Remitted Bipolar Disorder Patients Research Articles

The Relationship between Functioning Levels and Exercise Addiction, Personality, and Temperament Characteristics in Patients with Bipolar Disorder during Remission Period

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) progresses in episodes and includes periods of remission between episodes. Although symptoms are decreased during remission, patients' functioning levels may be lower than the pre-disease period. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the level of functioning and exercise addiction, temperament and personality traits in patients with BD in remission. Methods:In this study, BD patients who have been in remission for three months and more were evaluated. Young Mani Rating Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used to determine the status of remission. Bipolar Disorder Functioning Scale was used for functioning, Eysenck Personality Survey-Revised Short Form for personality, TEMPS-A temperament scale for temperament, and the Exercise Addiction Scale was used for exercise addiction. Results:92 BD patients in remission were included in the study. A positive relationship was found between functioning level and hyperthymic temperament and extraversion, and a negative relationship was found between depressive temperament, cyclothymic temperament, irritable temperament, anxious temperament, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Although these patients had a certain degree of exercise dependence, it did not have a relationship with functioning. Conclusion: Functionality may be affected by personality and temperament characteristics during remission periods in BD. Psychosocial interventions in these areas may be beneficial in the treatment of these patients.

Quality of life and disability: a study on bipolar disorder patients in remission

Background: Throughout the world bipolar disorder is one of the leading causes of mental disability. But there are only few literature studies found on quality of life (QoL) and disability of patients with bipolar disorder. The study aims to assess inter-relationship between QoL and disability of patients with bipolar I disorder in remission and to assess the pathways of help seeking behaviors by the family members of bipolar I disorder patients.Methods: This study involves non-experimental research design with purposive sampling method. A total of 62 participants from clinical group (outpatient department of mental health institute (Centre of excellence), S. C. B. medical college) and 48 participants from matched healthy control group included. World health organization quality of life assessment (WHO-QoL) Bref Odia version and WHO disability assessment schedule (WHO DAS) 2.0 used.Results: Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found in all the four domains of QoL. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found in cognition, mobility, life activity and participation in society domains of WHO DAS. There were significant negative correlations found in different domains of QoL and disability. A majority of family members consulted mental health professionals directly as the first modality of treatment.Conclusions: Both the QoL and mental disability burden are equally affected in chronic suffers of bipolar I disorder, which requires mental health intervention at earliest as possible.

Distinguishing major depressive disorder from bipolar disorder in remission: A brain structural network analysis

BackgroundIt is challenging to differentiate major depressive disorder (MDD) from bipolar disorder (BD) in depression and remission. To exclude the potential influence of depressive episodes, we compared the white matter (WM) network between MDD and BD patients in remission to find disease-specific alterations in MDD and BD, and then distinguish these two affective disorders. MethodsWe recruited 33 patients with remitted MDD (rMDD), 54 patients with remitted BD (rBD), and 60 healthy controls (HCs). Diffusion tensor imaging and high-resolution 3D T1-weighted image were acquired. Global and nodal topological parameters were used to depict the alterations of the whole-brain WM network. ResultsWe found that rMDD displayed increased global network efficiency (Eglob) and local network efficiency (Eloc) compared with HCs, whereas we found no significance between rBD and HCs. Compared with rBD and HCs, patients in the rMDD group showed increased nodal degree and nodal efficiency, and decreased nodal shortest path length in the four cerebral regions, including the right calcarine fissure (CAL.R), right cuneus (CUN.R), left lingual gyrus (LING.L), and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG.L). We did not find any rBD specific changes of nodal topological metrics. LimitationsThe main limitation is the possible effects of medication and BD subtypes on the results. ConclusionsOur findings indicate that rMDD exhibited elevated global properties compared with HCs group, and increased nodal properties in the CAL.R, CUN.R, LING.L, and MOG.L specifically compared with rBD and HCs, which may underlie the distinction of the two affective disorders in remission.

Glutamatergic and N-Acetylaspartate Metabolites in Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies.

