Cognitive and motor features in elderly people with bipolar disorder.
BACKGROUND
Although elderly people will represent one third of the bipolar population in a few years, data about cognitive and motor features in these patients are very scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the cognitive and motor functioning between elderly euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls, as well as to determine the degree of correlation with psychosocial functioning.


METHODS
Euthymic older adults with BD (n=20) and healthy controls (n=20) were evaluated with traditional clinical instruments and measures of exposure to psychotropic drugs and extrapyramidal symptoms. All subjects completed an extensive neuropsychological battery.


RESULTS
Patients with BD had more extrapyramidal symptoms and worse performance than healthy controls in psychomotor speed, verbal memory, and executive functions even after controlling sub-clinical symptomatology. These findings were not associated with age at onset or length of illness or with current pharmacological exposure. Psychosocial functioning correlated negatively with performance in psychomotor speed and executive function, and with extrapyramidal symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The small sample size and cross-sectional design.


CONCLUSIONS
Older adult patients with BD in a euthymic state could have a similar cognitive and motor profile to that described in younger euthymic bipolar patients. Cognitive-motor disturbances may help to explain impairments in daily functioning among elderly patients with bipolar disorder during remission.
Martino
Diego J
DJ
Favaloro Foundation, Neurosciences Institute, Bipolar Disorders Program, 1428 Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. streji@arnet.com.ar
Igoa
Ana
A
Marengo
Eliana
E
Scápola
María
M
Ais
Ezequiel D
ED
Strejilevich
Sergio A
SA
D000368:Aged; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs