The Neuropsychological Profile of Bipolar Disorder in Adolescents

Abstract

Background and aim: Numerous studies suggest cognitive deficits persist even during periods of euthymia in bipolar disorder. There is increasingly interest in whether such deficits are also present in children and adolescents. The present study seeks to determine characteristics of the neuropsychological profile of euthymic adolescents with bipolar disorder. Method: A sample of adolescents with bipolar disorder was recruited from adolescent services in Sydney and Newcastle, Australia. They completed a neuropsychological battery evaluating verbal learning and memory, attention, problem solving, cognitive flexibility, social negotiation strategies, impulsivity and theory of mind. Results: The results indicated that there were some deficits in the performance of adolescents with bipolar disorder. Conclusions: Although some deficits in performance were found they were not as extreme as in other studies of young people with bipolar disorder. Some suggested reasons for these differences are hypothesized.