The exact neurobiological mechanisms of bipolar disorder (BD) remain unknown. However, some neurometabolites could be implicated, including Glutamate (Glu), Glutamine (Gln), Glx, and N-acetylaspartate (NAA). Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) allows one to quantify these metabolites in the human brain. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to compare their levels between BD patients and healthy controls (HC). The main inclusion criteria for inclusion were 1H-MRS studies comparing levels of Glu, Gln, Glx, and NAA in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and hippocampi between patients with BD in clinical remission or a major depressive episode and HC. Thirty-three studies were included. NAA levels were significantly lower in the left white matter PFC (wmPFC) of depressive and remitted BD patients compared to controls and were also significantly higher in the left dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) of depressive BD patients compared to HC. Gln levels were significantly higher in the ACC of remitted BD patients compared to in HC. The decreased levels of NAA of BD patients may be related to the alterations in neuroplasticity and synaptic plasticity found in BD patients and may explain the deep white matter hyperintensities frequently observed via magnetic resonance imagery.

Sleep quality impairments in schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder patients continue during periods of remission: a case-controlled study.

ObjectiveBipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia are chronic psychiatric disorders in which sleep disorders are commonly seen. In mental disorders, residual symptoms may persist even if symptoms are greatly reduced overall. The aim of this study was to compare the sleep quality of schizophrenia and BD patients in remission with that of healthy controls.MethodsForty-three patients with schizophrenia, 46 BD patients in remission for at least 3 months, and 51 healthy controls were included the study. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered to all participants and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was administered to patients with schizophrenia.ResultsPoor sleep quality was more frequent in the patient groups than the control group (p=0.009). PSQI score was positively correlated with duration of disease (r=0.236; p=0.026), number of cigarettes smoked per day (r=0.430; p<0.001), body mass index (r=0.189; p=0.025), and negatively correlated with duration of remission (r=-0.224; p=0.0359).ConclusionSchizophrenia and BD patients in remission had worse sleep quality than a control group. Sleep quality was worst in the patients with schizophrenia. The severity of sleep disorder symptoms was positively associated with disease duration and negatively associated with duration of remission. Schizophrenia and BD patients should be carefully evaluated for symptoms of sleep disorders even when they are in clinical remission and should be offered additional treatment for sleep disorder symptoms when necessary.

Quality of Life of Individuals with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Quality of life (QoL) is a concept defined as a subjective perception of one's position in life and is negatively affected in many psychiatric illnesses such as bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). It is hypothesized that therapeutic approaches based on QoL can increase the patient's adherence to treatment and contribute to a satisfactory life. This study aimed to compare the QoL of individuals having BD and schizophrenia with that of healthy controls (HCs) and to investigate the impact of the state of remission on QoL. The World Health Organization QoL Scale-Short Form (WHOQOL-Bref) was administered to individuals with BD (n=124) and SCZ (n=74) and to HCs (n=81) to evaluate QoL. The WHOQOL-Bref subscale and total scores were compared between the groups using multifactor analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) by considering age and education level as the covariates. Then, the patient groups were compared using MANCOVA based on the state of remission by taking age, level of education, and Global Assessment of Functioning scores as the covariates. The relationship between clinical features and QoL scores was evaluated using correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis was applied for the variables that were found to be significant. It was found that individuals with SCZ or BD had lower WHOQOL-Bref psychological, social, and total scores than HCs. Those with SCZ additionally had lower physical and environmental subscale scores than HCs. Furthermore, those with SCZ had lower WHOQOL-Bref physical, psychological, social, and total scores than individuals with BD. There was no significant difference in WHOQOL-Bref scores between individuals with BD and SCZ in the remission period. WHOQOL-Bref physical, psychological, and total scores were found to be significantly lower in unremitted BD patients when compared with remitted BD patients. Unremitted BD patients were found to have significantly lower WHOQOL-Bref psychological, environmental, and total scale scores than unremitted SCZ patients. It can be concluded that the QoL of individuals with BD is between that of healthy individuals and those with SCZ. However, unremitted BD patients have lower QoL than unremitted SCZ patients. Both patient groups display similar features during remission. Identifying the similarities and differences in terms of QoL in both patient groups is of great importance to develop the best type of treatment for the patients.

