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Xie Y, Zou W, Shang Y, Lu W, Li X, Chen Q, Shao R, Ku Y, Lin K. Cognitive and neural abnormalities: working memory deficits in bipolar disorder offspring. Psychol Med 2025; 55:e130. [PMID: 40314170 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291725001060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD offspring) face elevated risks for emotional dysregulation and cognitive deficits, particularly in working memory. This study investigates working memory deficits and their neural correlates in BD offspring. METHODS We assessed 41 BD offspring and 25 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) using a spatial N-back task and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). RESULTS Compared to HCs, BD offspring exhibit reduced accuracy and lower signal-detection sensitivity (d') on the 1-back task. fMRI reveals hyperactivation in the right intracalcarine cortex/lingual gyrus (ICC/LG) in BD offspring, particularly during the 1-back condition. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses show reduced connectivity between the right ICC/LG and the left postcentral gyrus in BD offspring as task load increases from 0-back to 1-back. This connectivity positively correlates with 1-back task performance in HCs but not in BD offspring. Additionally, using bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as regions of interest, PPI analyses show diminished condition-dependent connectivity between the left DLPFC and the left superior frontal gyrus/paracingulate cortex, and between the right DLPFC and the left postcentral gyrus/precentral gyrus in BD offspring as the task load increases. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that BD offspring exhibit working memory deficits and impaired neural connectivity involving both sensory processing and higher-order cognitive systems. Such deficits may emerge at a genetically predisposed stage of bipolar disorder, underscoring the significance of early identification and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Xie
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P.R. China
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Center for Brain and Mental Wellbeing, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Wenjin Zou
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yuanqi Shang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Center for Brain and Mental Wellbeing, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Weicong Lu
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyue Li
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Qi Chen
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Robin Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P.R. China
| | - Yixuan Ku
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Center for Brain and Mental Wellbeing, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Kangguang Lin
- Department of Affective Disorder, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- Department of Neurology, Lecong Hospital of Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong, China
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Cattarinussi G, Pouya P, Grimaldi DA, Dini MZ, Sambataro F, Brambilla P, Delvecchio G. Cortical alterations in relatives of patients with bipolar disorder: A review of magnetic resonance imaging studies. J Affect Disord 2024; 345:234-243. [PMID: 37865341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by high heritability rates. Widespread brain cortical alterations have been reported in BD patients, mostly involving the frontal, temporal and parietal regions. Importantly, also unaffected relatives of BD patients (BD-RELs) present abnormalities in cortical measures, which are not influenced by disease-related factors, such as medication use and illness duration. Here, we collected all available evidence on cortical measures in BD-RELs to further our knowledge on the potential cortical alterations associated with the vulnerability and the resilience to BD. METHODS A search on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus was performed to identify neuroimaging studies exploring cortical alterations in BD-RELs, including cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), gyrification (GI) and cortical complexity. Eleven studies were included. Of these, five assessed CT, five examined CT and SA and one explored CT, SA and GI. RESULTS Overall, a heterogeneous pattern of cortical alterations emerged. The areas more consistently linked with genetic liability for BD were the prefrontal and sensorimotor regions. Mixed evidence was reported in the temporal and cingulate areas. LIMITATIONS The small sample size and the heterogeneity in terms of methodologies and the characteristics of the participants limit the generalizability of our results. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the genetic liability for BD is related to reduced CT in the prefrontal cortex, which might be a marker of risk for BD, and increased CT within the sensorimotor cortex, which could represent a marker of resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cattarinussi
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Parnia Pouya
- Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Iranian EBM Center: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Mahta Zare Dini
- Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Iranian EBM Center: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Fabio Sambataro
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Delvecchio
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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Gillissie ES, Krupski JR, Jawad MY, Lui LMW, Di Vencenzo JD, Teopiz KM, Cao B, Phan L, Mansur RB, Kwan ATH, Gill H, Ho RC, McIntyre RS. Evaluating cognitive function in unaffected relatives of individuals with bipolar disorders: A meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 152:289-295. [PMID: 35763918 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Available studies have evaluated cognition in the unaffected relatives of bipolar disorder patients; however, to our knowledge, there has been no quantitative analysis evaluating the foregoing association. Herein, this meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative synthesis of the extant literature reporting on the association between performance in cognitive domains (i.e., executive function, attention, learning and memory or global cognition) amongst unaffected individuals of probands with bipolar disorders. METHODS Online databases (i.e., PubMed, PsycINFO) and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 20 September 2021. Studies with unaffected, first-degree relatives of individuals with DSM-IV or DSM-5 defined bipolar disorders were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-1 tool, and the quality of the sources was evaluated using GRADE criteria. The results of the studies were quantitatively synthesized using Cohen's d effect sizes via a random-effects meta-analytic approach on JASP. RESULTS A total of 15 studies were included in the final review. Overall, results indicate that cognitive performance across all domains is moderately impaired in unaffected relatives of individuals with bipolar disorders (d = 0.488). Sub-analysis suggests there is a higher level of impairment in executive functioning (d = 0.612). DISCUSSION The identification of cognitive deficits in unaffected relatives of probands with bipolar disorders indicates that cognitive impairment is endophenotypic and a core disturbance in persons with bipolar disorders; future studies should endeavour to target cognition as a potential pre-emptive and prevention strategy of bipolar disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily S Gillissie
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jillian R Krupski
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Muhammad Youshay Jawad
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Leanna M W Lui
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joshua D Di Vencenzo
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kayla M Teopiz
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bing Cao
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Lee Phan
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rodrigo B Mansur
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Angela Tian Hui Kwan
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Hartej Gill
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Roger C Ho
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Roger S McIntyre
- Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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