Cognitive Functioning and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Late-Life Bipolar Disorder

• Published in: The American journal of geriatric psychiatry Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 174 - 179
• Main Authors: Gildengers, Ariel G., M.D, Butters, Meryl A., Ph.D, Chisholm, Denise, Ph.D, Rogers, Joan C., Ph.D, Holm, Margo B., Ph.D, Bhalla, Rishi K., Ph.D, Seligman, Karen, M.Ed, Dew, Mary Amanda, Ph.D, Reynolds, Charles F., M.D, Kupfer, David J., M.D, Mulsant, Benoit H., M.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01-02-2007; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - classification; Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use; Antimanic Agents - therapeutic use; Bipolar disorder; Bipolar Disorder - diagnosis; Bipolar Disorder - drug therapy; Bipolar Disorder - psychology; cognition; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - psychology; elderly; Female; Humans; IADLs; Internal Medicine; Lithium Carbonate - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Valproic Acid - therapeutic use; IADLs; Bipolar disorder; cognition; elderly
• ISSN: 1064-7481; 1545-7214
• DOI: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e31802dd367

Objective The authors report on the relationship between cognitive functioning and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in elderly, clinically euthymic adults with bipolar disorder. Methods Twenty patients with bipolar disorder (age range: 61–86 years) were administered comprehensive neuropsychologic testing. Structured in-home performance-based assessments of IADLs were performed in 19 of these patients. Results Relative to age-equated comparators, bipolar subjects performed worse in information-processing speed and executive functioning. IADL performance was strongly correlated with these cognitive domains. Conclusions In euthymic elderly patients with bipolar disorder, decrements in information processing speed and executive functioning characterize cognitive function and are associated with poorer IADL performance.