A systematic review of cognitive rehabilitation for bipolar disorder.

INTRODUCTION: It has been shown that bipolar disorder (BD) has a direct impact on neurocognitive functioning and behavior. This finding has prompted studies to investigate cognitive enhancement programs as potential treatments for BD, primarily focusing on cognitive reinforcement and daily functioning and not restricted to psychoeducation and coping strategies, unlike traditional psychosocial treatments. OBJECTIVE: This study presents a systematic review of controlled trials of cognitive rehabilitation (CR) for BD. Our main objective is to describe the results of studies of rehabilitation programs for BD and related methodological issues. METHOD: Electronic database searches (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase) were conducted to identify articles using terms related to BD and CR. The methodological quality of each article was measured using the 5-item Jadad scale. RESULTS: A total of 239 articles were initially identified, but after application of exclusion criteria, only four were retained for this review. An average of 17 hours of intervention sessions were conducted, distributed as 0.95 hours per week and three of the four studies reported better executive function performance after CR interventions. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find robust evidence to support cognitive rehabilitation as an effective treatment for BD, because of: 1) the variety of intervention designs; 2) the methodological limitations of the studies; and 3) the lack of studies in the field.

A systematic review of cognitive rehabilitation for bipolar disorder / Revisão sistemática sobre reabilitação cognitiva para o transtorno bipolar

Introduction: It has been shown that bipolar disorder (BD) has a direct impact on neurocognitive functioning and behavior. This finding has prompted studies to investigate cognitive enhancement programs as potential treatments for BD, primarily focusing on cognitive reinforcement and daily functioning and not restricted to psychoeducation and coping strategies, unlike traditional psychosocial treatments. Objective: This study presents a systematic review of controlled trials of cognitive rehabilitation (CR) for BD. Our main objective is to describe the results of studies of rehabilitation programs for BD and related methodological issues. Method: Electronic database searches (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase) were conducted to identify articles using terms related to BD and CR. The methodological quality of each article was measured using the 5-item Jadad scale. Results: A total of 239 articles were initially identified, but after application of exclusion criteria, only four were retained for this review. An average of 17 hours of intervention sessions were conducted, distributed as 0.95 hours per week and three of the four studies reported better executive function performance after CR interventions. Conclusions: We did not find robust evidence to support cognitive rehabilitation as an effective treatment for BD, because of: 1) the variety of intervention designs; 2) the methodological limitations of the studies; and 3) the lack of studies in the field.

Introdução: Tem sido demonstrado que o transtorno bipolar (TB) tem um impacto direto sobre o funcionamento neurocognitivo e o comportamento. Tais achados têm fomentado outros estudos para investigar o efeito de programas de aprimoramento cognitivo como potenciais intervenções no TB, focados principalmente no treino cognitivo e no funcionamento diário e não restrito a psicoeducação e estratégias de enfrentamento de problemas, como os tratamentos psicossociais tradicionais. Objetivo: Este estudo apresenta uma revisão sistemática de ensaios clínicos controlados que avaliaram reabilitação cognitiva (RC) para TB. Nosso objetivo principal é descrever os resultados desses estudos acerca de programas de reabilitação para TB e questões metodológicas relacionadas. Métodos: Foram realizadas pesquisas em bancos de dados (MEDLINE, Web of Science e Embase) para identificar artigos utilizando termos relacionados a RC e TB. A qualidade metodológica de cada artigo foi mensurada usando a escala JADAD de 5 itens. Resultados: Um total de 239 artigos foram identificados inicialmente, dos quais apenas quatro foram analisados nesta revisão após aplicação dos critérios de exclusão. Uma média de 17 horas de sessões de intervenção foram realizadas, com uma distribuição de 0,95 horas por semana. Três dos quatro estudos relataram melhor desempenho na função executiva após intervenções de RC. Conclusões: Não foram encontradas evidências suficientes que sustentem a reabilitação cognitiva como um tratamento efetivo do TB, devido: 1) à variedade de modelos de intervenção; 2) às limitações metodológicas dos estudos; e 3) à escassez de estudos na área.