The following is a summary of “Intrinsic functional connectivity correlates of cognitive deficits involving sustained attention and executive function in bipolar disorder,” published in the August 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Wu et al.

Only a few studies have explored the brain’s natural connections to cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder (BD). In the retrospective study, researchers aimed to investigate more intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) and its relation to cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder patients and healthy controls.

The study enrolled 59 people with BD and 52 healthy controls (HCs). These enrollees had undergone brain scans and specific tests like Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the continuous performance test to measure their thinking abilities. Further, they focused on three neurocognitive networks to assess the intrinsic FC alterations, the default mode network [DMN], the central executive network [CEN], and the salience network [SN] by using a seed-based approach. At last, using linear regression analyses relationship between FC and cognitive performance was explored.

BMC The outcomes of the study resulted that FC was decreased in the DMN, DMN-SN, and DMN-CEN. In contrast, in the SN-CEN, FC was increased in people with bipolar disorder (BD). The change in regional FC went in the same direction as the change in FC at the brain network level. Furthermore, An association was observed with reduced FC between the left posterior cingulate cortex and right anterior cingulate cortex and extended Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) completion times in people with bipolar disorder. However, this connection was not observed in HCs.

The study indicated the prominent involvement of DMN in bipolar disorder psychopathology. It offered evidence for a potential link between cognitive deficits in BD and disrupted functional connectivity between the anterior and posterior DMN.

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-05083-2