This thesis presents research investigating objectively and subjectively examined cognitive impairment in Bipolar Disorder (BD) in comparison to disorders with similar cognitive symptomatologies. First, a systematic review and meta-analyses compared the cognitive performance between BD and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or dementia. Studies included in this review and meta-analyses assessed cognitive performances using multiple objective cognitive assessments. Results from these meta-analyses found greater impairment in BD relative to MCI on motor initiative abilities. Additionally, there were similarities in cognitive deficits on delayed memory recall and visuoconstructional abilities between BD and MCI. For the comparison between BD and dementia, we analyzed the findings of studies comparing BD across different mood states with different types of dementia, where BD in acute mood episode demonstrated greater deficits in attention, working memory, verbal memory, and executive function than behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). In contrast, overall cognitive functioning and verbal fluency was more impaired in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in comparison to BD during euthymia. Next, we shifted the focus on examining subjective cognitive complaints in BD relative to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Our study is unique from previous literature with the same aim considering that it only involved patients recently diagnosed with BD, and subjective complaints were assessed with the Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment (COBRA), an instrument specific to cognitive complaints detected in BD. The findings demonstrate higher subjective cognitive complaints in euthymic BD in comparison to euthymic MDD, suggesting greater self-perceived difficulties in BD, even in the beginning of the illness. Taken together, findings from the studies presented in this thesis highlight the importance of early detection and intervention of cognitive impairments in BD, with the aim of enhancing cognitive abilities, and prevention of further cognitive degradation with the progression of the disorder / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/25760 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Simjanoski, Mario |
| Contributors | Kapczinski, Flavio, Neuroscience |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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