Dimensional Neural Markers of Affective Processing in Bipolar Disorder

BackgroundThere are few theoretical proposals that attempt to account for the variation in affective processing across different affective states of bipolar disorder (BD). The Interacting Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) framework has been recently extended to account for manic states. Within the framework, positive mood state is hypothesized to tap into an implicational level of processing, which is proposed to be more extreme in states of mania.MethodThirty individuals with BD and 30 individuals with no history of affective disorder were tested in euthymic mood state and then in induced positive mood state using the Question–Answer task to examine the mode of processing of schemas. The task was designed to test whether individuals would detect discrepancies within the prevailing schemas of the sentences.ResultsAlthough the present study did not support the hypothesis that the groups differ in their ability to detect discrepancies within schemas, we did find that the BD group was significantly more likely than the control group to answer questions that were consistent with the prevailing schemas, both before and after mood induction.ConclusionsThese results may reflect a general cognitive bias, that individuals with BD have a tendency to operate at a more abstract level of representation. This may leave an individual prone to affective disturbance, although further research is required to replicate this finding.

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Initial evidence for sex-specific effects of early emotional abuse on affective processing in bipolar disorder

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2013.06.005 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 52-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Russo ◽

R. Proujansky ◽

A. Gilbert ◽

R.J. Braga ◽

K.E. Burdick

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Childhood Abuse ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Iowa Gambling Task ◽

Affective Processing ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

Specific Effects ◽

Bipolar Patients

AbstractPurposeThis study investigates the effect of sex and childhood trauma on affective processing in bipolar disorder (BPD) patients.MethodsIn a sample of fifty-six BPD patients, we administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Affective Go/No-Go (AGNG) to measure affective processing. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the effect of sex and childhood trauma on IGT; Repeated-Measures ANOVAs to measure accuracy and bias measures across conditions on the AGNG.ResultsIn the context of childhood abuse, females evidenced a more conservative cognitive style than males by selecting fewer cards from the disadvantageous decks [F(1, 49) = 14.218;P< 0.001] and showed an improvement throughout the task, as noted in a normal learning curve [F(1.49) = 4.385;P= 0.041)]. For the AGNG, an interaction specific to the negative valence stimuli on response bias measures was found. Abused females scored higher (mean = 8.38; SD = 6.39) than abused males (mean = 0.69; SD = 1.19) [F(1.46) = 6.348;P= 0.015].ConclusionSeverity of childhood trauma was significantly different between sexes. In the context of a history of emotional abuse, male bipolar patients tended toward a more risk-taking behavior compared to female. Further investigations are needed to elucidate potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this interaction.

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