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. 2018 Jan 1:225:585-592.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.08.067. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

Increased reward-oriented impulsivity in older bipolar patients: A preliminary study

Isabelle E Bauer  1 , Breno Satler Diniz  2 , Thomas D Meyer  2 , Antonio Lucio Teixeira  2 , Marsal Sanches  3 , Danielle Spiker  2 , Giovana Zunta-Soares  2 , Jair C Soares  2
Affiliations

Increased reward-oriented impulsivity in older bipolar patients: A preliminary study

Isabelle E Bauer et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Objective: Impulsivity is a well-established trait of bipolar disorder (BD) that persists across mood phases. It is, however, still unknown whether, in BD, impulsivity remains stable or varies in intensity over the lifespan. This cross-sectional study compared impulsive behavior in older euthymic BD patients and healthy individuals using a range of self-rating and behavioral measures of impulsivity.

Methods: 28 BD patients (56.07 ± 4.08 years, 16 women) and 15 healthy controls (HC; 55.1 ± 3.95 years, 6 women) were administered the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) and selected tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batter (CANTAB) reflecting impulsivity. Multivariate analysis of variance controlled for age compared impulsivity measures across BD and HC.

Results: BD patients displayed poor decision making, risk taking, and increased delay aversion. Other measures of impulsivity such as response inhibition, sustained cognitive control, and BIS scores were, overall, comparable between BD and HC.

Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that, in BD, aspects of impulsivity related to reward-based decision making persist into late adulthood. Large scale, longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate the relationship of age to impulsivity over time, and explore the link between impulsivity and illness progression in elderly individuals with BD.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Cognitive control; Impulsivity; Old age; Reward.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

Drs Bauer, Satler Diniz, Teixeira, Spiker, and Zunta-Soares have no conflicts of interest

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean Risk Adjustment, Quality Decision Making, and Delay Aversion scores of the Cambridge Gambling task (CGT) in BD and HC. BD displayed decreased quality of decision making and risk adjustment, and increased delay aversion. **:p<.01
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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