Neuropsychological Functioning and Temperament Traits in a Czech Sample of Children and Adolescents at Familial Risk of Bipolar Disorder

Conclusions: Neuropsychological impairment does not seem to be a trait marker of BD in the premorbid stage. Temperament with low effortful control and low attention focusing might be associated with the development of mood disorders in BO. Introduction Children of parents with bipolar disorder (BD), i.e., bipolar offspring (BO), have an increased risk of developing the disorder than offspring of mentally healthy parents (control offspring; CO), with an estimated heritability of 59% (1). The clinical staging model for BD was developed to improve early interventions and to prevent its onset (2, 3). BO with no symptoms of mood disorders can be classified in the high-risk (HR) stage, whereas those with subclinical and clinical unipolar mood symptoms can be classified in the ultrahigh-risk (UHR) stage. Despite the fact that a positive family history is the strongest predictor for BD, most BO will not develop the disorder (4). Identifying early markers of vulnerability in both HR and UHR offspring is essential for precise person-level risk estimation (5). Regarding potential markers of risk for BD development in the HR population, both deficits in cognitive functioning and accentuated specific temperament traits have been discussed (6, 7). A meta-analysis of 42 neuropsychological studies of adult patients with BD in the euthymic phase showed impairment across all neuropsychological domains with effect size values in the moderate-to-large range (Cohen's d = 0.5ȁ...
Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research