Are self-rated and behavioural measures of impulsivity in bipolar disorder mainly related to comorbid substance use problems?. Issue 4 (4th July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bauer, Isabelle E.; Meyer, Thomas D.; Sanches, Marsal; Spiker, Danielle; Zunta-Soares, Giovana; Soares, Jair C.
• Is Part Of: Cognitive neuropsychiatry. Volume 22:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 298
• Page End: 314
• Publication Date: 2017-07-04
• Subjects: Impulsivity -- bipolar disorder -- substance abuse -- CANTAB; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2017.1324951
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-6805

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Impulsivity is a multidimensional feature observed in bipolar disorder (BD) and substance use disorder (SUD). We previously found a relationship between SUD and risk taking in BD. It is still unclear whether self-rated and behavioral impulsivity measures differ between BD with and without comorbid SUD, or are specific to BD. Methods: 93 adults with BD with comorbid SUD, 91 BD without SUD, and 93 healthy controls (HC) were administered the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), the Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS), and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Analyses compared impulsivity measures across groups controlling for age. Discriminant function analyses (DFA) assessed the combination of variables effectively predicting group membership. Results: BD displayed increased BIS, BIS/BAS scores, reduced performance on the Cambridge Gambling and Rapid Visual Processing, and Affective Go/No-Go tasks compared to HC. Comparisons between BD with and without SUD showed increased BIS Motor impulsiveness. The overall predictive power of DFA was weak. Conclusions: Some facets of impulsivity are a core trait of BD and are partially independent from the presence of SUD. Motor impulsiveness may be distinctive of BD+SUD. More research is needed to understand the role of impulsive behaviors as risk factors for relapse in SUD.