Self-Reported Pain and Emotional Reactivity in Bipolar Disorder: A Prospective FACE-BD Study.

In patients with bipolar disorder (BD), pain prevalence is close to 30%. It is important to determine whether pain influences BD course and to identify factors associated with pain in BD in order to guide BD management. This naturalistic, prospective study used data on 880 patients with BD from the French FACE-BD cohort who were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of pain. Multivariate models were used to test whether pain was associated with affective states and personality traits while controlling for confounders. Then, multivariate models were used to test whether pain at baseline predicted global life functioning and depressive symptomatology at one year. At baseline, 22% of patients self-reported pain. The pain was associated with depressive symptomatology, levels of emotional reactivity in a quadratic relationship, and a composite variable of personality traits (affective lability, affective intensity, hostility/anger, and impulsivity). At one year, the pain was predictive of depression and lower global life functioning. Pain worsens mental health and well-being in patients with BD. The role of emotions, depression, and personality traits in pain has to be elucidated to better understand the high prevalence of pain in BD and to promote specific therapeutic strategies for patients experiencing pain.

The course of bipolar disorder as a function of the presence and sequence of onset of comorbid alcohol use disorders in outpatients attending the Fondamental Advanced Centres of Expertise.

OBJECTIVES: The comorbidity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and bipolar disorder (BD) has been repeatedly associated with poorer clinical outcomes than BD without AUD. We aimed to extend these findings by focusing on the characteristics associated with the sequence of onset of BD and AUD. METHODS: 3,027 outpatients from the Fondamental Advanced Centres of Expertise were ascertained for BD-1, BD-2 and AUD diagnoses, including their respective ages at onset (AAOs, N =2,804). We selected the variables associated with both the presence and sequence of onset of comorbid AUD using bivariate analyses corrected for multiple testing to enter a binary regression model with the sequence of onset of BD and AUD as the dependent variable (AUD first - which also included 88 same-year onsets, vs. BD first). RESULTS: BD patients with comorbid AUD showed more severe clinical profile than those without. Compared to BD-AUD (N =269), AUD-BD (N =276) was independently associated with a higher AAO of BD (OR =1.1, p <0.001), increased prevalence of comorbid cannabis use disorder (OR =2.8, p <0.001) a higher number of (hypo)manic/mixed BD episodes per year of bipolar illness (OR =3, p <0.01). LIMITATIONS: The transversal design prevents from drawing causal conclusions. CONCLUSION: Increased severity of BD with AUD compared to BD alone did not differ according to the sequence of onset. A few differences, though, could be used to better monitor the trajectory of patients showing either one of these disorders.

Longitudinal relationships between cognition and functioning over 2 years in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder: a cross-lagged panel model approach with the FACE-BD cohort.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal studies of the relationship between cognition and functioning in bipolar disorder are scarce, although cognition is thought to be a key determinant of functioning. The causal structure between cognition and psychosocial functioning in bipolar disorder is unknown. AIMS: We sought to examine the direction of causality between cognitive performance and functional outcome over 2 years in a large cohort of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. METHOD: The sample consisted of 272 adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder who were euthymic at baseline, 12 and 24 months. All participants were recruited via the FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise in Bipolar Disorders. We used a battery of tests, assessing six domains of cognition at baseline and 24 months. Residual depressive symptoms and psychosocial functioning were measured at baseline and 12 and 24 months. The possible causal structure between cognition and psychosocial functioning was investigated with cross-lagged panel models with residual depressive symptoms as a covariate. RESULTS: The analyses support a causal model in which cognition moderately predicts and is causally primary to functional outcome 1 year later, whereas psychosocial functioning does not predict later cognitive performance. Subthreshold depressive symptoms concurrently affected functioning at each time of measure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are compatible with an upward causal effect of cognition on functional outcome in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. Neuropsychological assessment may help specify individual prognoses. Further studies are warranted to confirm this causal link and evaluate cognitive remediation, before or simultaneously with functional remediation, as an intervention to improve functional outcome.

Prevalence and determinants of cognitive impairment in the euthymic phase of bipolar disorders: results from the FACE-BD cohort.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits are a well-established feature of bipolar disorders (BD), even during periods of euthymia, but risk factors associated with cognitive deficits in euthymic BD are still poorly understood. We aimed to validate classification criteria for the identification of clinically significant cognitive impairment, based on psychometric properties, to estimate the prevalence of neuropsychological deficits in euthymic BD, and identify risk factors for cognitive deficits using a multivariate approach. METHODS: We investigated neuropsychological performance in 476 euthymic patients with BD recruited via the French network of BD expert centres. We used a battery of tests, assessing five domains of cognition. Five criteria for the identification of neuropsychological impairment were tested based on their convergent and concurrent validity. Uni- and multivariate logistic regressions between cognitive impairment and several clinical and demographic variables were performed to identify risk factors for neuropsychological impairment in BD. RESULTS: One cut-off had satisfactory psychometric properties and yielded a prevalence of 12.4% for cognitive deficits in euthymic BD. Antipsychotics use were associated with the presence of a cognitive deficit. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to validate a criterion for clinically significant cognitive impairment in BD. We report a lower prevalence of cognitive impairment than previous studies, which may have overestimated its prevalence. Patients with euthymic BD and cognitive impairment may benefit from cognitive remediation.

Associations between residual depressive symptoms, cognition, and functioning in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder: results from the FACE-BD cohort.

BackgroundThe relationship between residual depressive symptoms, cognition and functioning in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder is a subject of debate.AimsTo assess whether cognition mediates the association between residual depressive symptoms and functioning in patients with bipolar disorder who were euthymic.MethodWe included 241 adults with euthymic bipolar disorder in a multicentre cross-sectional study. We used a battery of tests to assess six cognition domains. A path analysis was then used to perform a mediation analysis of the relationship between residual depressive symptoms, cognitive components and functioning.ResultsOnly verbal and working memory were significantly associated with better functioning. Residual depressive symptoms were associated with poorer functioning. No significant relationship was found between residual depressive symptoms and any cognitive component.ConclusionsCognition and residual depressive symptoms appear to be two independent sources of variation in the functioning of people with euthymic bipolar disorder.

Cognitive profiles in euthymic patients with bipolar disorders: results from the FACE-BD cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Although cognitive deficits are a well-established feature of bipolar disorders (BD), even during periods of euthymia, little is known about cognitive phenotype heterogeneity among patients with BD. METHODS: We investigated neuropsychological performance in 258 euthymic patients with BD recruited via the French network of expert centers for BD. We used a test battery assessing six domains of cognition. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the cross-sectional data was used to determine the optimal number of subgroups and to assign each patient to a specific cognitive cluster. Subsequently, subjects from each cluster were compared on demographic, clinical functioning, and pharmacological variables. RESULTS: A four-cluster solution was identified. The global cognitive performance was above normal in one cluster and below normal in another. The other two clusters had a near-normal cognitive performance, with above and below average verbal memory, respectively. Among the four clusters, significant differences were observed in estimated intelligence quotient and social functioning, which were lower for the low cognitive performers compared to the high cognitive performers. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the existence of several distinct cognitive profiles in BD. Identification of these profiles may help to develop profile-specific cognitive remediation programs, which might improve functioning in BD.