Bipolar disorder, obesity and cognitive impairment

Introduction According to scientific literature, cognitive impairment is a disabling feature of the bipolar disorder (BD), present in all the phases of the disease. Obesity and metabolic disorders represent another risk factor for cognitive dysfunctions in BD, since the excess of weight could adversely influence several cognitive domains. Objective To highlight the presence of impairment of cognitive functions in a sample of subjects suffering from BD and obesity. Aims Evaluation of the cognitive performance in a sample of BD patients, considering their anthropometric measures (height and weight) and body mass index (BMI). Methods The neuropsychological battery MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was administered by trained physicians for the evaluation of seven different cognitive domains in 46 patients (mean age: 43.17 years old; 39.13% male), affected by BD enrolled in the psychiatric unit of Azienda Sanitaria Locale and University of Foggia. In particular, cognitive functions assessed were speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. BMI was calculated, and patients were divided into a group of normal weight and another one of overweight or obese, on the base of BMI value (BMI cut-off = 25). Results The obese patients amounted at 56.52%. We have found the presence of cognitive deficits in two of the seven domains assessed, that are speed of processing ( P P Conclusions Cognitive deficits are clearly revealed in BD patients during the euthymic phase of the disorder. The obesity in BD could contribute to increase dysfunctions in cognitive domains.