Frequency of psychiatric comorbid symptoms in bipolar disorder patients in remission.

Introduction:Psychiatric comorbidity has been detected in one-third of bipolar patients. The illness itself may be a precipitating factor for developing substance use and anxiety disorders. Comorbid anxiety disorders with bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with decreased chances of recovery, poorer role functioning, and quality of life, and greater likelihood of suicide attempts. Hence, identifying comorbid symptoms in remitting patients has important preventive and therapeutic implications.Aims:The aim of the study was to estimate the frequency of psychiatric comorbid symptoms in patients of bipolar affective disorder in remission and to identify its relationship with sociodemographic variables.Methodology:This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Father Muller Medical College and Hospital, Mangalore (April 2019–July 2019), which included 90 patients aged 18–50 years with BD, manic, or depressive episodes in remission for 8 weeks who were evaluated using mini international neuropsychiatric interview plus, Hamilton rating scale for depression, and young mania rating scale. Sociodemographic details were assessed by a semi-structured pro forma. The data were analyzed using frequency, Chi-square test, and t-test.Results:Most common psychiatry comorbid symptoms seen in BD were found to be drug dependence/abuse (n = 31), second most common being alcohol dependence/abuse (n = 21), followed by suicidality (n = 8), antisocial personality, social phobia, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. Significance was found for suicidality, agoraphobia, and social phobia if the last episode was depressive and for suicidality if index episode was depressive and if age of onset was >40 years.Conclusion:Psychiatric comorbidities in BD may worsen the course and prognosis of the disorder and hence, clinicians must maintain a high index of suspicion for them. Furthermore, comorbidities may need to be identified and appropriate interventions employed to prevent iatrogenic complications.

Structural brain abnormalities associated with cognitive impairments in bipolar disorder.

Cognitive impairment has been highlighted as a core feature of bipolar disorder (BD) that often persists during remission. The specific brain correlates of cognitive impairment in BD remain unclear which impedes efficient therapeutic approaches. In a large sample of remitted BD patients, we investigated whether morphological brain abnormalities within dorsal prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus were related to cognitive deficits. Remitted BD patients (n=153) and healthy controls (n=52) underwent neuropsychological assessment and structural MRI. Based on hierarchical cluster analysis of neuropsychological test performance, patients were classified as either cognitively impaired (n=91) or cognitively normal (n=62). The neurocognitive subgroups were compared amongst each other and with healthy controls in terms of dorsal PFC cortical thickness and volume, hippocampus shape and volume, and total cerebral grey and white matter volumes. Cognitively impaired patients displayed greater left dorsomedial prefrontal thickness compared to cognitively normal patients and healthy controls. Hippocampal grey matter volume and shape were similar across patient subgroups and healthy controls. At a whole-brain level, cognitively impaired patients had lower cerebral white matter volume compared to the other groups. Across all participants, lower white matter volume correlated with more impaired neuropsychological test performance. Our findings associate cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder with cerebral white matter deficits, factors which may relate to the observed morphological changes in dorsomedial PFC possibly due to increased neurocognitive effort to maintain symptom stability in these remitted patients.

Does cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder impact on a SIMPLe app use?

