependence performing more poorly than controls on tests of verbal memory. Furthermore, bipolar subjects with a history of alcohol dependence had additional decrements in executive (i.e., frontal lobe) functions when compared with controls. For subjects in the bipolar group, lifetime months of mania and depression were negatively correlated with performance in verbal memory and several executive function measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support the presence of persistent neurocognitive difficulties in patients with long-standing bipolar disorder who are not in the psychiatrically acute state or who are suffering the effects of alcohol abuse and suggest that there may be an aggregate negative effect of lifetime duration of bipolar illness on memory and frontal or executive systems.
van Gorp
W G
WG
Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, White Plains, NY, USA. wvangorp%westnyh@nyh.med.cornell.edu
Altshuler
L
L
Theberge
D C
DC
Wilkins
J
J
Dixon
W
W
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014706:Verbal Learning
D008094:Lithium