title: The effect of self-monitoring on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD) show executive impairment. Assisting cognitive function with non-pharmacological strategies has not been widely explored in BD. In schizophrenia, concomitant verbalisation (self-monitoring) during executive tests improved performance. The present pilot study assesses the effects of self-monitoring whilst completing the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in BD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six euthymic BD patients and 42 healthy controls participated. Twenty patients with BD and 20 controls received standard administration and 16 patients and 22 controls used self-monitoring during the test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ANCOVA revealed a significant "group by administration" interaction. Patients who received the standard administration were significantly worse than healthy controls (trials administered: p = .012, η p (2) = 0.17; trials to first category: p = .046, η p (2) = 0.11; failure to maintain set: p = .003, η p (2) = 0.23). BD patients who self-monitored performed significantly better than patients receiving the standard administration (trials to first category: p = .020, η p (2) = 0.17) and showed no significant differences in performance compared to controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-monitoring deserves further investigation as a tool that may be helpful for patients with BD. Further exploration of the utility, generalisability, and stability of the effects of self-monitoring is needed.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Neuroscience (Academic Psychiatry) , Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK.
authors.forename: Lucy J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Neuroscience (Academic Psychiatry) , Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Neuroscience (Academic Psychiatry) , Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK.|b Newcastle University Institute for Ageing , Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK.
authors.forename: I Nicol
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Ferrier
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Neuroscience (Academic Psychiatry) , Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK.|b Newcastle University Institute for Ageing , Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne , UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gallagher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bipolar disorder; cognitive remediation; euthymic; executive function; self-monitoring