BackgroundSmartphone apps are becoming increasingly used by service users in mental health care and research for diverse aims. However, it is well-known the high prevalence of cognitive impairment in some people suffering from severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder (BD), which impacts on their psychosocial functioning and quality of life. In this context, the main aim of this paper is to investigate through exploratory analyses the role of specific cognitive deficits in the retention, engagement, and usability of a psychoeducational smartphone app in a group of patients with BD. Methods51 remitted BD patients were asked to use the app for 3 months. Baseline and 3-months follow-up clinical and usability assessments were conducted. Twenty-seven independent results from a comprehensive neurocognitive test of the same participants were retrieved separately of the 2 years before or after the use of the app. Post-hoc exploratory analyses were carried out using Spearman correlations to identify significant cognitive deficits domains influencing the usability and retention with the app. ResultsThere were no statistically significant cognitive variables associated with the use, reported usability or retention with the app. Some variables associated with executive functions, verbal and visual memory correlated significantly with previous use of smartphones. LimitationsPost-hoc analysis with a limited sample size. ConclusionThese preliminary results suggests that patients with BD and mild cognitive deficits do not present any limitation in using mental health apps. In our case, the adoption of a user-centred design in the development process of the app could have mitigated the participants' difficulties when using the app.

Norms for the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry and cognitive trajectories in bipolar disorder

BackgroundThe International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Task Force recommends screening for and monitoring of cognitive impairments in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) with the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). The study aimed to provide the first demographically adjusted norms and change norms for the SCIP and to compare the cognitive trajectory over one year in remitted BD patients with normative cognitive change. MethodsPatients with fully or partially remitted BD and healthy controls (HC) were assessed with the SCIP at baseline and at a one-year follow-up. Regression-based models were used to determine demographically adjusted norms and change norms. Using the change models, predicted follow-up scores were calculated for BD and HC, and independent t-tests were used to compare deviations of the observed from the predicted follow-up scores for BD vs. HC to assess differences in cognitive trajectories. ResultsBaseline data were collected for n=273 HC and n=218 BD, and follow-up data for n=139 HC and n=74 BD. Baseline norm models included age, sex and years of education, while change models included baseline SCIP scores and age. Patients with follow-up data showed selective impairments within verbal learning and recall at baseline. They followed the normative cognitive trajectories for all cognitive domains but verbal learning. LimitationsCognition was assessed with a screening tool. ConclusionsWe recommend implementing demographically adjusted norms and change norms for the SCIP in clinical and research settings. Change norms seem sensitive to subtle and selective cognitive decline over one year in remitted BD.

Impairments in Peripheral Blood T Effector and T Regulatory Lymphocytes in Bipolar Disorder Are Associated with Staging of Illness and Anti-cytomegalovirus IgG Levels.

There is now evidence that, based on cytokine profiles, bipolar disorder (BD) is accompanied by simultaneous activation of the immune-inflammatory response system (IRS) and the compensatory immune-regulatory system (CIRS), and that both components may be associated with the staging of illness. Nevertheless, no BD studies have evaluated the IRS/CIRS ratio using CD (cluster of differentiation) molecules expressed by peripheral blood activated T effector (Teff) and T regulatory (Treg) subpopulations. This study examined Teff/Treg subsets both before and after ex vivo anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation using flow cytometric immunophenotyping in 25 symptomatic remitted BD patients and 21 healthy controls and assessed human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-specific IgG antibodies. BD is associated with a significantly lowered frequency of unstimulated CD3 + CD8 + CD71+ and CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 and increased CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + CD152+ frequencies and with lowered stimulated frequencies of CD3 + CD8 + CD71+, CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + CD152+, and CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + GARP cells and, consequently, by an increased stimulated Teff/Treg ratio. Moreover, the number of manic, but not hypomanic or depressive episodes, is significantly and negatively associated with the stimulated proportions of CD3 + CD4 + CD154+, and CD69+ and CD71+ expression on CD4+ and CD8+ cells, while duration of illness (≥ 10 years) is accompanied by a depleted frequency of stimulated CD152+ Treg, and CD154+ and CD71+ CD4+ T cells. BD and anti-human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) IgG levels significantly interact to decrease the expression of CD4 + CD25 + FOXP+GARP T phenotypes. In conclusion, in BD patients, immune injuries, staging, and HCMV seropositivity interact and cause CIRS dysfunctions and exaggerated IRS responses, which play a key role in parainflammation and neuroaffective toxicity. HCMV seropositivity contributes to an immune-risk phenotype in BD.

