title: Theory of mind deficits in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder. Theoretical background and guidelines for neuroimaging research.
abstract: In this paper, we review the literature about the theory of mind (ToM) deficits in patients with bipolar disorder. According to several studies, bipolar patients have remarkable ToM deficits not only in manic and depressive periods, but even in remission. However, results on the association with the symptom severity and basic neurocognitive (especially executive) functions are controversial. Taken together, ToM deficits seem to be state dependent trait markers of the bipolar disorder. Some authors suggest that ToM deficits can influence the functional outcome. Therefore, the better understanding of ToM deficits in bipolar disorder is of particular importance. In the second part of the paper we review the methodological issues, and provide a possible guideline for the study of ToM in bipolar disorders. Illness specific considerations of the neuroimaging research, the ToM task used in the experiment, the experimental design, and the data analysis are particularly emphasized.
authors.affiliation: University of Pecs, Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Pecs, Hungary. maria.simon@aok.pte.hu
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hajnal
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Schnell
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tényi
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fekete
authors.forename: Róbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herold
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D032882:Comprehension; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D056345:Theory of Mind