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Language impairment in euthymic, elderly patients with bipolar disorder but no dementia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2008

Marcia Radanovic ,
Paula Villela Nunes ,
Wagner Farid Gattaz  and
Orestes Vicente Forlenza
Marcia Radanovic*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Paula Villela Nunes
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Wagner Farid Gattaz
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Orestes Vicente Forlenza
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Marcia Radanovic, Rua Cristiano Viana, 163 ap. 92, São Paulo – SP –Brazil05411-000. Phone: +55 11 30889708; Fax: +55 11 30889708. Email: marciaradanovic@yahoo.com.br; radano@tecway.com.br.
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Abstract

Background: Neurocognitive impairment is known to occur in euthymic bipolar patients, but language alterations have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study is to examine the performance in language tests of a sample of elderly patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods: We studied 33 euthymic elderly patients with bipolar disorder but no dementia and 33 healthy individuals, matched for age and education, who were compared in terms of their CAMCOG global score and its subitems.

Results: The scores obtained in language-related abilities for patients and controls, respectively, were: language (total): 27.3 (1) and 28.5 (1), p < 0.0001; comprehension: 8.6 (0.5) and 8.9 (0.3), p = 0.006; production: 18.7 (1) and 19.6 (0.9), p = <0.0001; abstraction: 6.8 (1.1) and 7.3 (0.7), p = 0.016; verbal fluency: 16.3 (4.3) and 19.6 (4.1), p = 0.003.

Conclusion: A mild but significant impairment in language-related ability scores was detected when comparing patients and controls.

Keywords

bipolar disordercognitionlanguagemild cognitive impairmentelderly
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , August 2008 , pp. 687 - 696
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2008

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