Theory of mind deficits in bipolar disorder in remission

Aims: Theory of Mind (ToM), a concept used to describe an individual's social cognitive abilities that play roles in social interaction, may have a significant role in explaining the clinical variables and social problems of affective disorders. This study aims to determine whether ToM functions are impaired in Bipolar Disorder (BD) compared to healthy controls as well as investigate the association between clinical variables of ToM deficit and social competence. Methods: A total of 50 patients diagnosed with BD who were in remission and 50 healthy control subjects were included in this cross-sectional study. Demographic data and medical history of participants were assessed, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Eyes test, Hinting Task, Social Adaptation and Self-Evaluation Scale (SASS), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) tests were administered. Results: There were no significant differences with regards to age, gender and BDI scores between patient and control groups. Hinting test (P=0.001), Eyes test (P=0.001), SASS (P=0.007) and WAIS-R (P=0.001) scores were higher in the control group. There was a significant correlation between Hinting Test and WAIS-R (r=0.430, P=0.001), and between Eyes Test and age (r.-0.590, P=0.001), duration of bipolar disorder (r=-0.554, P=0.001), number of manic attacks (r=0.590, P=0.001) and WAIS-R (r=0.343, P=0.050). Logistic regression analysis showed that compared to the patient group, control group was related to Eyes test by 1.2-fold for each point increase in Eyes test (P=0.001) and 1.3-fold for each point increase in Hinting test (P=0.003).Conclusion: ToM deficit was an essential factor that separated BD patients in remission from healthy individuals. ToM deficit may play a role in the essential pathology or affect the presence, or even onset, of BD.

Eye gaze and facial displays of emotion during emotional film clips in remitted patients with bipolar disorder.

Aberrant emotional reactivity is a putative endophenotype for bipolar disorder (BD), but the findings of behavioral studies are often negative due to suboptimal sensitivity of the employed paradigms. This study aimed to investigate whether visual gaze patterns and facial displays of emotion during emotional film clips can reveal subtle behavioral abnormalities in remitted BD patients. Thirty-eight BD patients in full or partial remission and 40 healthy controls viewed 7 emotional film clips. These included happy, sad, and neutral scenarios and scenarios involving winning, risk-taking, and thrill-seeking behavior of relevance to the BD phenotype. Eye gaze and facial expressions were recorded during the film clips, and participants rated their emotional reactions after each clip. BD patients showed a negative bias in both facial displays of emotion and self-rated emotional responses. Specifically, patients exhibited more fearful facial expressions during all film clips. This was accompanied by less positive self-rated emotions during the winning and happy film clips, and more negative emotions during the risk-taking/thrill-related film clips. These findings suggest that BD is associated with trait-related abnormalities in subtle behavioral displays of emotion processing. Future studies comparing patients with BD and unipolar depression are warranted to clarify whether these differences are specific to BD. If so, assessments of visual gaze and facial displays of emotion during emotional film clips may have the potential to be implemented in clinical assessments to aid diagnostic accuracy.

C-reactive protein is associated with cognitive performance in a large cohort of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.

Data support the notion that 40-60% of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have neurocognitive deficits. It is increasingly accepted that functioning in BD is negatively impacted by these deficits, yet they have not been a successful target for treatment. The biomarkers that predict cognitive deficits in BD are largely unknown, however recent evidence suggests that inflammation may be associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in BD. We measured C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation and risk of inflammatory disease, in 222 euthymic BD patients and 52 healthy controls. Within the patient sample, using multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) we compared cognitive performance of those with high CRP (≥5 mg/L) versus the remaining subjects (<5 mg/L) on a battery of cognitive tests. We evaluated relationships with several other relevant clinical features. We also examined the role of CRP in cognitive decline using a proxy cognitive decline metric, defined as the difference between premorbid and current IQ estimates, in a logistic regression analysis. Approximately 80% of our sample were BD-I, and the remainder were BD-II and 42.6% of our sample had a history of psychosis. We found a statistically significant effect of CRP on cognitive performance on a broad range of tests; participants with CRP ≥ 5 mg/L had worse performance on several measures of executive functioning, MATRICS processing speed andMATRICS reasoning and problem solving relative to those with lower CRP. We also identified CRP as a significant positive predictor of proxy cognitive decline. Our results indicate that elevated CRP is associated with a broad cognitive dysfunction in affectively remitted BD patients. These results may point to a subgroup of patients who might benefit from treatments to reduce inflammation.

