title: Bipolar disorder comorbid with alcohol use disorder: focus on neurocognitive correlates.
abstract: Bipolar disorder (BD) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are usually comorbid, and both have been associated with significant neurocognitive impairment. Patients with the BD-AUD comorbidity (dual diagnosis) may have more severe neurocognitive deficits than those with a single diagnosis, but there is paucity of research in this area. To explore this hypothesis more thoroughly, we carried out a systematic literature review through January 2015. Eight studies have examined the effect of AUDs on the neurocognitive functioning of BD patients. Most studies found that BD patients with current or past history of comorbid AUDs show more severe impairments, especially in verbal memory and executive cognition, than their non-dual counterparts. Greater neurocognitive dysfunction is another facet of this severe comorbid presentation. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed. Specifically, the application of holistic approaches, such as clinical staging and systems biology, may open new avenues of discoveries related to the BD-AUD comorbidity.
authors.affiliation: Teaching Unit of Psychiatry, Deparment of Medicine, School of Medicine, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, University of Valencia, CIBERSAM, ISNPR Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balanzá-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, University of Cantabria-IDIVAL, CIBERSAM Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: Benedicto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crespo-Facorro
authors.affiliation: Álava University Hospital, CIBERSAM, University of the Basque Country Kronikgune, Vitoria, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Pinto
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Bipolar Disorders Program, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vieta
keywords: addiction; alcohol use disorders; bipolar disorder; comorbidity; neurocognition; staging; systems biology