Verbal fluency dysfunction in euthymic bipolar patients: A controlled study

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2008-04, Vol.107 (1), p.187-192
• Main Authors: Rocca, Cristiana Castanho de Almeida, Macedo-Soares, Márcia Britto de, Gorenstein, Clarice, Tamada, Renata Sayuri, Isller, Cilly Kluger, Dias, Rodrigo Silva, Almeida, Karla Mathias de, Schwartzmann, Angela Maria, Amaral, José Antônio, Lafer, Beny
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Bipolar affective disorder; Bipolar disorder; Bipolar Disorder - diagnosis; Bipolar Disorder - epidemiology; Bipolar Disorder - psychology; Bipolar disorders; Case-Control Studies; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Comorbidity; Control Groups; Executive function; Executive functioning; Female; Flexibility; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Neuropsychological tests; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Neuropsychology; Patient Readmission - statistics & numerical data; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Speech Disorders - diagnosis; Speech Disorders - epidemiology; Speech Disorders - psychology; Testing; Verbal ability; Verbal fluency
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2007.07.013

Abstract Objective To study the executive functioning in euthymic bipolar patients in comparison to healthy controls and to examine the relationship between neuropsychological deficits and clinical variables. Methods Twenty-five euthymic bipolar patients and 31 controls underwent a battery of executive tasks including mental flexibility, inhibitory control and verbal fluency tests. Results There were no significant differences between bipolar patients and controls in relation to mental flexibility and inhibitory control. However, patients performed worse than controls on verbal fluency tests. Poor performances on the Stroop Test and the Hayling and Brixton Tests — part A were associated to lifetime occurrence of psychotic symptoms, prior number of episodes, and previous hospitalizations. Conclusions In our study, only verbal fluency tests differentiated bipolar euthymic patients from healthy controls. Patients who showed deficits in information processing speed and inhibitory control had more episodes and hospitalizations and lifetime occurrence of psychotic symptoms.