Combined Processing of Facial and Vocal Emotion in Remitted Patients With Bipolar I Disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with impairments in facial emotion and emotional prosody perception during both mood episodes and periods of remission. To expand on previous research, the current study investigated cross-modal emotion perception, that is, matching of facial emotion and emotional prosody in remitted BD patients. Fifty-nine outpatients with BD and 45 healthy volunteers were included into a cross-sectional study. Cross-modal emotion perception was investigated by using two subtests out of the Comprehensive Affective Testing System (CATS). Compared to control subjects patients were impaired in matching sad (p &lt; .001) and angry emotional prosody (p = .034) to one of five emotional faces exhibiting the corresponding emotion and significantly more frequently matched sad emotional prosody to happy faces (p &lt; .001) and angry emotional prosody to neutral faces (p = .017). In addition, patients were impaired in matching neutral emotional faces to the emotional prosody of one of three sentences (p = .006) and significantly more often matched neutral faces to sad emotional prosody (p = .014). These findings demonstrate that, even during periods of symptomatic remission, patients suffering from BD are impaired in matching facial emotion and emotional prosody. As this type of emotion processing is relevant in everyday life, our results point to the necessity to provide specific training programs to improve psychosocial outcomes. (JINS, 2019, 25, 336-342).

Emotional hyper-reactivity and cardiometabolic risk in remitted bipolar patients: a machine learning approach.

Remitted bipolar disorder (BD) patients frequently present with chronic mood instability and emotional hyper-reactivity, associated with poor psychosocial functioning and low-grade inflammation. We investigated emotional hyper-reactivity as a dimension for characterization of remitted BD patients, and clinical and biological factors for identifying those with and without emotional hyper-reactivity. A total of 635 adult remitted BD patients, evaluated in the French Network of Bipolar Expert Centers from 2010-2015, were assessed for emotional reactivity using the Multidimensional Assessment of Thymic States. Machine learning algorithms were used on clinical and biological variables to enhance characterization of patients. After adjustment, patients with emotional hyper-reactivity (n=306) had significantly higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P<1.0×10-8 ), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P<1.0×10-8 ), fasting glucose (P<2.23×10-6 ), glycated hemoglobin (P=0.0008) and suicide attempts (P=1.4×10-8 ). Using models of combined clinical and biological factors for distinguishing BD patients with and without emotional hyper-reactivity, the strongest predictors were: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, C-reactive protein and number of suicide attempts. This predictive model identified patients with emotional hyper-reactivity with 84.9% accuracy. The assessment of emotional hyper-reactivity in remitted BD patients is clinically relevant, particularly for identifying those at higher risk of cardiometabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and suicide.

Are treatment adherence and insight related to quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in remission?

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the association of treatment adherence, quality of life and insight among bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients who are in remission and to reveal which variables predict the treatment adherence. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study with 150 schizophrenia and 150 bipolar disorder patients in remission. The patients were administered Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Schedule for Assessing the Three Components of Insight (SAI), World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life: Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF), Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS). We compared WHOQOL-BREF scores of the bipolar and schizophrenia patients. We checked the correlation between SAI scores and BPRS scores as well as between SAI scores and WHOQOL-BREF scores for both groups. We set MARS results (adherent vs. non-adherent) as a dependent variable and conducted logistic regression with all the clinical variables available to find a predictor for treatment adherence. Results: WHOQOL-BREF scores were found to be similar and positively correlated with insight for both groups. BPRS scores were found to be negatively correlated with insight for both groups. SAI treatment acceptance was found to be the only predictor of treatment adherence independent of the other clinical variables. Discussion: A strong positive rela-tionship between insight and treatment adherence suggests that treatment adherence of patients with good insight is better. The positive relationship between insight and quality of life shows that insight is an important factor in terms of quality of life and reveals the importance of insight oriented therapies.

