title: The role of negative mood induction on working memory capacity in individuals putatively at risk for bipolar disorder: A pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by cognitive deficits. Usually individuals at risk for BD do not exhibit such deficits but they might be evident under cognitive or emotionally stressful conditions. To our knowledge this is the first study examining working memory capacity under mood induction in individuals at risk for BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS) 68 participants out of an initial pool of 148 students were divided into groups at high and low risk for BD. They completed twice a Dual Task Paradigm (DTP) task assessed under high and low cognitive load prior to and following a negative mood induction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected stimuli incongruency, high cognitive load and mood induction increased response times. Contrary to our hypothesis the mood induction did not differentially affect at-risk individuals. However, they generally reacted faster to neutral stimuli compared to those at low risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While we replicated former results related to the DTP, we did not find evidence for the hypothesis that individuals putatively at risk for BD will be more affected by negative mood when doing such a cognitive task. Replication using a larger sample is needed which should also examine whether changes in positive mood might more relevant in the context of risk for mania.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 77054 Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Isabelle E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 77054 Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jair C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 77054 Houston, TX, USA; Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Electronic address: thomas.d.meyer@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011930:Reaction Time; D012306:Risk
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Cognitive load; Hypomanic personality; Mood induction; Working memory