Serum ischemia modified albumin (IMA) levels of patients with bipolar disorder in remission and healthy controls

Oxidative stress might play an important role in neurological and psychiatric diseases due to the central nervous system sensitivity to reactive oxygen species. Aim of this study is to contribute these data about oxidative stress in bipolar disorder, by detecting IMA levels of bipolar disorder patients in remission and also by comparing these results with healthy controls. Study population consisted of 35 outpatients with bipolar disorder, who being in remission. The patients meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition criteria for bipolar disorder I. 36 healthy subjects were included as control group. Serum ischemia modified albumin levels of all participants were determined and the results were compared between these two groups. The age, gender and ischemia modified albumin levels were not significantly different between bipolar disorder patients and healthy controls. Studies focusing on oxidative stress in bipolar disorder have reached controversial results up till now. The many different markers have been investigated to explain the effects of oxidative stress on bipolar disorders, and this might be reason why there are conflicting results. In addition, the past episodes of patients who were in remission during this study are unclear. Further investigations are needed to be carrying out to illustrate possible changes of oxidative balance in psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder.

Is a SIMPLe smartphone application capable of improving biological rhythms in bipolar disorder?

BackgroundBiological rhythms (BR) disturbance has been suggested as a potential mediator of mood episodes in Bipolar Disorder (BD). The Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN) was designed as an assessment tool to evaluate BR domains comprehensively. In the context of a trial evaluating a smartphone application delivering personalized psychoeducational contents for BD (SIMPLe 1.0), the main aim of this study is to evaluate the potential impact of SIMPLe 1.0 in BR regulation using the BRIAN scale. Methods51 remitted BD patients were asked to use the application for 3 months. Paired t-test analyses were employed to compare baseline and follow-up BRIAN´s total and domains scores. The sample was divided into completers and non-completers of the study to evaluate differences between groups regarding BRIAN scores using ANCOVA analyses. ResultsThe BRIAN's mean total score of the whole sample significantly decreased from baseline to post-intervention (35.89 (SD 6.64) vs. 31.18 (SD 6.33), t = 4.29, p = 0.001). At post-intervention, there was a significant difference between groups regarding the total BRIAN mean score (29.47 (SD 6.21) completers vs. 35.92 (SD 3.90) non-completers, t = 2.50, p = 0.02). This difference was maintained after conducting a one-way ANCOVA controlling for pre-intervention BRIAN scores, F (1, 46) = 10.545, p=0.002. LimitationsA limited sample, pre-post measures, and a short study timeframe could have affected the results. Additional factors affecting BR, such as medication, could not be ruled out. ConclusionOur results suggest that there are potential positive effects of a psychoeducational smartphone application as an adjunctive to treatment as usual on BD patients’ BR.

Altered interhemispheric functional connectivity in remitted bipolar disorder: A Resting State fMRI Study

Abnormalities in structural and functional brain connectivity have been increasingly reported in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). However, alterations of remitted BD (RBD) in functional connectivity between the cerebral hemispheres are still not well understood. This study was designed to analyze the pattern of the interhemispheric functional connectivity of the whole brain in patients with remitted BD during resting state. Twenty patients with RBD and 38 healthy controls (HC) underwent the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The functional connectivity between any pair of symmetrical interhemispheric voxels (i.e., functional homotopy) was measured by voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC). The patients with RBD showed lower VMHC than HC in the middle frontal gyrus and precentral gyrus. No regions of increased VMHC were detected in the RBD patients. There were no significant correlations between the VMHC values in these regions and the clinical variables. These findings suggest substantial impairment of interhemispheric coordination in RBD and they may represent trait, rather than state, neurobiological feature of brain function in BD.